Researchers at the University of Göttingen studied metabolic changes in 10 Shetland ponies fed different diets in various weather conditions, reports EQUUS magazine. 

For the winter portion of their study, the scientists fed the ponies a diet that met all of their maintenance requirements. They then split the ponies into two groups: one group continued to receive their full ration and the other group had their rations cut to 60 percent of their energy requirements. 

The scientists monitored the pony's metabolic rates through vital signs and bloodwork, and found that the ponies which didn't receive the diet that met their energy requirements were able to lower their metabolic rate, which allowed them to conserve energy. The ponies' body temperatures also dropped, which compensated for the decrease in energy supply. Both of these mechanisms allowed the ponies to minimize the loss of energy stores.

Read more EQUUS magazine. 

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Bodyweight, body fat percentage, and body condition score were higher (5 to 8 percent) in high energy horses compared to horses fed the restricted energy diet. In the standardized exercise test, horses on the high energy diet performed more poorly and recovered more slowly compared to horses fed the restricted energy diet. Additionally, locomotion asymmetry was greater in horses fed the high energy diet compared to the restricted energy diet. These results confirmed that increased bodyweight and body fat in horses lowered physiological fitness, reduced symmetry, and decreased performance ability. For more information on this research, read the paper published in Physiological Reports.

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In what types of feeds was beet pulp first used?

Sugar beet pulp first found a use in commercial horse feeds in the racehorse products as a low-dust feedstuff because it was mixed with lots of molasses and felt moist. This proved beneficial for the respiratory tract and was thought to be somehow beneficial in preventing bleeding, though this notion was quickly abandoned.

Beet pulp was also integrated into senior feeds because of the need for a high-fiber feedstuff that could be ground and incorporated into a pellet. The new generation of high-fiber, low-starch feeds that emerged in the late 1990s was an obvious end-use for such an excellent fiber source. Now, beet pulp is prevalent in feeds designed for all classes of horses.

What are the differences between beet pulp and cereal grains as energy sources?

Horses derive the majority of the energy (calories) in cereal grains from the enzymatic digestion of starch that is absorbed in the bloodstream in the form of glucose. On the other hand, horses derive the majority of the energy in beet pulp from the microbial fermentation of the fiber content, which is absorbed as volatile fatty acids, also known as short-chain fatty acids.

What are the advantages of feeding beet pulp as part of a diet?

Compared to other fiber sources like hay, beet pulp has much more digestible fiber. For example, the digestible fiber in hay is around 40 percent, while beet pulp has closer to 80 percent digestible fiber. The more digestible the fiber, the more calories that feedstuff provides the horse.

Further, beet pulp mixes well into a textured feed and can be pelleted easily. Plus, soaking beet pulp is a way to get more water into the horse.

How does beet pulp stack up to hay as a source of fiber?

The type of fiber found in beet pulp, considered “rapidly fermentable fiber,” is much more readily fermented by the microbes in the hindgut than the fiber in hay or typical forage sources. Hay consists mostly of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. While lignin is completely indigestible, cellulose and hemicellulose vary in digestibility depending on the maturity of the plant.

Beet pulp provides energy, but does it add appreciable amounts of other nutrients?

Beet pulp has higher amounts of calcium than grains, about the level found in typical commercial concentrates. In addition, beet pulp is comparatively high in iron.

Should beet pulp be fed soaked or unsoaked when fed by itself or as part of home-mixed concentrate? 

If feeding beet pulp shreds, they can be fed dry, especially if mixed with other feedstuffs. Free-choice water availability is important if feeding dry beet pulp. Pelleted beet pulp, however, should not be fed dry because it may increase the likelihood of choke. Horses prefer to consume beet pulp shreds soaked rather than dry shreds, probably because it softens their texture. My preference is to feed beet pulp soaked.

Further, one of the advantages of feeding soaked beet pulp is that it is a way to sneak a bit of water into the diet, especially in the winter when water consumption may be down. The Europeans have come up with a method of micronizing and then flaking the pulp so that it soaks quickly, in less than 10 minutes.

Are there any special uses for beet pulp?

Soaked beet pulp is a useful vehicle for holding larger amounts of oil, which is often recommended as a way to get more calories in the horse.

It was thought for a while that soaked beet pulp could help to push sand out of the digestive tract, but research found it ineffective in prevention of sand colic.

Is beet pulp use in the U.S. different than in other areas of the world?

Beet pulp has worked its way into quite a number of commercial feeds in the U.S. Many horse owners feed soaked beet pulp in addition their regular feed.

As the history of beet pulp would suggest, its use is more longstanding in areas such as England, Northern Europe, and Russia, where much sugar beet is cultivated. Because of the climate needed for sugar beet cultivation, South America had very limited sugar beet production, as was the case in Australia and Africa. However, cultivation is expanding to newer areas because of a variety that can be grown in the warmer climates as a winter crop, instead of a summer crop as it is in more temperate climates.  Where beet pulp is not grown, it may be imported and therefore rather expensive.

