Equine Nutrition

Question 1

What is considered a geriatric horse?

Answer 1

any horse over 20 years of age.

Question 2

T/F: adding in a supplement to a horse’s diet is likely to help balance it.

Answer 2

False. Usually unbalance a diet by adding in supplements. Most horses do not need supplements.

Question 3

What does it mean when you say a horse is a continuous eruptor?

Answer 3

They have long teeth that slowly erupt. Should evaluate their teeth yearly.

Question 4

When floating teeth, what surface do you float/rasp?

Answer 4

The points only. Do not touch the occluding surface.

Question 5

What is wave mouth?

Answer 5

the teeth are worn unevenly. Some are very worn while others aren’t. This happens in the same arcade of teeth.

Question 6

What is shear mouth?

Answer 6

whole tooth surface is on an angle.

Question 7

About how much can your average horse stomach hold?

Answer 7

8L (can technically hold more than this, but you don’t want the stomach more full than 8L).

Question 8

How long does food stay in the horse stomach?

Answer 8

Small amount of time. This likely limits the amount of digestion that occurs here.

Question 9

How many meals should a horse get a day?

Answer 9

3 times a day (in reference to hay and grain). However, they ideally should have hay in front of them all day.

Question 10

How much of mixed feed protein gets digested in the SI?

Answer 10

Up to 55%. Ideally, you’d want feed to be 100% absorbed before it reaches the large intestine.

Question 11

How are proteins absorbed in the horse small intestine?

Answer 11

as amino acids, because they’re more effectively utilized.

Question 12

The small intestine is the site of absorption of what?

Answer 12

fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as carotene, carbohydrates (sugars and starches), minerals, fat, and protein.

Question 13

Why do you have to be careful about what type of vitamin E you feed your horse?

Answer 13

Because they’re not all absorbed.

Question 14

When do you start to see problems with digestion and feed intake?

Answer 14

When more than 50% of the SI is removed.

Question 15

How long does it take for feed from one meal to reach the LI?

Answer 15

2 hours

Question 16

LI is the primary site of absorption of what?

Answer 16

water. It can act as a water reservoir when water availability is an issue.

Question 17

Digestion in the large intestine is largely the result of what?

Answer 17

microbial fermentation.

Question 18

Microbes in the LI breakdown what? What do they produce?

Answer 18

breakdown structural carbs of plants and produce VFAs.

Question 19

T/F: bacterial overgrowth in the large intestine is a reason for colic.

Answer 19

False.

Question 20

What concerns should you have when feeding a horse non-structural carbs?

Answer 20

Creating large colon disturbances and abnormalities.

Question 21

Hydrolyzable CHOs are digested where?

Answer 21

in the SI

Question 22

Rapidly fermentable CHOs are digested where?

Answer 22

in LI.

Question 23

Rapidly fermentable CHOs are found where?

Answer 23

in grasses. Quantities very in diff times of year and season/time of day.

Question 24

Slowly fermentable CHOs are digested where?

Answer 24

in the LI. These create the most colon health.

Question 25

What is the ideal diet for a sedentary horse as well as most athletic horses?

Answer 25

high quality hay, water, and a salt block.

Question 26

What should you look at when assessing long-term nutrition in feeding regimen?

Answer 26

body condition, not weight.

Question 27

Where do you find the highest variability in nutrients?

Answer 27

in forages.

Question 28

T/F: Processing makes poor quality feed into good quality.

Answer 28

False. It can make it a little better, but won't turn it into good quality.

Question 29

What are some downsides to processing horse feed?

Answer 29

can increase the rate of passage through GIT, decreasing digestibility. Can also lead to decrease in colonic health.

Question 30

If you're going to feed processed food, what should the processing ideally do to the food?

Answer 30

increase its digestibility in the small intestine.

Question 31

T/F: the presence of micronutrients in a feed means they are absorbable.

Answer 31

False. They could be bound by other things.

Question 32

What affects the availability of Ca?

Answer 32

phytates and oxalates. Also, high dietary P.

Question 33

What is the most important component of a horse's diet?

Answer 33

Forage.

Question 34

Why is forage so important?

Answer 34

Because it is essential for proper GIT function, since they are hind-gut fermenters.

Question 35

How much pasture can support 2 mature, light breed horses?

