Horse nutrition Flashcards
What are the only three things a normal, healthy horse needs?
good quality hay, water, salt block
***remember high quality
At what age are horses considered geriatric?
Over 20 years old
Horse owners get what percentage of feeding information from their veterinarian?
80%
T/F: Adding supplements to a horses diet is usually necessary
FALSE
adding supplements often will UNBALANCE their diet
Where does fermentation take place in the horse GIT?
Cecum and large intestine
How much times does a horse spend doing “feeding behaviors” throughout the day?
12 - 16 hours a day
Horses are “trickle feeders”. They eat small amounts throughout the day to get feed to accumulate in the cecum and large colon
The best way to avoid GI issues/colic in horses, is by feeding a diet that will be digested in the _________
large intestine/hind gut
How often should a horses teeth be evaluated?
Yearly evaluation, then floating prn (typically not needed that often)
Fill in the blank with Mandibular or maxillary
____________ arcade tends to be more narrow than the ________ arcade. This can lead to uneven wear and form points.
Mandibular = narrower
than the maxillary
Maxillary points are on the ______ side, and mandibular points are on the _____ side
Maxillary = buccal
Mandibular = salivary
What horses have the most problems with dentition?
Geriatric horses
Bc horses are have continuous erupting teeth, that are a fixed length
Should the entire surface of the tooth be smoothed when floating horse teeth? Why or why not?
NO - the surface of the horse tooth has an inter-digitated pattern that helps to grind food
Can a horse with “wave mouth” be treated?
This is difficult to treat and can not be completely resolved
Where are the points located on a “shear mouth”
Maxillary teeth - buccal side
What is a comfortable capacity of the average horse stomach?
8 L
How often should a horse be fed?
Horses should be eating all day. So if a client has to stall feed - they should do so, no less than three times a day
Ideally horses should be grazing on a pasture daily
Does a horse use the products of its fermenting as a source of protein?
No - ruminants do this, but horses do not
T/F: Horses absorb proteins as amino acids
TRUE
Where do horses absorb vitamins and minerals?
Small intestine
Vitamins like A, D, E, and K, carotene
Digestion and feed intake problems occur if greater than _____ % small intestine is removed
50%
average feet of small intestine in the horse is 70ft
What is the site of absorption of carbohydrates in the horse?
small intestine
**hydrolyzable carbs like starches
What is the primary site of water absorption in the horse?
Large intestine
The horse circulates _____ times the normal blood volume of a horse, of water through the large intestine mucosa daily
2-3
** the colon can be water reservoir
What are the 3 important volatile fatty acids produced via fermentation in the hind gut?
Acetate, butyrate, and proprionate
T/F: Bacterial overgrowth is a common cause of colic or GI issues in the horse
FALSE
Bacterial overgrowth rarely occurs, but the population of organisms can play a role in systemic and metabolic conditions
What are the two Carbohydrate classifications and examples of each?
Non structural carbs: soluble carbs: simple sugars, starch, fructans (**these ones are higher risk to cause GI issues in the horse)
Structural carbs: cellulose, hemicellulose, ligno-cellulos, lignin
Carbs can also be categorized in what three categories? What category causes the most GI issues, and the least?
- Hydrolyzable: digestion in the small intestine; simple sugars and non resistant starches –*most likely to cause colon dysfunction and poor gut health (mostly grains)
- Rapidly fermentable: Microbial digestion in the Large intestion; resistant starches and some oligosaccharides (fructans)
- Slowly fermentable: microbial digestion in the large intesting –*** best for colon health
Where are fructans found? When are they at highest concentration?
Fructans are found in grasses (varies among spps)
Usually they are in higher concentration in the morning, and in the spring and summer months (increased rain and sun)
“over conditioned” horses will often develop ________
laminitis
often due to high fructan levels in the grass
Do horses all have the same ideal body condition?
No - depends on their purpose
work horse, racing horse, leisure etc
What type of feed has the most variability?
Forages
What are the criteria for good quality hay?
Harvested early - digestibility and protein content decreases as it matures
Free of mold, dust, weeds
Not undergone excessive weathering
LEAFY - not stemmy - and green
T/F: grains are less stable in nutrient composition than forages
FALSE
Grain composition is stable
Does processing increase or decrease the bioavailability of the nutrients within feeds?
