HORSE NUTRITION
The nutritional requirements of a horse are determined by
its body weight, age, activity level, reproductive state,
environmental conditions, growth rate, etc. Mature horses
have relatively low protein requirements and generally
require feed that is high in energy. Younger horses need
feed that is high in protein to support growth. It is
important to note that forage in the form of hay and/or
pasture is a basic requirement for maintaining
functionality of a horse's digestive system.
Unlike
ruminants, horses have one stomach. Feed passes through a
horse's stomach and small intestine relatively quick and
feed, not digested in the small intestine, is passed on
to the hind gut where it is broken down through a
fermentation process. Since the rate at which feed passes
through the small intestine has a direct affect on feed
efficiency (nutrient absorption), it is important that
quality, bioavailability and balance of feed including
vitamins, minerals and supplements be optimized.
Why Supplements?
Many
of the nutrients horses need are produced in their hind
gut. Beneficial microorganisms in the large intestine
break down and convert feed into organic acids, protein,
B-complex vitamins and gases. Most importantly, the large
intestine breaks down fiber which the horse is incapable
of digesting. This fermented fiber is the main source of
organic acids which the horse needs as an energy source. The type and balance of microorganisms in the hind
gut determine the efficiency of the fermentation process.
Under
certain conditions, the beneficial microorganisms that
reduce the buildup of gases and acids in the gut and help
reduce incidents of colic are killed off.
CB-EQS increases the
level of Beneficial Microbes and yeast cells in the large
intestine and facilitates a stable efficient hind gut
fermentation process.
Combat Cold
Weather Nutritional Stress In Horses
By Donald Stotts
It's a lesson in thermodynamics: Humans combat cold weather by
putting on additional clothing; horses fight the elements by
using more energy to maintain body temperature. But while most
people can address their own needs, horses are dependent upon
their owners to provide proper nutrition and protection from
the weather, said Dave Freeman, Oklahoma State University
Cooperative Extension equine specialist.
"The
temperature below which a particular horse starts to expend
additional energy for maintaining body warmth (critical
temperature) will vary because of fat cover, hair thickness,
acclimatization of the horse to cold, hair-coat wetness and
wind-chill," Freeman said.
For example, a
horse with short hair, exposed to wet, cold weather, may need
significantly more energy when the temperature gets below 50
degrees Fahrenheit. A horse acclimatized to cold weather, with
a thick hair coat and fat cover, may not expend appreciably
more energy until the temperature drops below 30 degrees
Fahrenheit. As a general rule, a one percent increase in
the energy requirements is needed to replace energy loss from
the cold weather for each degree the temperature falls below
the horse's thermo-neutral zone (lower critical temperature).
In other words,
a horse manager would have to supply roughly two pounds more
feed for each 10 degrees Fahrenheit below the critical
temperature per day when horses are consuming typical hay and
grain rations, a situation that is not practical.
"That's why horses need to be preconditioned for cold
weather by increasing fat thickness and body condition before
the onset of winter," Freeman said. In addition,
Freeman said it is important to remember that a horse manager
can't just provide additional feed to offset loss of body
condition.
"Sudden
changes in grain composition and amounts will increase the
incidence of colic and founder," he said. "It's best
to make adjustments in grain gradually over a period of
several days, especially if horses already are consuming large
quantities of grain. " Horse managers also should
consider feeding large amounts of grass hay to horses
restricted from forage. Free-choice hay helps horses exposed
to cold weather, partly because of the heat generated by
digestion and also as an aid to a continual, safe supply of
nutrients.
A concern with
providing free access to hay is maintaining a fresh hay supply
in ways which reduce hay waste. Large hay losses usually occur
when round bales are placed on the ground in pens of horses.
"Those who have elevated hay feeders large enough to hold
round-bales need to use them," Freeman said. "No
matter the method, hay exposed to wet weather for any length
of time generally will require removal because of decreased
palatability and potential problems resulting from horses
ingesting moldy hay."
Freeman said
another way horse owners can lessen an equine's stress
resulting from exposure to cold weather is to provide some
form of shelter from wind, rain and cold. Some pastures
provide enough natural protection that man-made shelters are
not required. "Owners housing horses in areas
unprotected from wet, windy weather should consider
constructing windbreaks or sheds," he said. "The
cost of windbreaks and sheds will be partially offset by
savings in feed costs as a horse's energy requirements
lessen."
Owners also
need to consider horse instincts and herd pecking orders when
deciding on windbreak or shed design. Those areas housing one
or two horses that are compatible with one another will allow
for an enclosed shed with three or four sides. These
structures should be similar in size to recommendations for
stalls, a 10-feet by 10-feet minimum for one horse.
The same type
of structure will not work in pens with large numbers of
horses or bands of horses with large ranges in horse dominance
orders. "An enclosed, sided structure may increase horse
injury to horses on the low end of the herd dominance order by
the more dominant horses," Freeman said. "This type
of structure may be inefficient because dominant horses will
keep others from having access."
Freeman
recommends single-sided windbreaks with a top cover be used in
herds with a dominance problem. Also owners should consider
two or three of these structures spread about the area because
one long, continuous structure is easily guarded by dominant
horses. Structure dimensions will depend on the degree of herd
dominance problems.
In situations
where aggressive behavior becomes such a problem that horses
need to be separated, Freeman said horses on the low end of
the herd order generally will need more shelter because they
are the ones that are usually in the least favorable body
condition.
| .gif)
