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Published byLeon Owens Modified over 8 years ago
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EQUINE NUTRITION
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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
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Factors affecting requirements Size, body type and weight Age Work: production stage Breed: temperament Fat insulation Environment: climatic conditions External & internal parasites Vices Mouth
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Initial breakdown of feeds Salivary secretions from Parotid gland –Secrete saliva only during eating, ~10 gal/day Mouth
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Anatomy of Digestive Tract Esophagus – Can’t vomit, strong cardiac sphincter muscle in stomach prevents – Digestive upset = Colic – Choke Obstruction within esophagus Fast eaters
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Stomach - small, frequent, meals; initiates digestion, like non-ruminant – 10% of tract – Limited digestion – Gastric ulcers Digestive Tract
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Small Intestine - 30% of tract Digestion of – Starch65-75% – Protein, AA’s 60-70% – Fat 90% – Ca absorption 95-99% – Phosphorous 20-25% Fast rate of passage No gall bladder Digestive Tract
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Large Colon – Absorbs – H 2 0 – VFA’s – AA – Phosphorus, 50% – NaCl Small Colon – Absorption of H 2 0 – Fecal ball formation Digestive Tract
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Comparisons of digestion HumanRuminantEquine Stomach30%70%9-10% Sm. Intestine 33%19%30% Cecum7%3%16% Lg. Intestine 30%7%45%
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Differences in rates of passage Equine – rush through foregut – time delay in cecum – rush through rectum Ruminant – Slow recycling flow of digesta
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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
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GI Tract Health Forage Concentrate – Grain Supplements
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Volatile Fatty Acids Glucose Fatty Acids Fat Glycogen Digestible Carbohydrate Fermentable Fiber StomachSmall IntestineLarge Intestine Fat Digestion of Feed
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Feeding The Athlete
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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,
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Muscle Glycogen Blood Glucose Anaerobic Glycolysis Oxidative Metabolism Pyruvate Lactate ATP Free-Fatty Acids Creatine Phosphate Myokinase and CPK Reactions CO 2 and Water Lipolysis Oxygen SOURCES OF ENERGY FOR THE PERFORMANCE HORSE
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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)
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Required Energy ActivityExamplesDE (Mcal/d) MaintenancePasture16 Light workPleasure riding20 Moderate workReining, jumping24 Intense workRacing, endurance32
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FAT SUPPLEMENTATION l Why Use It For Performance Horses? l Energy from fat is 90% utilizable l Fat ↓ heat of fermentation l Fat glycogen storage prior to race l Fat ↓ buildup of lactic acid during intense exercise l Fat ↓ fatigue
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Sources of Fat l Natural horse diets contain < 3-4% fat l “High Fat” sweet feeds contain 6-10% fat l Fat Supplements l Vegetable Oil (most common 99% fat) l Rice Bran (very palatable 20% fat) l Animal tallow (not palatable)
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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.
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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
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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
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Percent of Mature Body Weight vs... Months of Age Months of Age % Percent of Mature Height vs.. Months of Age Months of Age
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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
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As foals get older, the ration should be increased by adding more good quality hay, leaving the grain mix relatively constant.
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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
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Monitoring The Growth Process Daily Intakes Body Weight – Average daily gain Signs of Skeletal Abnormalities – Physitis – Joint effusion – Lameness
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0-3 months4+ months Months 0-8Months 9-11 Lactation Gestation Nutrition of The Broodmare
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Gestation: Nutritional Concerns Provision of nutrients for: – Fetal growth & development Other products of conception 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
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Average daily milk production in mares
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Feed Consumption (% BW) Mare statusForageConcentrateTotal Early pregnancy1.5-2.00-0.51.5-2.0 Late pregnancy1.0-1.50.5-1.01.5-2.0 Early lactation1.0-2.0 2.0-3.0 Late lactation1.0-2.00.5-1.52.0-2.5 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
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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
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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.
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FEEDING MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES u Feed By Class u Feed According to Body Weight
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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
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Time & Additional Grain Required To Improve BCS by 1 level Improving 1 Condition Score Days NeededDaily GainAdditional Grain Needed 600.75 lbs/day4.5 lbs/day 900.50 lbs/day3.0 lbs/day 1200.40 lbs/day2.3 lbs/day
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FEEDING MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES u Feed Adequate Long-Stemmed Roughage u Feed Hay From Well-Designed Mangers
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FEEDING MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES u Recognize Feeding-Related Behavior Problems u Group Feeding Should Account for Dominance Hierarchies u Encourage Aggressive Horses To Eat Slowly u Protect Trees From Bark-Chewing Horses
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FEEDING MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES u Never Feed More Than 0.75% of BW (concentrate) at any One Feeding u Multiple Feedings u Set Feeding Times
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FEEDING MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES u Check for Refusals u Change type and amount of feed gradually. 7-10 d period u Provide Salt
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