Horse nutrition

Question 1

what is the dental arcade

Answer 1

space between the incisors and first premolars where the bit sits

Question 2

what kind of jaw movements do they have

Answer 2

lateral and vertical for grinding

Question 3

what is choke

Answer 3

too much feed/not chewed well enough –> comes out through nose

Question 4

stomach size

Answer 4

10% (8-16 liters) of GI capacity

Question 5

what does J shape of stomach allow for

Answer 5

allows water drunk during or after a feed to pass over the top of the food in the stomach rather than washing the food contents out

Question 6

non-glandular v glandular stomach

Answer 6

• non: esophageal/cardiac

- glandular: fundic/pyloric

Question 7

what is margo plicatus

Answer 7

demarcation between esophageal and fundic regions of stomach

Question 8

what is absorbed in fundic and pyloric regions

Answer 8

some VFAs

Question 9

what is absorbed in small intestine

Answer 9

• glucose
• amino acids/small peptides
• fatty aicds
• fat soluble vitamins
• some minerals
• water

Question 10

what does fat do to rate of passage in GI

Answer 10

slows it down

Question 11

metabolic syndrome effects on blood sugar, blood insulin, triglycerides

Answer 11

• blood sugar increased
• blood insulin increased
• triglycerides increased

Question 12

how much do you feed horses with metabolic syndrom

Answer 12

1-1.5% BW/day on DM basis

Question 13

what is absorbed in hindgut

Answer 13

• microbial fermentation byproducts (VFA)
• some minerals
• water

Question 14

ideal water temp

Answer 14

45-64F

Question 15

how much do horses drink/day

Answer 15

3-10 gallons/1000lb horse

Question 16

how long do horses graze/day

Answer 16

12-16 hours/day (hourly throughout the day, every 2-3 hours at night) –> trickle feeders

Question 17

how much will horses eat/day

Answer 17

1.5-2.5% of their BW in DM

Question 18

carbohydrate linkage and digestibility

Answer 18

• a-1,6 and a-1,4 can be hydrolyzed

- b-1,4 can’t be hydrolyzed (need microbes)

Question 19

max amount of grain you can feed

Answer 19

0.5% of BW at once (no more than 5lbs for 1000lb horse)

Question 20

Ca:P ratio

Answer 20

• want greater than 1:1 (1.5:1 to 2:1)

- P in excess of Ca prevents Ca absorption, P then absorbed in hindgut

Question 21

what vitamins are hays (harvested forages) deficient in

Answer 21

A and E

Question 22

when do pregnant mare’s nutrient requirements increase

Answer 22

last few months of gestation

Question 23

priority of tissue development in foal

Answer 23

bone, muscle, then fat

Question 24

when are foals weaned

Answer 24

4-6 months

Question 25

when can foals utilize grain

Answer 25

10-14 days old

Question 26

when can foals utilize forages

Answer 26

6-8 weeks old

Question 27

what do you feed foals grain to achieve

Answer 27

optimal growth rate, not maximal growth rate

Question 28

compensatory growth in foals

Answer 28

• growing too fast

- increased incidence of developmental orthopedic disorders (DOD)

Question 29

when is peak occurrence of DOD

Answer 29

3-9 months old

Question 30

nutritional factors that increase incidence of DOD

Answer 30

• excess energy
• high glycemic index diets
• slow then rapid growth periods
• mineral deficiencies/excesses/imbalances