Nutrition Flashcards
What are the five factors that influence digestibility of nutrients in the digestive tract?
1) Type of source of feedstuff 2) Level of maturity 3) Method of processing 4) Quantity 5) Associative effects 6) Frequency of feeding 7) Rate of passage 8) Compounds that interfere with digestibility 9) Individual differences among horses
What is a herbivore?
Animals that live primarily on plants
What part of the digestive tract is the site for the major portion of nutrient absorption?
The small intestine
Where in the horse’s body are soluble carbohydrates digested to simple sugars?
The small intestine
Where is the primary site of protein digestion?
The small intestine
Calcium is absorbed from which intestine?
The small intestine
Where are the B vitamins synthesized in the horse?
The large intestine
The hind gut for the horse is the site of active microbial digestion of fibrous feeds into what primary energy source for the horse?
Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA)
When mature horses with a lower protein requirement are fed alfalfa, the excess protein is broken down and the nitrogen is excreted where?
In the urine as urea
Name 4 things a feed tag tells a horseperson.
Weight, brand and company name, product name, directions for use, guaranteed analysis, feed ingredients, precautionary statement, name and address of manufactory.
How are ingredients listed on the feed tag?
Largest percentage first and smallest percentage last
Name two things the guaranteed analysis tells a horseperson?
Minimum percentage of crude protein, minimum percentage of crude fat, minimum percentage of crude fiber, and minimum percentage of ash
How is crude protein calculated?
Measure nitrogen content
Nitrogen content of feedstuffs is used to determine protein content of feedstuffs. What is the average percent of nitrogen content of protein?
16%
How much of the crude protein is represented by the digestible protein?
75-80%
What is the measure of the bulk or fibrous portion of the grain mix consisting of mostly cellulose and lignin?
Crude fiber
Name four of the seven “macro” elements required in the diets of horses.
Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, chloride, potassium, and sulfur
True or False? Never feed more than .75% of the body weight at any one feeding.
True
True or False? A horse can be fed their total ration of 15lbs of grain per day at one feeding.
False
True or False? Horses should be offered frre choice materials.
False
Name four types of grains that can be fed to a horse?
Oats, corn, barley, grain sorghum, rye, and wheat
What are the two categories of grain processing?
Dry and Wet
Name three types of grain processing.
Dry rolling, grinding, crimping, roasting, pelleting, soaking, steam rolling, extruded feeds
Does crimping or rolling oats appreciably improve the digestibilty?
NO
Which is higer in energy - corn or oats?
Corn
True or False? Horses will digest feed better if feedings are spaced equal times throughout a 24hr period.
True
Name the categories of commercial manufactured equine feeds.
Textured concentrates, processd concentrates, complete feeds, and supplements
What does NDF stand for?
Neutral Detergent fiber
Which type of manufactured equine feed is mixd to improve digestibility, feed efficiency and intake?
Processed
What is sweet feed?
A grain mix that contains molasses
Which type of manufactured equine feed uses molasses mixed with whole grain to improve palatablility?
Textured
What is the most common supplemental protein used in horse diets?
Cottonseed meal or soybean meal
What is feed that contains the highest quality protein?
Soybean meal
What is the preferred plant source protein fed to horses?
Soybean meal
Brewers dried grains are high in what nutrients?
Fiber and protein
The proper feeding of horses can be divided into what two steps?
1)Knowing the nutritional need of the horse 2) Prividing for this need through the feeding of suitable feedstuffs
The horse’s nutritional requirements are influenced by what factors?
1) The size of the animal 2) The environment 3) Age 4) Type of use or activity 5) Individual characteristics
What is the easiest way to determine whether a horse’s enegy needs are being met?
Monitor the body weight of the animal on a regular basis
Feeds should always be purchased by what measure?
Weight not volume
True or False? Horsemen should feed horses by volume of feedstuff instead of weight.
False
What percentage of the feed ingested is needed to provide the animal’s enegy needs?
80-90%
What type of manufactured equine feed is a combinaiton of concentrates and forages into one product?
Complete
True or False? Balanced rations should be supplemented with a protein, vitamin, and/or mineral supplement.
False
What is meant by a custom feed mix?
