Requirements of equine by sandeep kumar

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 – H20 – 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

16%

Lg. Intestine

30%

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 ď Ź

ď Ź

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

Free-Fatty Acids

Anaerobic Glycolysis

Pyruvate

ATP

Myokinase and CPK Reactions

Lipolysis

Lactate

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

Light work

Pleasure riding

Moderate work

Reining, jumping

Intense work

Racing, endurance

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

% Percent of Mature Height vs.. Months of Age 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

ď Ź

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  

–



Turnout –

High quality .75-1.0 lb/100 lb body wt.

 

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: –

Fetal growth & development

•Last 3 month of gestation: 60 % foals’ weight •Mare needs to gain 0.3 – 0.8 lb/d



Other products of conception

Average daily milk production in mares

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

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    

– –

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

Additional Grain Needed

0.75 lbs/day

4.5 lbs/day

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