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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 .

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EQUINE NUTRITION

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  1. EQUINE NUTRITION

  2. 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

  3. Factors affecting requirements • Size, body type and weight • Age • Work: production stage • Breed: temperament • Fat insulation • Environment: climatic conditions • External & internal parasites • Vices • Mouth

  4. Mouth • Initial breakdown of feeds • Salivary secretions from Parotid gland • Secrete saliva only during eating, ~10 gal/day

  5. Anatomy of Digestive Tract • Esophagus • Can’t vomit, strong cardiac sphincter muscle in stomach prevents • Digestive upset = Colic • Choke • Obstruction within esophagus • Fast eaters

  6. Digestive Tract • Stomach - small, frequent, meals; initiates digestion, like non-ruminant • 10% of tract • Limited digestion • Gastric ulcers

  7. 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

  8. Digestive Tract • Large Colon • Absorbs • H20 • VFA’s • AA • Phosphorus, 50% • NaCl • Small Colon • Absorption of H20 • Fecal ball formation

  9. Comparisons of digestion

  10. Differences in rates of passage • Equine • rush through foregut • time delay in cecum • rush through rectum • Ruminant • Slow recycling flow of digesta

  11. 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

  12. GI Tract Health • Forage • Concentrate – Grain • Supplements

  13. Digestion of Feed Stomach Small Intestine Large Intestine Fermentable Fiber Fat Digestible Carbohydrate Fatty Acids Volatile Fatty Acids Glucose Fat Glycogen

  14. 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

  15. Size: body weight Environment Individual digestive & metabolic efficiency Dry matter intake: 1.5% of the BW Most - energy requirements are met with forage alone Maintenance

  16. 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

  17. 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

  18. Feeding The Athlete

  19. 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,

  20. SOURCES OF ENERGY FOR THE PERFORMANCE HORSE Muscle Glycogen Blood Glucose Anaerobic Glycolysis Pyruvate Lactate ATP Creatine Phosphate Myokinase and CPK Reactions Lipolysis Oxidative Metabolism Free-Fatty Acids CO2and Water Oxygen

  21. Energy Sources • Hydrolysable CHO • Sugars & starches • Create ↓ intestinal pH &  risk of colic • Fermentable CHO • Beet pulp or soy hulls • ↓ glycogen usage • Fat • 3X the energy concentration of CHO • Creates higher energy feed • Protein (minimal usage)

  22. Required Energy

  23. 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

  24. 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)

  25. 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.

  26. General Guidelines For Feeding Working Horses • Hay requirement • Feed at least 50% of total ration as forage (pasture &/or hay) • Preferably high quality grass hay or alfalfa/grass mix • Exercising horses do not need high levels of protein • 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

  27. 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

  28. Percent of Mature Body Weight vs... Months of Age % Percent of Mature Height vs.. Months of Age Months of Age Months of Age

  29. 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

  30. As foals get older, the ration should be increased by adding more good quality hay, leaving the grain mix relatively constant.

  31. Feeding Yearlings • Sales/show • Forage • High quality • .75-1.0 lb/100 lb body wt. • Concentrate • Formulated for growth • 1.0-2.0 lb/100 lb body wt. • Turnout • Forage • High to moderate quality • 2-2.5 lbs./100 lbs. body wt. • Forage balancer

  32. Monitoring The Growth Process • Daily Intakes • Body Weight • Average daily gain • Signs of Skeletal Abnormalities • Physitis • Joint effusion • Lameness

  33. Nutrition of The Broodmare Lactation 0-3 months 4+ months Months 0-8 Months 9-11 Gestation

  34. Provision of nutrients for: Fetal growth & development Other products of conception Gestation: Nutritional Concerns • Last 3 month of gestation: 60 % foals’ weight • Mare needs to gain 0.3 – 0.8 lb/d

  35. Average daily milk production in mares

  36. Feed Consumption (% BW) • 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

  37. 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

  38. Body Condition Score • Maximum Reproductive Efficiency • Moderately fleshy to fat mares can be expected to • 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.

  39. FEEDING MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES • Feed By Class • Feed According to Body Weight

  40. 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

  41. Time & Additional Grain Required To Improve BCS by 1 level

  42. FEEDING MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES • Feed Adequate Long-Stemmed Roughage • Feed Hay From Well-Designed Mangers

  43. 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

  44. FEEDING MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES • Never Feed More Than 0.75% of BW (concentrate) at any One Feeding • Multiple Feedings • Set Feeding Times

  45. FEEDING MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES • Check for Refusals • Change type and amount of feed gradually. 7-10 d period • Provide Salt

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