equine nutrition Flashcards
what health issues can a poor diet cause
- poor performance
- abnormal behaviour
- underweight
- obesity
- equine metabolic syndrome
- dental overgrowths
- equine gastric ulcer syndrome
- colic
how have modern diets and management of horses impacted equine dentition
- increased intake of concentrate
- reduced mastication
- changed mandibular movement
- resulting in abnormal dental wear (sharp overgrowths or points, pain soft tissue injuries)
what are some suspect nutritional causes of laminitis
(failure of bond between inner hoof wall and distal phalanx)
- carbohydrate overload
- oligofructose overload
- insulin-induced
explain how carbphydrate and oligofructose leads to laminitis
- large amounts of starch ot fructan cannot be broken down by small intestinal digestive enzymes
- enters hindgut and is rapidly fermented to produce lactic acid and volatile fatty acids
- lactic acid cannot be absorbed or used by other gut bacteria
- large amounts of lactic acid causes death and lysis of bacteria
- lowers hindgut pH
- increases endotoxins that enter bloodstream
how can equine metabolic syndrome lead to laminitis
- obese, insulin dysregulated horses with history of laminitis
- inability to regulate insulin can lead to hyperinsulinaemia and an increased risk of laminitis
what is the importance of forage in a horse’s diet
- should be the main component of the horses diet
- can be referred to as roughage
- can provide a complete diet (with appropriate vitain and mineral supplementation)
- required for heathy digestive system
- fulfils horses psychological need to chew
- variable nutritive value
what is hay and what is the nutritional content
- grass that is cut a dired in the summer months
- high in fibre, low in digestible energy, low in starch
- high calcium and potassium, lower in phosphorus
- contains vitamins A, E and K, if sun cured will contain vitamin D
- variable protein
- should be less than 20% water content to prevent mould
what is the point/what are the benefits of soaking hay
- causes variable amounts of nutritional leaching
- goof for horses on restricted diets
- involes submerging hay in water overnight
what is/what are the benefits of steaming hay
- hay placed in a specialised steaming chamber (expensive)
- reduces mould, dust and spore content
- variable amounts of nutrirional leaching
- good for horses with respiratory issues
what is haylage and what are the nutritional benefits
- grass cut and stored in oxygen limiting facility
- baled when there is around 35-40% moisture remaining
- 90% feed value of grass
- minimal dust and spores
- DO NOT feed mouldy bits (white mould causes botulism)
what types of concentrate feeds are appropriate for horses and when should they be fed/what are their benefits
- only if the horse needs more energy
- seeds from cereal plants (nutrient store for plant embryo)
- rice, oats, barley have fused husk so high in fibre (but require precessing prior to feeding to allow better digeston)
- palatable, usually eaten in preference to forage
- low in fibre but high in digestible energy and starch
- low in calcium and vitamins
what is a balancer
- commercially formulated and availible for a variety of life stages
- provide essential micronutrients that may be lacking in current diet
- low in starch and sugar
- should be fed to horses that are fed forage only diets as likely lack essential vitamins and minerals
discuss starches in equine diets
- primarily found in grains, warm season grasses and legumes
- easily hydrolysed by amylase to glucose sub-units in small intestine
- rapidly fermented in the hindugt –> large quantities can lead to over production of lactic acid which kills bacteria and causes colic, laminitis and other metabolic conditions
discuss the importance of fructan in horses
- sugar producing carbohydrate
- not digested by small intestinal enzymes, passes to hindgut for fermentation to VFA and lactic acid
- consumption of large quantities can cause digestive upset due to lactic acid killing bacteria
explain why frosty grass is concerning for horse owners
when environmental temperatures fally below 5 degrees, photosynthesis increases but growth decreases leading to increased sugar concentration (fructan)