Answer 35

one acre of GOOD pasture, and 30-60 acres of dry range pasture can support ONE horse a year.

Question 36

What are some habits that can develop if there is decreased roughage?

Answer 36

wood chewing, cribbing, coprophagia, tail chewing, and mane chewing.

Question 37

What is gut fill?

Answer 37

how much content is in the cecum/large colon. They can have up to 2 days of food in there, and it is important to make sure that gut fill is satisfied.

Question 38

How often should horses have hay/roughage available?

Answer 38

24 hrs/day.

Question 39

What is some criteria to look at to determine you've got good quality hay?

Answer 39

it's gotta be harvested early, free of mold, dust, weeds, it should be leafy and not stemmy, it should have not undergone excessive weathering, and it should be pretty green.

Question 40

What is the most common type of harvested legumes?

Answer 40

alfalfa.

Question 41

What grasses are commonly used in horses?

Answer 41

timothy, brome, and prairie (orchard less frequently).

Question 42

What grasses are associated with issues in horses?

Answer 42

bermuda, fescue.

Question 43

What can you use as a substitute for roughage or grain?

Answer 43

beet pulp.

Question 44

What is the purpose of hulls?

Answer 44

they increase the safety of the feed.

Question 45

What seeds have hulls?

Answer 45

oats, rice, barley, husked sorghum.

Question 46

What seeds don't have hulls?

Answer 46

corn, milo, wheat, rye.

Question 47

Why exactly are hulls safer?

Answer 47

because they are not as energy dense (they're also high in fiber)

Question 48

What are some advantages to using corn?

Answer 48

the same volume has twice the energy of oats, inexpensive, more consistent quality, and high content of Vit. A.

Question 49

What are some disadvantages to corn?

Answer 49

possible mold toxicity, lowest quantity of protein, and requires more careful management.

Question 50

T/F: oats are a very common thing to feed horses because of their good protein content and low cost.

Answer 50

False. Although the first part of the statement is correct, oats are often the most expensive.

Question 51

What is the most common protein supplement used in horses?

Answer 51

soybean meal.

Question 52

If you're feeding your horse fat, which type of fat should you use?

Answer 52

plant based fat, usually vegetable.

Question 53

Why would you add fats to a horse's diet?

Answer 53

to reduce the total amount of feed intake. We are trying to replace grains as much as possible, and fat allows us to do this.

Question 54

What is quidding?

Answer 54

when old horses make hay/grass balls but don't swallow it all.

Question 55

What is a complete feed?

Answer 55

a commercially prepared feed that involves some form of roughage (can be fed w/o additional hay). i.e. senior feed. ***very expensive***

Question 56

Do grain mixes have a roughage component to them?

Answer 56

No. They are usually fed as a supplement to balance the hay.

Question 57

Why do grasses have a more consistent nutrient content?

Answer 57

b/c they don't usually lose their leaves.

Question 58

What is a benefit to using beet pulp?

Answer 58

it doesn't contribute to huge insulin spikes.

Question 59

What are some benefits to using molasses?

Answer 59

it is highly palatable and low in dust.

Question 60

Up to how much oil a day can you feed a horse?

Answer 60

up to 2 cups per day (sometimes twice a day)

Question 61

If a horse needs a high fat diet, what may you use instead of oil that is more palatable?

Answer 61

rice bran. Up to 50-70% of rice bran's energy content is in the form of fat.

Question 62

What is the weight equation when using weight tape?

Answer 62

(heartgirth*heartgirth*length/300) +50

Question 63

On a scale of 0-5, what is considered the ideal body condition?

Answer 63

3

Question 64

NRC represents what?

Answer 64

minimum requirements for most nutrients. This doesn't mean this is whats optimal.

Question 65

Most vitamins and minerals use _____ times what the NRC recommends.

Answer 65

1.25-3 times

Question 66

Nutrient requirements are based on what?

Answer 66

the type of horse, age, current weight and body condition, and physiologic state.

Question 67

T/F: horses will die due to lack of food before they die of lack of water.

Answer 67

False.

Question 68

By how much does the water need increase in a lactating horse?

Answer 68

50-80%

Question 69

By how much does the water need increase in an endurance horse?

Answer 69

20-400%. Depends on the extent of exercise.

Question 70

T/F: endurance horses run dehydrated.

Answer 70

True.