Improves nutrient extraction!!
What are some processes used to process feed?
Grains: crimping, rolling, grinding, crushing, pelleting
Roughages - chopping, cubing, pelleting
What are some advantages and disadvantages of commercial pelleted feeds?
Pros - easy to store, always consistent
cons - expensive, usually causes a decrease in colonic healthy bc they tend to pass through the proximal GI tract very fast without a large amount of digestion
If a feed lists a certain quantity of vitamins and minerals, will the horse eating the feed get that amount?
Not necessarily. Just bc the macro nutrients are listed, does not mean that is the quantity that is bio available. There can also be nutrient reactions that makes one more or less available than the other
What VFA can be used as an important substrate for gluconeogenesis?
proprionate
The _____ component of feedstuffs used in horses, is the most economical, most natural, and maximizes the chew factor
roughage
What can happen when the chew factor and gut fill factor of a horse is not being met?
Wood chewing, cribbing, coprophagia, tail chewing, and mane chewing
What is the gut fill factor?
The amount of fill or food that is normally sitting within the large intestine/hind gut (usually about 2 days worth of food)
In general, leaves contain about ____ energy, ____ protein, and most of the other nutrients
2/3 of the energy
3/4 of the protein
*grass has a more consistent nutrient profile than legumes - bc legumes can lose their leaves, making them less nutrient rich and less consistent
When do legumes have a more nutrient profile than grasses?
When they are whole - leaves are intact
What is beet pulp a good source of?
High energy - but it is derived from fermentation in the large colon. (this is safer than grains)
This can be substituted for roughage or grain
**low glycemic index
U[p to what percentage of the diet can beet pulp constitute?
50%
Majority of nutritional and metabolic disorders of the horse all stem from what?
Over feeding!!
What is the classic grain with hulls used for feeding horses? What are some pros and cons that feed?
Oats
High in fiber, this is a “safer” grain (ex - if you mess up the amount of oats you give a horse you are less likely to have GI upset or colic)
Oats are less energy dense than corn, but have a higher protein content
*oats have an inconsistent quality and is more expensive
What is the classic grain without hulls used for feeding horses? What are some pros/cons of this food source?
Corn
2X the energy of oats (less room for error in feeding), LOW fiber, LESS expensive, more consistent quality, high vitamin A
Lower protein, low in lysine and tryptophan
***possible mold toxicity - Fusarium moniliform
What are the functions of using molasses in horse feed?
Used to mix or admin medication
Makes food more palatable and lowers dust
Increases digestible energy, has a high calcium content
Since soybean meal is high in lysine and tryptophan, what feed is it often used in conjunction with?
Corn based diets (since corn is low in those AA)
soybean meal =protein supplement
Can horses eat and process animal fat?
YES, but ideally plant based fats should be used
What is the most recommended oil to be used in horses?
Corn oil
others include canola, safflour, and sunflower
**These can increase fat with minimal volume
What would be considered a high fat diet in a horse? When would you want to use one?
22-25% fat
This would be used when you are trying to maintain or increase body condition in a horse (ex - geriatric)
Safflower oil and sunflower oil may be beneficial for horses with that condition?
Allergies, can have anti inflammatory effects for atopy associated conditions by changing the composition of cell membranes
Besides oils, what kind of feed can be given to horses to increase their fat intake?
Rice bran
often fed to endurance/race horses
What are the two types of commercial feeds for horses?
Complete feed: roughage component and fat/grain component - fed withOUT additional hay ($$$$$$$)
Grain mixes - no roughage component - so these are used as a supplements only
What are pros and cons to feeding a complete feed?
Pros: simple, easy storage, not additional feed/supplements should be necessary,
Cons: $$$$$$, predisoposed to “choke” aka esophageal obstruction, some may be poor quality
If you do not have a scale, how can you get a good estimate of weight of a horse?
Using a weight tape - they come differently per breed of horse and although this is an estimate - you can follow the increase/decrease in condition well
Can also use formulas involving height, length, and girth measurements
or use height and body condition score
What area do you evaluate to give a body condition score in a horse?
the epaxial area
Do not confuse a reduction of muscle mass with a reduction of fat
Where is the fat deposit located on the horse what will show up first and leave last?
