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Animals
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Nutrition and Management of the Horse
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Nutrition and Management of the Horse

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Equids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2022) | Viewed by 14308

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Markku Saastamoinen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Production Systems, Tietotie 2, 31600 Jokioinen, Finland
Interests: animal production; animal physiology; animal breeding; feed formulation; feeding; animal husbandry; animal genetics; forage; feed evaluation; pasture management; equine; canine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jo-Anne Murray

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
Interests: equine nutrition aimed at improving gut health, including investigating the effect of diet on the large intestinal environment of the horse
Dr. Rasmus Bovbjerg Jensen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), 1430 Ås, Norway
Interests: equine nutrition and feeds; nutrition physiology; GI tract

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The links between health and good dietary treatment and management practices have to be considered to ensure the wellbeing of the horse. Because today’s horses perform a variety of roles and there are many categories of horses based on their breed, size, and use, feeding horses is challenging for many horse owners, trainers, and breeders. Lack of proper knowledge on horse nutrition and management may lead to health problems and impaired performance. Many horses also suffer from overweight and resultant diseases. Feeding and management issues, including stable and environmental conditions and feeding systems, also have environmental impacts. It is important to ensure that evidence- and science-based knowledge is available to all stakeholders and people working in the horse industry. Consequently, the objective of this Special Issue is to publish research papers dealing with horse nutrition and sustainable management and the interrelations between management, nutrition, health, wellbeing, and environment to strengthen the knowledge about nutrition and management of all horse categories.

Original manuscripts, in the form of research or review papers, that relate to the following areas are welcome: nutrient availability and digestibility, including issues concerning gut microbiota; nutrient requirements of various horse categories; effects of feeding and management on performance, growth, well-being and health of the horse; feeds and feed ingredients; environmental impacts of horse keeping; horses and society.

It is a great pleasure to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue on Nutrition and Management of the Horse.

Dr. Markku Saastamoinen
Dr. Jo-Anne Murray
Dr. Rasmus Bovbjerg Jensen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • equine
  • horse
  • nutrition
  • feeding
  • feeding practices
  • management
  • health
  • gut health
  • gut microbiota
  • digestibility
  • feeds
  • welfare
  • wellbeing
  • environment

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 323 KiB  
Article
Protein Source and Intake Effects on Diet Digestibility and N Excretion in Horses—A Risk of Environmental N Load of Horses
by Markku Saastamoinen, Susanna Särkijärvi and Heli Suomala
Animals 2021, 11(12), 3568; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11123568 - 15 Dec 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2744 | Correction
Abstract
Six Finnhorse mares were used in a digestibility trial, in which six typical horse diets were compared. The diets were: (A) haylage 100%; (B) hay 100%; (C) hay 70% and oats 30%; (D) hay 70% and soybean meal + oats 30%; (E) hay [...] Read more.
Six Finnhorse mares were used in a digestibility trial, in which six typical horse diets were compared. The diets were: (A) haylage 100%; (B) hay 100%; (C) hay 70% and oats 30%; (D) hay 70% and soybean meal + oats 30%; (E) hay 70%, rapeseed meal + oats 30% and (F) hay 70 %, linseed meal + oats 30%. The trial was conducted according to an unbalanced 6 × 4 Latin square design with four 3-week experimental periods. The experimental period consisted of 17-day preliminary feeding which was followed by a 4-day total faecal and urine collection periods to evaluate N excretion. The digestibilities of DM (p < 0.001) and OM (p < 0.001) in the haylage-only diet were lower compared to the other diets. The supplemental protein feeds improved the diet digestibility of CP (p = 0.002) compared to a hay + oats diet. Furthermore, the DM (p = 0.019), OM (p = 0.006), and CP (p = 0.016) digestibilities of the soya-supplemented diet were better than those of the rapeseed- and linseed-supplemented diets. Faecal excretion was greater for haylage (19.3 kg fresh faeces and 3.6 kg DM/day) and hay (18.7 kg fresh faeces and 3.6 kg DM/day) diets (p < 0.001) compared with the other diets. Urine excretion was also greater for forage-only diets compared with diets including protein supplements. Horses excreted 14.0 L urine/day on haylage-only diet (p = 0.026) and 14.3 L/day on a hay-only diet (p = 0.003). Horses excreted more nitrogen in their urine than in dung. N excretion differed between the diets. Horses on a haylage-only diet excreted 51.6 g N in faeces/day and on hay-only diet 51.4 g N/day. On the other hand, when protein content in forages increased, N excretion via urine increased (haylage vs. dried hay). Horses excreted less N in urine with hay-only diet than with haylage-only or protein-supplemented diets (p < 0.001). When N excreted in faeces and urine was counted together, horses excreted less N with a hay-only diet (p < 0.001) than with a supplemented one (oats and/or protein feeds). The results showed that feed choices affected the amount of nitrogen excreted. Feeding recommendations should consider not only the horse category and work level, but also the protein source. When good quality protein is fed, smaller N intakes can be applied to reduce the N excretion via urine and dung. At the farm level, improved understanding of feed quality, as well as feeding planning and practices, is a way to decrease the risk of N leaching and evaporation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Management of the Horse)
15 pages, 874 KiB  
Article
Straw as an Alternative to Grass Forage in Horses—Effects on Post-Prandial Metabolic Profile, Energy Intake, Behaviour and Gastric Ulceration
by Anna Jansson, Patricia Harris, Sara Larsdotter Davey, Nanna Luthersson, Sveinn Ragnarsson and Sara Ringmark
Animals 2021, 11(8), 2197; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11082197 - 24 Jul 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 8779
Abstract
Straw’s low energy content means it is a roughage option for horses with low energy requirements. Previously, in a field study, straw was associated with an increased risk for gastric ulcers. This study evaluated the effect on gastric ulcers, metabolic profile and behaviour [...] Read more.
Straw’s low energy content means it is a roughage option for horses with low energy requirements. Previously, in a field study, straw was associated with an increased risk for gastric ulcers. This study evaluated the effect on gastric ulcers, metabolic profile and behaviour of replacing, in a forage-only ration, 50% of the daily allowance with wheat straw. Six equines were studied in a 2 × 21-day cross-over design. The control diet (CON: 100% grass forage) and the straw diet (S: 50% grass forage and 50% straw [DM basis]) were iso-energetic. Gastroscopy was performed prior to the study and on day 21 and blood samples were collected and behavioural observations were performed. Diet did not affect squamous or glandular gastric ulcer scores (p > 0.05). Feed intake time was longer (p < 0.05) plus energy intake and plasma insulin concentrations were lower on diet S compared to CON (p < 0.0001). Plasma serotonin concentrations tended to be higher on diet S compared to CON (p = 0.05). The results suggest that good hygienic quality wheat straw can be included for up to 50% of the diet without causing gastric ulcers and that it can extend feeding time and promote a metabolic profile more suitable for overweight horses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Management of the Horse)
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1 pages, 162 KiB  
Correction
Correction: Saastamoinen et al. Protein Source and Intake Effects on Diet Digestibility and N Excretion in Horses—A Risk of Environmental N Load of Horses. Animals 2021, 11, 3568
by Markku Saastamoinen, Susanna Särkijärvi and Heli Suomala
Animals 2022, 12(7), 848; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani12070848 - 28 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1186
Abstract
There was an error in the original publication [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Management of the Horse)
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