Question 71

How many Mcals/day does your average 1,000lb horse need?

Answer 71

16.4

Question 72

What are some factors that affect the maintenance DE of horses?

Answer 72

individual activity, physiologic state, and thermal stress.

Question 73

What are some factors that affect the DE for work of horses?

Answer 73

level of conditioning, level of training, ability or the rider/driver, and the environment.

Question 74

How much should you increase the energy requirement for a horse that has light/mild intensity work?

Answer 74

25%

Question 75

How much should you increase the energy requirement for a horse that has moderate/medium work?

Answer 75

50%

Question 76

How much should you increase the DE of a horse that has intense/severe intensity work?

Answer 76

100%

Question 77

For draft horses, what is their rule of thumb energy requirement?

Answer 77

10%M+ maintenance per hour of field work.

Question 78

how much protein does a weanling need, versus a yearling?

Answer 78

a weanling needs 50g/Mcal of DE/day, while a yearling needs 40g/Mcal of DE/day.

Question 79

What amino acid should you make sure is present in reasonable amounts?

Answer 79

lysine.

Question 80

When do gestating mares need an increase in protein?

Answer 80

in the last trimester.

Question 81

Lactating mares need more protein when?

Answer 81

need more protein in early lactation.

Question 82

T/F: if you're feeding your working horse a diet that has 8-10% protein and the horse eats 2-3% of its body weight daily, you don't need to supplement it's diet with more protein.

Answer 82

True.

Question 83

What do you see in young animals that are protein deficient?

Answer 83

decreased growth and development.

Question 84

What do you see in mature animals that have protein deficiency?

Answer 84

reduced feed intake, body condition loss, poor hoof, and hair growth. Regenerative epithelium will be affected.

Question 85

T/F: if you have a 25% or greater excess of protein in a feed, you will see growth depression in that animal.

Answer 85

True.

Question 86

T/F: most horses are fed more protein than is required.

Answer 86

True.

Question 87

What is the ideal calcium to phosphorous ration for a growing horse?

Answer 87

2:1

Question 88

What is the ideal calcium to phosphorous ratio in an adult horse? What is an important thing to keep in mind?

Answer 88

1:1-6:1. Important to keep in mind that excess P results in binding to Ca.

Question 89

Animals that have Vitamin A deficiencies are usually lacking access to what?

Answer 89

green forage/hay.

Question 90

Should you supplement a horse with Vitamin A in the winter?

Answer 90

No. They have a 3-6 month supply of Vitamin A in their liver.

Question 91

The quantity of vitamin A in hay is proportional to what?

Answer 91

green color.

Question 92

Vitamin E is high where? When do its amounts decrease?

Answer 92

in green, growing pastures. Amounts decrease with forage maturity and storage.

Question 93

Is vitamin E as readily stored as vitamin A?

Answer 93

No.

Question 94

What are some deficiencies seen with Vit. E deficiencies?

Answer 94

musculoskeletal disorders as well as equine degenerative myelopathy.

Question 95

A breeding stallion needs how much energy and how much protein?

Answer 95

maintenance + 25% = energy and 10$ protein.

Question 96

Gestating mares need how much energy and how much protein?

Answer 96

their energy need increases by 1.1, 1.13, and 1.2 times maintenance during months 9, 10, and 11 of gestation, respectively. Protein requirement increases to 12-14% protein grain.

Question 97

What is most important for a lactating mare to receive?

Answer 97

water. No water=no milk.

Question 98

When does peak lactation occur in a mare?

Answer 98

between weeks 4 and 10, usually at weeks 5-6.

Question 99

How much protein do lactating mares need?

Answer 99

12-14%.

Question 100

Nursing foals need how much protein? What should you make sure they have plenty of?

Answer 100

14-16%, for growth. Need plenty of lysine.

Question 101

Weanlings and yearlings need how much protein?

Answer 101

Weanlings - 13% and yearlings 12%

Question 102

What can feeding too much grain cause in the large colon?

Answer 102

acidosis.

Question 103

The type of starch determines what?

Answer 103

location of digestion

Question 104

Up to how much grains should you feed in one meal?

Answer 104

3lbs.

Question 105

What happens if the pH in the cecum decreases?

Answer 105

gram negative bacteria are killed, which releases endotoxin, which can lead to laminitis.