EQUINE NUTRITION
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Transcript EQUINE NUTRITION
EQUINE NUTRITION
Horse Industry Feeding Problems
Age of horses is increasing
Diversity of horses increasing
Economy increases
demand/value?
Willingness to experiment
Increase use of supplements
Minerals/Vitamins/Lubricants
Fats
Factors affecting requirements
Size, body type and weight
Age
Work: production stage
Breed: temperament
Fat insulation
Environment: climatic conditions
External & internal parasites
Vices
Mouth
Mouth
• Initial breakdown
of feeds
• Salivary secretions
from Parotid gland
– Secrete saliva only
during eating, ~10
gal/day
Anatomy of Digestive Tract
Esophagus
–
Can’t vomit, strong
cardiac sphincter muscle
in stomach prevents
Digestive upset = Colic
–
Choke
–
Obstruction within
esophagus
Fast eaters
Digestive Tract
Stomach - small,
frequent, meals;
initiates digestion,
like non-ruminant
–
–
–
10% of tract
Limited digestion
Gastric ulcers
Digestive Tract
Small Intestine -
30% of tract
Digestion of
–
–
–
–
–
Starch 65-75%
Protein, AA’s 60-70%
Fat 90%
Ca absorption 95-99%
Phosphorous 20-25%
Fast rate of passage
No gall bladder
Digestive Tract
Large Colon
– Absorbs
– H 20
– VFA’s
– AA
– Phosphorus, 50%
– NaCl
Small Colon
– Absorption of H20
– Fecal ball formation
Comparisons of digestion
Human
Ruminant
Equine
Stomach
30%
70%
9-10%
Sm.
Intestine
33%
19%
30%
Cecum
7%
3%
16%
Lg.
Intestine
30%
7%
45%
Differences in rates of passage
Equine
–
–
–
rush through foregut
time delay in cecum
rush through rectum
Ruminant
–
Slow recycling flow of digesta
Water
Essential for all body functions
Temperature regulation
Feed digestion
Amount of water intake
–
–
–
–
Level of exercise
Ambient temperature
Quality of feeds in ration
Proportion of diet that is forage
Minimum 1 gallon/100 lbs BW/day
GI Tract Health
Forage
Concentrate – Grain
Supplements
Digestion of Feed
Stomach
Small Intestine
Large Intestine
Fermentable Fiber
Fat
Digestible Carbohydrate
Fatty Acids
Glucose
Fat
Glycogen
Volatile
Fatty Acids
Digestive Categories of Horses
Maintenance - basic requirements of life
Growth - youngest has highest requirements
Gestation - last three months
Lactation - first three months
Work - depends on activity
–
light, moderate, intense
Geriatric
Maintenance
Size: body weight
Environment
Individual digestive &
metabolic efficiency
Dry matter intake: 1.5%
of the BW
Most - energy
requirements are met
with forage alone
GERIATRIC HORSES
Fiber digestion decreases
Ability to manufacture or absorb
certain vitamins decrease
B vitamins
Vitamin C
Decreased kidney function
Calcium stones may build
up
Decreased liver function
Jaundice, weight loss,
lethargy, loss of appetite,
intolerance for fat and
protein in diet
THE GERIATRIC HORSE
Confinement? No! Turnout with a
friend.
Weight loss reasons: Poor dentition
Reduction in digestion - parasites,
microbial constituents, B Vits
Selection of Feed
– Highly palatable
– Easy to chew & swallow
– Clean & dust free
– Highly digestible pellets or
extruded feeds
– Contain enough high quality
fiber to aid digestion. High
quality hay – no alfalfa.
– Chopped hay, hay cubes or
pellets
Soaked feeds or mashes
Feeding The Athlete
Levels of Performance/Work
Light - western and English
pleasure, trail riding,
equitation, hacking
Moderate - dressage, ranch
work, roping, cutting, barrel
racing, jumping
Intense - race training, polo,
cutting,
SOURCES OF ENERGY FOR THE PERFORMANCE HORSE
Muscle
Glycogen
Blood Glucose
Creatine
Phosphate
Anaerobic
Glycolysis
Lactate
ATP
Myokinase
and CPK
Reactions
Lipolysis
Free-Fatty
Acids
Pyruvate
Oxidative
Metabolism
Oxygen
CO2and
Water
Energy Sources
Hydrolysable CHO
–
–
Fermentable CHO
–
–
Beet pulp or soy hulls
↓ glycogen usage
Fat
–
–
Sugars & starches
Create ↓ intestinal pH & risk of
colic
3X the energy concentration of
CHO
Creates higher energy feed
Protein (minimal usage)
Required Energy
Activity
Examples
DE (Mcal/d)
Maintenance
Pasture
16
Light work
Pleasure riding
20
Moderate work
Reining, jumping
24
Intense work
Racing, endurance
32
FAT
SUPPLEMENTATION
Why Use It For Performance
Horses?
Energy from fat is 90% utilizable
Fat ↓ heat of fermentation
Fat glycogen storage prior to race
Fat ↓ buildup of lactic acid during intense
exercise
Fat ↓ fatigue
Sources of Fat
Natural horse diets contain < 3-4% fat
“High Fat” sweet feeds contain 6-10% fat
Fat Supplements
Vegetable Oil (most common 99% fat)
Rice Bran (very palatable 20% fat)
Animal tallow (not palatable)
Fat Guidelines
No gall bladder
– Max ~20% in total diet
– 1100 lb horse can digest 17.5 oz
of fat (Just over 2 cups)
If adding fat to existing diet, need to
rebalance other nutrients
– (i.e. vitamin E (200 IU/cup of
added oil)
Add 6-10 weeks before
performance.
