Equine husbandry Flashcards
Physiology (GI)
Monogastric hindgut fermenters
- Microbial community essential for digestion
- Fermentation products from fibrinolytic activity: Short chain fatty acids (VFA) predominately acetate, then propionate and butyrate
- > 50% of absorbed energy energy in forage fed horses derived from VFAs from microbial fermentation
- Most of the water soluble B vitamins and vitamin K are synthesised in large bowel by resident microbiota
Physiology (teeth/dentition)
Prehension - incisors
Mastication - molars
Chewing
- 800-1200 chews/kg concentrates
- 3000-5000 chews/kg long fibre
- Short fibre >5000 chews/kg
Long stem forage promotes a fuller range of dental excursions to promote more even dental wear
Time spend eating/different types of feed
- Forage takes longer to chew than cereal-based or pelleted feed, resulting in more saliva being produced - reduced to 4cm length
- Chaff (chopped forage) at 25-30% is often used to slow feeding but not always effective
Physiology (water)
50 ml/kg BW/day in therm-neutral conditions ~25L/day
Horses drink more water when fed all hay diets - even more if hay is chopped
Lactating mares need at least 75-100ml fluid/kg BW
Suckling foals drink water
Principles of feeding
Ensure appropriate amount of DMI and digestible energy
Any equid diet is primarily based on forage
- Fresh - pasture
- Preserved - hay, haulage, straw, chaff
DMI
- Average DMI: 2-2.5% of BW/day
- Breed dependent - ponies have higher voluntary DMI
- Ponies can consume ~1% of their BW as pasture DM within 3 hours
Digestible energy
- Depends on composition - lower with forages than concentrates
- Requirements change with physiological demands
- Horses are selective grazers and NSC content may +vely influence selection
Preservation methods
Hay - typically 85% dry matter
Haulage - 60% dry matter
Silage - 30% (not often fed to horses)
Pasture - variable depending on season and species but 20% DM typical for summer grass
Principles of feeding (the constituents)
Forage
Concentrates
- Grains, cereal byproducts
- Usually presented as bagged complementary feeds
Protein
- In all feeds from forage to supplements
- Can vary in quality
Macrominerals
- Na, K, Cl, Mg, P, Ca, S
Microminerals (trace minerals + vitamins)
- Cu, Zn, Mo, Mn, I, Se, Fe, Cu, Vit A+E, K
Supplements
Principles of feeding (components + presentation)
- Pasture and base forage
- Hay nets/hay bags
- Racks
- Managers
- Floor
- Complementary feeding
- Any feed fed alongside forage or grazing to provide a balanced diet
- Supplements
Forages
All forages are composed of:
- Cell contents
- Cell walls
- Relative proportions vary according to the forage source and maturity at time of harvest
- As they mature, the cell walls increase and cell contents decrease, resulting in a reduction of the leaf/stem ratio
Includes:
- Pasture
- Preserved forages
- Chaff based feeds
- Straw
- Browsing (hedgerows)
Fresh forages
Pasture
- Single or mixed grass species
- Legume mix can provide increased protein and calcium
DE varies depending on season and species
Hay
85% DM
Preserved grass (single species, mixed/meadow or legume)
Quality
- Microbial contamination more likely at DM <85%
- Ensure mould and dust free
Streaming can improve hygienic quality but doesn’t affect water soluble car - will destroy moulds, fungi and bacteria but not formed mycotoxins
Soaking can reduce respirable pathogens, WSC and water soluble macros-minerals - but can increase bacterial count
Beware of dried toxic plants
Haylage
60% DM
Fermented grass by storing in airtight anaerobic environment (Wrapped)
Increased digestible energy and palatability
Reduced dust, but spoils quickly once opened
Fermented sugars so lower WSC
Fibre sources
Sugar beet: pulp, cubes, flakes
- Requires soaking
- High in fibre - especially soluble fibre, pectins
- Low sugar, no starch - slow CHO release
- Palatable and adds bulk
- Calcium rich
Concentrates
- Fed to meet energy shortfall of all forage diets for athletic horses
- Starch based - limited digestibility
- Restrict the starch + sugar content per meal
- Ensure grains have been appropriately processed/cooked
Types of concentrates
Oats - 14 MJ/kg DE, 44% starch
- Palatable, can be fed whole or bruised
Barley - 15 MJ/kg DE, 54% starch
- Hard kernel - needs to be treated
- Limited digestion in SI if uncooked - can lead to starch overload in hindgut
Corn - 16 MJ/kg DE, 70% starch
- Lower fibre but higher in energy than oats
- Limited digestion in SI if uncooked - can lead to starch overload in hindgut
Bran - 16MJ/kg DE, 20% starch
- Outer portion of wheat grains
- Fed as mash
- High fibre/low protein
Concentrates - commercial supplementary feeds
Thermal treatment of certain grains required to swell and gelatinise the starch to improve SI starch digestibility
Presentation:
- Extrusion to pellets/flakes etc
- Can be a mixture (coarse mix)
Most commercial concentrates are oat/wheat feed based
- Reduced starch, improved dietary fibre and nutrients
- Usually fortified with oil, essential AA and supplements
Most UK leisure horses are fed chaff based complementary feeds
