Horses’ Voluntary Intake of Four Hay Types

Horses showed a clear preference for alfalfa compared to the other types of hay offered.
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The majority of the equine diet should be based on forage, which serves as a source of fiber and nutrients. However, some horses might not readily consume all types of hay. To that end, a team of California State University researchers set out to compare four hay types to determine which horses are most inclined to consume.

Hay palatability depends on a variety of factors, such as species and maturity at harvest. In addition, some hay types might not be suitable for all horses, depending upon individual nutrient needs for maintenance, work, growth, or reproduction. In the current study, led by Anne V. Rodiek, PhD, researchers evaluated horses’ voluntary intake of alfalfa, oat, wheat, and teff.

The study involved eight mature mares housed in individual, partially roofed pipe pens. During a two-week adaptation period, all horses received one flake of each hay type daily (alfalfa and wheat hay in the morning and oat and teff in the evening). During the following four-week evaluation period the horses were paired and fed the same hay at the same time.

The team separated the horses into four groups of two, each of which consumed each type of hay alone for one week at a rate of 2.2% body weight (as determined by a weight tape) increased to 2.5% body weight if the horse consumed all the hay during the feeding period. The researchers removed any leftover hay prior to the next feeding and weighed it during the last five days of each week to calculate voluntary intake

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Kristen M. Janicki, a lifelong horsewoman, was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and later attended graduate school at the University of Kentucky, studying under Dr. Laurie Lawrence in the area of Equine Nutrition. Kristen has been a performance horse nutritionist for an industry feed manufacturer for more than a decade. Her job entails evaluating and improving the performance of the sport horse through proper nutrition.

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