General Guidelines For Feeding
Working Horses
Hay requirement
–
–
Exercising horses do not need high levels of protein
–
Feed at least 50% of total ration as forage (pasture &/or
hay)
Preferably high quality grass hay or alfalfa/grass mix
More important – quality of protein
Horses should be fed to meet their immediate needs
–
I.e. cut grain on rest days
If stalled, overfeeding can stocking up or colic
The Growing Horse
Goals
–
–
Maximize genetic
potential for growth
Sound
musculoskeletal
system
•Nutrient balance is important
•Requires higher quality feeds
•Growth rate & age determines requirements
•Growing till reach 30 months
Percent of Mature Body Weight
vs... Months of Age
Light Horse
Draft
100
80
%
60
40
Percent of Mature Height
vs.. Months of Age
20
0
6
12
18
24
Months of Age
30
36
98
96
94
92
90
88
86
84
82
80
78
6
12
18
Months of Age
24
Weanlings
Minimize stress
Minimize post-weanling slump.
1.5-2.5 lbs grain/100 lbs body wt
0.75-1.0 lb hay/100 lb body wt
Ca > P
Monitor feed & water intake
As foals get older, the
ration should be
increased by adding
more good quality hay,
leaving the grain mix
relatively constant.
Feeding Yearlings
Sales/show
–
Forage
–
High quality
.75-1.0 lb/100 lb body
wt.
Turnout
–
Concentrate
Formulated for growth
1.0-2.0 lb/100 lb body
wt.
Forage
–
High to moderate
quality
2-2.5 lbs./100 lbs.
body wt.
Forage balancer
Monitoring The
Growth Process
Daily Intakes
Body Weight
–
Average daily gain
Signs of Skeletal
Abnormalities
–
–
–
Physitis
Joint effusion
Lameness
Nutrition of The Broodmare
Lactation
0-3 months
4+ months
Months 0-8
Months 9-11
Gestation
Gestation: Nutritional Concerns
Provision of nutrients
for:
–
Other products of
conception
Fetal growth &
development
Foal
10%
Other
5%
85%
•Last 3 month of gestation: 60 % foals’ weight
•Mare needs to gain 0.3 – 0.8 lb/d
Average daily milk
production in mares
Daily Milk Production (lbs)
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
15
30
45
60
Time (days)
90
120
150
Feed Consumption (% BW)
Mare status
Forage
Concentrate
Total
Early pregnancy
1.5-2.0
0-0.5
1.5-2.0
Late pregnancy
1.0-1.5
0.5-1.0
1.5-2.0
Early lactation
1.0-2.0
1.0-2.0
2.0-3.0
Late lactation
1.0-2.0
0.5-1.5
2.0-2.5
•Adding concentrate to late pregnancy mares accounts for limited energy &
acclimates microbes
•Allow 1 wk to 10 d for mares to adjust to intake changes
•Heavy milkers may require as much as 1.75-2.0% of BW in concentrate
feed/day
Nutrition of the Breeding Stallion
Primary Concern
–
Maintenance of Body
Condition
Non-breeding
–
Forage + vitamin/mineral
supplement
Breeding
–
–
0.5% concentrate
1.75-2% hay
Body Condition Score
Maximum Reproductive Efficiency
–
Moderately fleshy to fat mares can be expected to
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Cycle earlier in the year
Have fewer cycles per conception
Have a higher pregnancy rate
Maintain pregnancy more easily
Mare prior to breeding should have a BCS of 6 or greater
and fed to maintain weight.
BCS of 5.0 is marginal especially for lactating mare.
FEEDING MANAGEMENT
GUIDELINES
Feed By Class
Feed According to
Body Weight
FEEDING MANAGEMENT
GUIDELINES
Feed to Condition Scores
1-3 Poor-Thin
4 Can see ribs, vertebra
ridge evident
5 Back flat, can’t see
ribs, but can feel them
6 Crease down back, fat
deposits
7-9 Fleshy - Extremely fat
Time & Additional Grain
Required To Improve BCS
by 1 level
Improving 1 Condition Score
Days Needed
Daily Gain
60
0.75 lbs/day
Additional Grain
Needed
4.5 lbs/day
90
0.50 lbs/day
3.0 lbs/day
120
0.40 lbs/day
2.3 lbs/day
FEEDING MANAGEMENT
GUIDELINES
Feed Adequate Long-Stemmed Roughage
Feed Hay From Well-Designed Mangers
FEEDING MANAGEMENT
GUIDELINES
Recognize Feeding-Related Behavior Problems
Group Feeding Should Account for Dominance
Hierarchies
Encourage Aggressive Horses To Eat Slowly
Protect Trees From Bark-Chewing Horses
FEEDING MANAGEMENT
GUIDELINES
Never Feed More Than
0.75% of BW
(concentrate) at any One
Feeding
Multiple Feedings
Set Feeding Times
FEEDING MANAGEMENT
GUIDELINES
Check for Refusals
Change type and
amount of feed
gradually. 7-10 d period
Provide Salt