In this article research nutritionist Professor Meriel Moore Colyer explores the challenges for feeding horses a fibre based diet across the seasons, maintaining fibre content, a balanced diet and the need for supplements, additives and balancers.
Of all the old cliches brandished about, ‘you are what you eat’ is one of the most accurate.
Work on the equid gut microbiome including the gut-brain access, how feed and supplements impact the microbiota and the relationship of the microbiome to health and disease are all ‘hot-topics’ and demonstrate the importance of the diet : health interaction.
As with every living organism, a food source is needed to survive, and the lessons of evolution show us that the more food that is available to a particular population the more it will grow. Gut microbiome research has also shown us that humans and all production animals benefit from a diverse and rich gut microbiome, so it is essential to provide the substrates (food) that the microbiota can best utilise to support a vibrant population.
Research has demonstrated that feeding a ‘natural’ fibre-based diet to horses promotes microbiome diversity, (Julliand and Grimm, 2017) and, as this is what the equid gut evolved to digest, then this is the place to start when compiling a diet. A good quality fibre (grass / hay /haylage) will provide many of the vitamin and mineral needs of your horse and in spring and summer will also supply sufficient protein and energy to fuel most types of exercise. In fact often our rich pastures in the temperate climate of the UK, over-supply readily digestible energy to our trickle feeding equids, and this predisposes to diseases such as equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), obesity and laminitis.
To tackle these issues we take our horses off pasture and put them on a restricted diet, in a restricted environment – a stable. This may be effective at simulating weight loss but the lack of trickle feeding and the stress of confinement can lead to gastric ulceration syndrome.
While potentially not life-threatening or as serious as EMS or laminitis, gastric ulcers (EGUS) are debilitating, painful, reduce performance and are a welfare concern.
In the, Healthy gut healthy horse, webinar on Wednesday 12th February, we will examine the physiology behind these common pathologies and why and how nutrient imbalances and excesses cause these conditions. We will discuss how you can avoid travelling down the ‘obesity road’ in the first place and the best way to tackle these conditions in a humane and easily manageable way. Learn More...
Tip: During spring and summer when the grass is ‘lush and leafy’ feed some hay to keep the fibre content up in the diet. This can help reduce scouring and give the gut much needed fibre
As a scientist I am a supporter of ration formulation based on forage and feed analyses so the diet can be accurately balanced. Ideally, we would all buy our forage from one source have it analysed and then balance the ration according to the forage nutrient content. However, I accept that not everyone has access to forage analyses and the results of a recent survey we published (Moore-Colyer et al., 2023) of UK horse owners showed that forage source is continually changed, with most owners buying enough forage to last a couple of weeks before purchasing another batch. Most do not know where the forage comes from nor if it is the same as the previous batch. These factors can make forage analyses of limited use and not ‘worth the expense’. In the absence of detailed analyses I will discuss how you can assess your forage to help you balance the ration and discuss the latest research into forage nutrient profiles, using appropriate supplements and manipulating feeding regimes to avoid metabolic disorders.
Tip: If the forage has lots of flowering heads then it is a mature grass and will provide lots of good fibre for your horse’s digestive system.
A balanced diet is clearly the key to good health and performance, but feed sources, climate, management regimes exposure to disease and stress can make the ideal balance a challenge to achieve. Longer-term deficiencies, excesses and imbalances can lead to disease, and when problems occur, we all too often reach for a supplement in the belief that it will help reverse the problem.
In some cases a supplement will ‘make-good’ a deficiency and will be the answer to your problems but to ensure you identify what is needed, you should really go back to the basic diet and management regime and see what beneficial changes could be made before adding in another ingredient. A targeted supplement, chosen to balance your horse’s ration catering for its individual needs, is always preferable to a broad-based ‘kitchen-sink’ approach.
Tip: As the seasons change you need to re-examine your horses diet to ensure it continues to meet requirements. Use the energy utilisation calculation in article 1 to re-set the diet and remember when a horse has limited access to pasture e.g., 1-2 hours, it can eat a considerable amount of grass in that time.
