Monogastric Nutrition-Horse
Horse digestion
Nutritional requirement
Foregut-enzymatic digestion, small glandular stomach, small intestine for absorption of starch, protein, fat + fat soluble vitamins
Hindgut-fermentation digestion using microbes to break down carbohydrates/fibre (caecum + colon)/cellulose to produce VFAs, colon absorbs water
Body condition scoring=1-5(obese)
forge/roughage (grass/hay) main bulk of diet
Grains/pre-mixed feeds should be used when the horses energy requirements cannot be met by forage alone
Supplements may be needed e.g. sodium in just forage based diets
DM requirement=(body weight/100)*1.5
Energy requirement=(body weight/100)*3.34
Specific requirements
Increased protein, energy, protein, vitamin + minerals required for pregnancy + lactation
Low fibre diet in early growth in foals as they have undeveloped caecal + colonic digestion as well as little microbial digestion >3 months
Increased protein for growth
Increased work + decreased roughage the more work a horse does
High performance horses might need electrolytes too (lost through sweat)
Sub optimal nutrition can lead to colic, gastric ulcers, stable vices and behavioural issues in low BCS
Restricted feeding in high BCS horses can lead to colic, hyperlipidemia and laminitis
Increased energy requirements in the cold
1 unit change=20kg