EQUINE NUTRITION. Horse Industry Feeding Problems Age of horses is increasing Diversity of horses...
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Transcript of EQUINE NUTRITION. Horse Industry Feeding Problems Age of horses is increasing Diversity of horses...
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
• Initial breakdown of feeds
• Salivary secretions from Parotid gland– Secrete saliva only
during eating, ~10 gal/day
Mouth
Anatomy of Digestive Tract
Esophagus– Can’t vomit, strong
cardiac sphincter muscle in stomach prevents
– Digestive upset = Colic
– Choke Obstruction within
esophagus Fast eaters
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– H20– VFA’s– AA– Phosphorus, 50%– NaCl
Small Colon– Absorption of H20– Fecal ball formation
Digestive Tract
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
Volatile Fatty AcidsGlucose
Fatty Acids
Fat
Glycogen
Digestible Carbohydrate
Fermentable Fiber
Stomach Small Intestine Large Intestine
Fat
Digestion of Feed
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
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,
Muscle GlycogenBlood Glucose
Anaerobic Glycolysis
OxidativeMetabolism
Pyruvate Lactate
ATP
Free-Fatty Acids
CreatinePhosphate
Myokinaseand CPKReactions
CO2and Water
Lipolysis
Oxygen
SOURCES OF ENERGY FOR THE PERFORMANCE HORSE
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)
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– 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
The Growing Horse
Goals– Maximize genetic
potential for growth– Sound
musculoskeletal system
•Nutrient balance is importantNutrient balance is important•Requires higher quality feedsRequires higher quality feeds•Growth rate & age determines requirementsGrowth rate & age determines requirements•Growing till reach 30 monthsGrowing till reach 30 months
Percent of Mature Body Weight vs... Months of Age
0
20
40
60
80
100
6 12 18 24 30 36
Light Horse Draft
Months of Age
%
7880
82
84
8688
90
92
94
9698
6 12 18 24
Percent of Mature Height vs.. Months of Age
Months of Age
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.
– 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
Monitoring The Growth Process
Daily Intakes Body Weight
– Average daily gain
Signs of Skeletal Abnormalities– Physitis– Joint effusion– Lameness
Gestation: Nutritional Concerns
Provision of nutrients for:
– Fetal growth & development
Other products of conception
Foal10%
Other5%
85%
•Last 3 month of gestation: 60 % foals’ weightLast 3 month of gestation: 60 % foals’ weight•Mare needs to gain 0.3 – 0.8 lb/dMare needs to gain 0.3 – 0.8 lb/d
Average daily milk production in mares
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
15 30 45 60 90 120 150
Time (days)
Da
ily
Mil
k P
rod
uct
ion
(lb
s)
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 changesAllow 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
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.
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
FEEDING MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES
Time & Additional Grain Required To Improve BCS by 1 level
Improving 1 Condition Score
Days Needed Daily Gain Additional Grain Needed
60 0.75 lbs/day 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