There are a plethora of additives and supplements on the market targeted at gut health, joint health, respiratory health, behavioural issues, electrolytes and forage balancers, all claiming to be something your horse should not do without! There might indeed be one or two of these that your particular horse would benefit from, but then which one do you choose?
My webinar on ‘supplements, additives and balancers’ will give you the knowledge, understanding and confidence to trawl through the supplement shelves and understand what you are looking at. We will examine the nutrient : disease interface and discuss how additives might help. Learn More...
Tip: visit the feed store and note down the names of the supplements you think you might need. Then go home and ‘Google’ them to discover what research is behind any claims.
Make your choice on solid evidence although be prepared for a lower response as every horse is different, but science does give you a probability of something being efficacious.
Supplements are designed to make good i.e. ‘supplement’ a deficiency in a diet, but they are not supposed to supply the total requirement for that nutrient. Moreover, individual nutrients rarely work alone so understanding the interaction between e.g. protein and energy is very important so you can supply the correct ratios and the horse can extract maximum benefit from its diet.
This webinar, Supplements, Additives, Balancers What do you really need? on Wednesday 19th February, will examine the interface between feed, digestive physiology and supplement use. I will take a ‘back to basics’ approach where we look at ingredient categories and the research behind these and so help you to assess a whole range of supplements, even ones not yet produced! I do hope you are able to join me
References
Julliand, V. Pauline Grimm The Impact of Diet on the Hindgut Microbiome. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science Volume 52, May 2017, Pages 23-28
Moore-Colyer M, Westacott A, Rousson L, Harris P, Daniels S. Where Are We Now? Feeds, Feeding Systems and Current Knowledge of UK Horse Owners When Feeding Haylage to Their Horses. Animals (Basel). 2023 Apr 7;13(8):1280. doi: 10.3390/ani13081280. PMID: 37106843; PMCID: PMC10135377.
In this series of 4 webinars, research nutritionist and independent consultant, Professor Meriel Moore-Colyer will explore how feeding underpins optimum performance of all your horses’ body systems. From gut physiology to choosing the right supplement for your horse, this series of seminars will put science into practice in an easy to understand way and give you the tools you need to improve the most important every-day activity of feeding your horse.
In this webinar Meriel will consider the important relationship between form and function by examining gut physiology and how that influences digestion, absorption and diet choices. Feeding is a daily activity done by all horses owners so this webinar will have useful and applicable information whether you are feeding a week-end ridden leisure horse or a top-class performance horse. By applying science to practice the latest information on the equid gut microbiome and assessing energy requirements of your horse will be covered. Balancing the major dietary ingredients will complete this topical course.
In this webinar the importance of respiratory health will be discussed, alongside the most common lower respiratory tract problems encountered by 14% of all horse owners. This is a fast-moving area of equine research, so Meriel will review the latest results and its relevance to you the horse owner. Prevention is better than cure so how the horse : dust interaction can be reduced while still providing the necessary forage is a conundrum often facing those stabling horses with allergic respiratory disorders. The pros and cons of different feeds and how season can affect dust levels and respiratory health will also be covered.
This webinar will examine feed-related metabolic disorders including EGUS, Colic, EMS, laminitis and PPID. Causes and symptoms will be detailed and the link to feeds will be fully explained. Inappropriate diets have a role to play in all these conditions with many owners ‘killing with kindness’ in their attempt to do the right thing. This webinar will give you essential information on how to feed to avoid metabolic disorders, how to keep a ‘hungry horse’ satisfied and how dietary ingredients can be combined for maximum benefit and minimum risk.
This webinar will examine the types, need and uses of different supplements. Focussing on joint supplements, calmers and digestive aids Meriel will guide you through assessing the needs of your horse and the plethora of supplements currently on the market and give you the tools to make sensible and appropriate choices for your horse without spending a fortune
The game begins! You will enter a world full of mystery and thrills, are you ready for adventure?https://www.dandysworldgame.com/bake-night-terror/