Mix that is prepared by a feed mill according to specifications given to them by a customer
True or False? Horses do not require multiple feedings per day if they require 15-20lbs. of concentrate.
False
How much time should be allowed when changing physical forms of feeds, such as from a textured feed to a pelleted feed?
5-7 days
True or False? Horse owners should not dilute or “cut” balanced rations with cereal grains.
True
Do irregular feeding times affect horses’ stall behaviors?
yes
What one thing should stalled horses receive everyday to maintain optimal eating behavior?
Routine exercise
How should concentrate feeds for horses be stored?
In a dry place, free from rodents and insects
Name the ways to prevent a horse from eating aggressively.
Deep shallow trough, salt bricks or softball size rock in the trough, or feeding extruded feeds
What prominent growth supplement in cattle feed is toxic when fed to horses?
Monensin
Excessive ingestion of nitrogen rich compounds such as urea can result in what condition?
Ammonia Toxicosis
The craving for unnatural food may result because of a nutrient deficiency. Give 3 examples of unnatural food consumption.
Chewing wood, eating dirt, sand and/or gravel, tail biting, and eating the bark of trees
What is the common name for enterotoxemia?
Overeating disease
What are protein bumps?
Urticaria or hives caused by feed
What condition may result from a deficiency of calcium, phosphorus, or Vitamin D?
Rickets
What is an enlargement of the thyroid gland that may be caused by either an excessive or and inadequate iodine intake?
Goiter
What condition is caused by not enough calcium to calcify the bone or not enough phosphorus in the diet?
In extremis or rickets
What categories of horses have the greatest calcium needs?
Young animals and lactating mares
How many days prior to foaling should mares be removed from fungus-infected fescue hay and pasture?
30-90 days
What is fed to a foal, beginning a few days after birth, to reduce the stress of weaning?
Grain and hay
What is a hay that is considering to be a very good especially for young horses and lactating mares due to its high digestible energy and protein content?
Alfalfa
Feeding excessive amounts of what substance to a mare can cause an enlarged thyroid in a foal?
Excess iodine
What is the term of providing an area where the foal can eat without interference from the mare?
Creep feeding
What must be done for foals to maintain optimal growth rate?
Creep feeding
Where should creep feeders be located?
Areas frequently visited by mares, water, shelter, mare feeding area
What is the most important consideration when selecting a feed for creep feeding?
Palatability
The weanling’s ration needed to provide optimum growth rate should consist of a maximum of one-half____ and a minimum of one-half____
Maximum of one-half concentrated and a minimum of one-half roughages
Nutrients for the horse in order of their importance and the amount needed are what?
1) Water 2) Those used for energy 3) Protein 4) Calcium 5) Phosphorus 6) Vitamin A 7) Salt
What are the five main nutrients?
Water, energy from carbohydrates, and lipids, protein, vitamins and minerals
What are four types of nutrients?
Protein, soluble carbohydrates, starch, and fat
What are the four major nutrients horses acquire from feed?
Energy, vitamins, protein, minerals
The five main nutrients that a horse needs are what?
Water, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals
What are the two most important dietary energy components in feeds?
Carbohydrates and fats
What are the “building blocks” of protein?
Amino Acids
What is protein composed of?
Amino Acids
Define an essential amino acid.
It is one that must be supplied in the diet
What do the initials TDN stand for?
Total Digestible Nutrients
What amino acid is responsible for faster and more efficient growth in young foals?
Lysine
Why is molasses added to horse ration?
To reduce dust, improve palatability, and is also a good source of protein
What percentage of the horse’s body weight needs to be long-stemmed roughage?
Minimum of .75% to 1%
How much hay per day is required for the average 1000lbs, idle, mature horse?
15lbs
What beetle is found in alfalfa hay?
blister beetles
True or False? Alfalfa causes kidney damage due to the high protein content when fed to horses.
False
What potential health problem exists when tall fescue is the predominant pasture source?
Fescue toxicosis
What are three types of forage processing?
Baled roughages pelleted forages, cubed forages, dehydrated forage, silage
What is the most common type of cubed forage?
Alfalfa
True or False? Horses fed cubed alfalfa are more likely to chew wood than horses fed pelleted forages.
False
True or False? Alfalfa causes kidney damage due to the high protein content when fed to horses.