Area just caudal to the scapula
On a 1-9 body condition scale what is ideal? What is ideal on a 5 point scale?
9 point = 5-6
5 point = 3
T/F: National research council nutrient guidelines are optimal for most patients
FALSE
The guidelines represent a minimum requirement for most nutrients
Using the NRC guidelines:
Most vitamins and minerals should use _____ times the NRC recommendations
Digestible energy and protein should use ___ NRC values
1.25 - 3 times the NRC vitamin and mineral values
Use the recommended NRC values for digestible energy and protein
How much should water intake increase for a lactating mare?
50 - 80% increase
*increase water intake for exercise is more variable (20-400%)
When using water additives, what else should the horse have availability to?
Free choice normal, zero additive water as well
The average energy requirement for a horse is ______ Mcal/day
16.4
this is considered maintenance
What are factors affecting maintenance digestible energy?
Individual activity (don’t forget restless activity - weaving, pacing etc)
Physiological state
Thermal stress: cold weather will increase energy expenditure
What are factors affecting digestible energy requirements for work?
Level of conditioning
Level of training
Ability of the rider
Environment
By what percentage should you increase a horses digestible energy if they are performing light/mild/low intensity work?
increase by 25%
maintenance + (.25 X maintenance)
By what percentage should you increase a horses digestible energy if they are performing medium/moderate intensity work?
increase by 50%
maintenance + (.5 X maintenance)
By what percentage should you increase a horses digestible energy if they are performing high/severe intensity work?
increase by 100%
maintenance + maintenance
What is the rule of thumb for energy requirements of draft horses?
increase 10% maintenance per hour field work
Over feeding protein, can increase ______ work
Metabolic
What horses have higher than normal protein requirements?
Weanlings and Yearlings (weanlings > yearlings)
*amino acid profile can especially influence growth
Protein is less critical for mature horses
What is the first rate limiting amino acid?
LYSINE
T/F: if you are feeding a horse the average/appropriate amount of digestible energy, you are automatically feeding them the proper amount of protein
TRUE
maintain DE:DP ratios with maintenance
What clinical signs may you see in a horse with decreased intake or poor quality protein?
**consequences are noted in areas where cells are rapidly dividing - poor hoof and hair growth, reduced feed intake, body condition loss
In young animals: decreased growth and development
At what percentage of protein excess in the diet will you note growth depression?
25% or greater excess
What clinical signs may you note in horses who have excess protein in their diet?
Increased sweating, HR, RR, Increased water requirements and urine volume
increased metabolic work
What is the ideal calcium to phosphorus ratio in the horse?
2:1** ideal for all horses and especially for growing horses
adults can have a range of 1:1 to 6:1 but 2:1 is best
Where do horses store vitamin A?
In the liver (stores about a 3-6 month supply)
When do vitamin A deficiencies occur in horses?
When they have no access to fresh green forage (for long periods of time - over 3-6 months)
As forage matures and storage time increases, what nutrients will decrease?
Vitamin E and Selenium
At what time in gestation do you want to increase protein intake in the mare?
during months 9, 10, and 11 want to increase protein from 8-10% up to 12-14%
When does peak lactation in the mare occur?
between 4 and 10 weeks post-partum (**5-6 weeks average)
Nursing foals have a protein requirement of what?
14 - 16%
weanling = 13% yearling = 12%
Should you feed your horse grain?
NO
Only if your quality of hay super sucks or the horse needs extra energy
What metabolic disorders are becoming more common due to over feeding horses?
Diabetes and hyperinsulinoma
Grain will cause a(n) increase or decrease in the pH of the large colon?
decrease - causes acidosis
What grains are “safer” for the horse GI tract, with or without hulls?
With hulls
In an ideal world, you are aiming for ____% pre cecal digestion, in a horse feed
100
Is it better to feed a horse two or three times a day?
Three times is better than two
four times is not necessarily better than three
You should never feed more than ___ pounds of grain in one meal
3 pounds
What is one of the most common and subtle dz/signs seen in association to gram negative endotoxin absorption in the gut due to acidosis?
laminitis
