Feeding of domesticated equines such as horses, ponies, mules, and donkeys.
Grass is a natural source of nutrition for a horse.
Equine nutrition is the feeding of horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, and other equines. Correct and balanced nutrition is a critical component of proper horse care.
Horses are non-ruminant herbivores of a type known as a "hindgut fermenter." Horses have only one stomach, as do humans. However, unlike humans, they also need to digest plant fiber (largely cellulose) that comes from grass or hay. Ruminants like cattle are foregut fermenters, and digest fiber in plant matter by use of a multi-chambered stomach, whereas horses use microbial fermentation in a part of the digestive system known as the cecum (or caecum) to break down the cellulose.[1]
In practical terms, horses prefer to eat small amounts of food steadily throughout the day, as they do in nature when grazing on pasture lands.[2] Although this is not always possible with modern stabling practices and human schedules that favor feeding horses twice a day, it is important to remember the underlying biology of the animal when determining what to feed, how often, and in what quantities.
The digestive system of the horse is somewhat delicate. Horses are unable to regurgitate food, except from the esophagus. Thus, if they overeat or eat something poisonous, vomiting is not an option.[3] They also have a long, complex large intestine and a balance of beneficial microbes in their cecum that can be upset by rapid changes in feed. Because of these factors, they are very susceptible to colic, which is a leading cause of death in horses.[4] Therefore, horses require clean, high-quality feed, provided at regular intervals, plus water or they may become ill if subjected to abrupt changes in their diets.[5] Horses are also sensitive to molds and toxins. For this reason, they must never be fed contaminated fermentable materials such as lawn clippings.[6] Fermented silage or "haylage" is fed to horses in some places; however, contamination or failure of the fermentation process that allows any mold or spoilage may be toxic.[7][8]
^Williams, Carey A., Ph.D., Extension Specialist. "The Basics of Equine Nutrition" from FS #038, Equine Science Center, Rutgers University, Revised: April 2004. Archived 2007-04-08 at the Wayback Machine Web site accessed February 9, 2007
^"Horse Nutrition - Frequency." Bulletin 762-00, Ohio State University. Web site accessed February 9, 2007.
^Giffen, James M. and Tom Gore. Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook., 2nd ed. New York:Howell Book House, 1989, 1998. ISBN 0-87605-606-0
^"Colic in Horses" ASC-128, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Equine Section, Department of Animal Sciences. web site accessed March 14, 2007
^March, Linda. "Feeding Your Horse To Avoid Problems," from University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine. Archived 2007-02-02 at the Wayback Machine Web site accessed February 16, 2007
^A. Cirelli, Jr. and B. Cloud. "Suburban Horse Keeping." (PDF) Fact Sheet: 94-09, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Nevada, Reno. Web site accessed July 4, 2009.
^"Horse Nutrition - Carbohydrates and fats." Bulletin 762-00, Ohio State University. Web site accessed February 9, 2007.
^Karen Spivey and Jackie Nix. "Haylage" North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Web site accessed July 4, 2009.
Equinenutrition is the feeding of horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, and other equines. Correct and balanced nutrition is a critical component of proper...
Equine anatomy encompasses the gross and microscopic anatomy of horses, ponies and other equids, including donkeys, mules and zebras. While all anatomical...
services. Businesses directly or indirectly related to horses include equinenutrition, equipment, publications, veterinary care, education, and sports clothing...
The donkey is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, Equus africanus, and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, Equus...
on Behaviour and Nutrition. Ed. P.A.Harris et al. Pub. Equine Veterinary Journal Ltd. Website accessed June 22, 2007 at Effem-Equine.com Bergstein, Stan...
horse-mounted couriers List of horse breeds, includes pony breeds Pony Club Equinenutrition Easy keeper Horse care Polish sport horse Norman Thelwell, the late...
with protein digestion. Bird feed Cat food Cattle feeding Dog food Equinenutrition Fish feed Pet food Pig farming Poultry feed Sheep husbandry Appetein...
particularly in the winter when horses may drink less water than they need. Equinenutrition Warren, Lori K. "Horse Feeding Myths and Misconceptions" Horse Industry...
PMID 22308461. Williams, Carey A. (April 2004), "The Basics of EquineNutrition", FS 038, vol. The Equine Science Center, Rutgers University, archived from the...
(September 2009). "Recent research into laminitis" (PDF). Advances in EquineNutrition. IV: 293. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2013. Retrieved...
showmanship for about 60%. Halter (horse show) Horse grooming Horse care Equinenutrition Western riding Equestrianism List of horse breeds Mane (horse) for...
Performance Results during the 1998 Tevis Cup. In: Proceedings 16th. EquineNutrition and Physiology Society Symposium, 398-402. Wikimedia Commons has media...
Oats and Barley, a grain mix fed to horses and other livestock: see equinenutrition Creature Object, a simple programming language for the game Creatures...
studies available on the effectiveness of these as applied to horses. Equinenutrition Farrier Horse Horse hoof Riding instructor Evans The Horse 2nd ed....
change. Some Equine coat colors are also related to the breed of horse, like the Friesian breed for instance. The basic outline of equine coat color genetics...
The equine eye is one of the largest of any land mammal. Its visual abilities are directly related to the animal's behavior; for example, it is active...
Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is an endocrinopathy affecting horses and ponies. It is of primary concern due to its link to obesity, insulin dysregulation...
production potential of the equines. The campus has state-of-art laboratories for conducting research in equine genetics, nutrition, medicine, reproduction...
Retrieved 2015-03-06. ""Dirty Jobs" Goes Behind The Scenes At Kentucky Equine Research | The Chronicle of the Horse". Chronofhorse.com. 2010-12-28. Retrieved...
Maryland. He credited his show career with giving him knowledge of equinenutrition and a background to promote soundness and good health in his horses...
McGreevy, Paul. Equine Behaviour – A Guide For Veterinarians and Equine Scientists.[full citation needed] McGreevy, Paul (2012). Equine Behavior: a guide...
management, conservation, husbandry and breeding and preventive medicine like nutrition, vaccination and parasitic control as well as biosecurity and zoonotic...
and weighing 950 kg. He died in September 1990, aged 7. Equine Cushing's disease Equinenutrition Horse welfare "Le cheval et l'eau". alter-equus.org (in...
species. There is an extensive, specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts, covering everything from anatomy to life stages, size...
confidence in the results". A paper by the same authors at the 4th European EquineNutrition & Health Congress (2008) concluded that research into glucosamine-based...
Equine conformation evaluates a horse's bone structure, musculature, and its body proportions in relation to each other. Undesirable conformation can limit...
Global Information