False
What are three reasons horses chew wood?
A lack of roughage, exposure to easily accessible soft wood in stalls, and boredom
When a horse’s diet is lacking in long stemmed roughage, what vice is likely to develop?
Cribbing
How long will feral or free-ranging horses spend a day grazing?
10-12 hours
When sampling hay for nutritional analysis, are more samples required if your core sample or grab sample?
Grab sample
In reference to the horse, name the different categories of toxic plants.
Salivation inducing plants, Colic and diarrhea inducing plants, Hepatoxic plants, Anemia inducing plants, Sudden death inducing plants, Mechanically injurious plants, Photodermatitis inducing plants, Neurotoxic plants, Lameness and muscle weakness inducing plants
What two nutritional elements does a horse need to maintain electrolyte balance?
Good quality roughage and a salt block
True or False? Salt should be supplemented free choice?
True
On average, about how much salt will the mature horse consume per week?
1/2lbs of salt per week
What three classes of horse are of the greatest concern to the nutritionist?
1) The young foal 2) The lactating mare 3) The hard working horse
Name the factors that influence a horse’s nutritioal needs?
1) Size of animal 2) Age 3) Individual characteristics 4) Enviroment 5) Type of use or activity
What is the recommended crude protein level for older horses receiving a maintenance ration?
10%
What is the recommended protein content of the equine athelete’s total diet dry matter?
Between 10-16%
Why might it be advantageous to add yeast culture to the diet of older horses?
Date indicates that it increases digestion of fiber in the lower gastrointestinal tract
What is the only vitamin that may be inadequate in rations routinely fed to the horse?
Vitamin A
What vitamin is necessary for the growth and development of normal hooves?
Vitamin A
What is tocopherol?
Vitamin E
Which vitamin in high levels has been shouwn to increase the animals’ immunity to infectious diseases?
Vitamin E
What are the fat soluble vitamins?
A,D,E, and K
Where are the fat solule vitamins absorbed?
The small intestine
Blood cannot stop clotting without what vitamin?
Vitamin K
How many mineral elements are required in the diets of horses?
21
What 2 minerals are horses more likely to suffer a lack of?
Calcium and Phosphorus
What mineral is necessary for bone formation?
Calcium and Phosphorus
What is the most important nutrient in the horse’s diet?
Water
On average, how many gallons of water will a 1000lb horse consume per day?
10 gallons
How many gallons of water does a mature idle 1100lb horse drink per day?
10-12 gallons
How much water per 100lbs of body weight per day is needed by the horse in a cool environment at rest?
.5-.6 gallons per 100lbs of body weight per day
Cold water given to a hot, tired horse may cause what two things?
Colic and founder
On a long trip how often should water be offered?
Every 3-4hrs
The best indicator of water quality is found in the amount of what substance in the water?
TDS( Total Dissolved Solids)
What is the total dissolved solids value?
The sum of the concentration of all constituents dissolved in water
In what three forms are roughages fed to horses?
Hay, silage, or pasture
What are silages and haylages?
Fermented forages stored under anaerobic conditions, usually a silo
What is the most important winter feed given to horses?
Good Quality Hay
Hay can be stored from 1-2yrs without losing what percentage of its nutrients?
15-20%
What vitamin A pre-cursor is greater when hay is green?
Beta- cartotene
What are 3 criteria of good quality hay?
1)Lack of mold 2) Lack of excess weathering 3) Leafiness and lack of stems 4) Nutrition value 5)Age at harvesting
As the growing plant matures, the amount of cellulose and lignin increases and what happens to the digestibility?
It decreases
What are the two basic classifications of forages?
Legumes and grasses
Give three examples of legume hay.
Alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, clover, cowpea, lespedeza, soybean
Give three examples of grass or cereal hay.
Bermuda grass, rye grass, and timothy
Name three types of grasses for horses.
Bermuda grass, orchard grass, timothy
What two major factors affect the amount of protein in hay?
Plant type and stage of maturity at time of harvest
When hay is exposed to the sun, the outer edge can become bleached and will lose color and some of what vitamin?
Vitamin A
In reference to hay what part of the plaint is the least digestible for a horse?
The stems
What are two types of legumes commonly fed to horses?
Alfalfa, and red, white or crimson clover
