23 items | 31 visits
Reducing stress, Managing feeding, Optimizing Healing, Managing Behaviour
Updated on Jan 19, 11
Created on Oct 10, 10
Category: Science
URL:
Zoe Penman's List: Aspects of Equine Rehabilitation
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Oct 23, 10
ScienceDirect - Veterinary Clinics of North America:
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Oct 23, 10
Ovid search Result
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Oct 19, 10
AVMA - American Journal of Veterinary Research - 65(4):422 - Abstract
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Oct 16, 10
Ovid Search Result
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Oct 16, 10
Ovid: Search Results
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Oct 16, 10
Ovid: Search Results
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Ashley Griffin, University of Kentucky
Space multiple feedings throughout the day.
The horse's digestive system is designed to allow small quantities of food to pass through continually during the day. This means that the horse is a continuous grazer. Horses were not designed to consume large quantities of food at a single feeding. Therefore, good feeding management requires that feedings be spaced throughout the day. Numerous small feedings are better than one large one. Horses should be fed a minimum of twice a day. Three or four times a day would be better.
Feed horses according to their work schedule. If a horse is worked in the morning, feed it one-third of the concentrate and a small portion of hay in the morning and a larger portion of hay with the grain at the noon feeding. If no exercise is induced in the evening, the nighttime feeding of concentrate and forage can offered at the same time.
Feed daily at set feeding times.
Horses are creatures of habit and need to be fed at a consistent time each day, with a consistent quality of feed. Horses come to expect to be fed at set times each day. If too much variation in time or quality of feed exists, it can lead to digestive disturbances. Erratic schedules will annoy horses, and they may develop stall vices such as kicking, raking their teeth on the stall, or cribbing. Digestive disorders can occur due to an overly hungry horse bolting its feed. It is important to remember to set times for feeding and feed at those times 365 days a year.
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- Feeds should be fed at least twice a day.
- Feeds should be fed in equally divided amounts.
- Feeds should be fed near to or at the same time each day and at even intervals throughout the day.
- keeping forage available at all times
- feeding two to three smaller meals throughout the day
- feeding the horse as little concentrate as necessary in one feeding.
Ashley Griffin, University of Kentucky
Feeding Guidelines
When feeding the horse, there are three general guidelines one should follow.
Let’s look at the reasons why farm managers, nutritionists, and veterinarians follow these guidelines.
In the wild or out on pasture, horses eat frequently as they graze throughout the day. This is because their stomachs are small and cannot digest large quantities of feed at one time (see Digestion Unit). Although this is the ideal way to feed a horse, it is difficult for horse owners to feed multiple times during the day. However, feeding one large grain meal will cause digestive upsets, such as colic, due to an overload of starch in the large intestine. To prevent digestive problems, the total grain intake should be divided up and fed over two to three feedings per day if total grain intake exceeds 0.5 percent of the horse's body weight. By feeding frequent small meals, the small intestine is able to digest more starch so less will reach the large intestine, decreasing the incidence of colic.
A horse’s total feed intake should be divided equally among the number of feedings and should be fed at the same time or close to the same time every day. Infrequent meals or a sudden change in feeding habits can result in a change in the intestinal motility and blood flow, resulting in an increase in the risk for colic. This occurs mainly in horses that are stabled or kept in a paddock. The risk for this type of colic can be decreased by:
Individual feeding programs should be developed for individual horses to meet their nutrient requirements and maintain proper body condition.
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Oct 12, 10
Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome
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Oct 11, 10
ScienceDirect - Journal of Equine Veterinary Science
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Oct 11, 10
ScienceDirect - Journal of Equine Veterinary Science
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Sep 18, 10
Saddle Fit explained with thermal images of the horse and saddle post exercise. Supports water spray fitting exercise.
Also covers Hoof balance and relation to lameness.
Seminar using Powerpoint
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