Are you interested in how beet pulp became a feedstuff for horses? Learn more at Beet Pulp in Horse Feeds: A Brief History.

Could beet pulp be an appropriate feedstuff for your horse? Contact a Kentucky Equine Research nutrition advisor today.

Article reprinted courtesy of Kentucky Equine Research (KER). Visit equinews.com for the latest in equine nutrition and management, and subscribe to The Weekly Feed to receive these articles directly (equinews.com/newsletters).   

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Because the fetlock joint must withstand incredible forces, high-performance horses, including Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses, often sustain injuries at this site. The joint connects the long and short pastern bones, known also as the first and second phalanx.

A recent study of sound Standardbred foals, all trotting-bred, characterized how the long pastern bone adapts to changing loads during growth through the use of regular computed tomography (CT) scans during the first year of life. In addition to measuring strength and composition changes in the bone, researchers calculated strain energy density, a biomechanical metric of potential bone remodeling.²

Growth-related changes in mineral density and bone area at various bone points (distal epiphysis, mid-diaphysis, and proximal epiphysis) were assessed. These three points were further divided into four functional quadrants (dorsal, medial, lateral, palmar). Mineral density and bone area uniformly increased in the diaphysis and a portion of the proximal epiphysis, the medial quadrant, but not in the fracture-prone lateral quadrant. Strain energy density was constant during growth, indicating bone adaptation to standing quietly, the primary activity of Standardbred foals, according to prior observation by researchers, which revealed that foals between the ages of two and five months spent 80 percent of their time at a standstill.

In sum, “the work provides a baseline longitudinal characterization of normal remodeling of the equine forelimb first phalanx during the first year of life and its effect of strain energy density,” the researchers explained. “This is an essential prerequisite to making evidence-based recommendations for training regimens that may encourage bone growth in areas prone to fracture during development. A properly prepared musculoskeletal system may lead to fewer fractures, thus reducing the unnecessary wastage of equine athletes.”

In addition to exercise, proper nutrition of the mare throughout gestation and of the foal during all growth phases fosters future soundness. “Nutritional management of young horses starts with an appropriate, good-quality forage. Fortified concentrates can then be fed to meet energy, mineral, and vitamin shortfalls,” said Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., a nutrition advisor at Kentucky Equine Research.

“Aside from hay and concentrates, supplements designed to increase bone health can be used to support young athletes. Triacton, a supplemented formulated by Kentucky Equine Research, contains a novel source of calcium and an array of bone-building nutrients designed to increase bone density, with the ultimate goal of promoting long-term soundness,” she explained. “Research in weanlings, for example, showed that Triacton had a positive effect on density of the cannon bone.”

¹Firth, E.C., C.W. Rogers, P.R. van Weeren, A. Barneveld, C.W. McIlwraith, C.E. Kawcak, A.E. Goodship, and R.K.W. Smith. 2011. Mild exercise early in life produces changes in bone size and strength but not density in proximal phalangeal, third metacarpal and third carpal bones of foals. Veterinary Journal 190:383-389.

 ²Moshage, S.G., A.M. McCoy, J.D. Polk, and M.E. Kersh. 2019. Temporal and spatial changes in bone accrual, density, and strain energy density in growing foals. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 103.

Article reprinted courtesy of Kentucky Equine Research (KER). Visit equinews.com for the latest in equine nutrition and management, and subscribe to The Weekly Feed to receive these articles directly (equinews.com/newsletters).   

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Frost damaged pastures can have higher concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrates, leading to an increase in the potential for founder and colic, especially in horses diagnosed with or prone to obesity, laminitis, Cushings disease and Equine Metabolic Syndrome. To help prevent these health issues, at-risk horse owners should wait up to a week before turning horses back onto a pasture after a killing frost. Subsequent frosts are not a concern as the pasture plants were killed during the first frost.

Why do nonstructural carbohydrates increase during the fall? During the day, plants carry out the process of photosynthesis. In this process, they make carbohydrates as an energy source for the plant. A second process, respiration, is carried out when the plants use up the carbohydrates they produce during the night for energy. Plant respiration slows down when temperatures are near freezing. As a result, the plants hold their carbohydrates overnight. Freezing can stop respiration and lock the carbohydrates in the plant for over a week. Thus, plants tend to contain more carbohydrates in colder temperatures or after a frost. Often, horses will prefer forages after a frost due to the higher carbohydrates levels.

Read more here.

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The first step in determining whether there's an underlying problem is to have the horse thoroughly checked by a veterinarian, including a focused neurologic exam. This exam will put the horse through a variety of movements to see if he knows where his limbs and body are in space. A lameness exam is also helpful as a horse that is sore may alter his gait and the way he moves, causing him to run into things.

One other thing the vet should check is the horse's vision. Limited sight in one or both eyes will cause difficulty for a horse trying to navigate his surroundings.

If all of these tests yield no concrete answers, the horse may simply be very curious; adding toys to his stall may keep him out of trouble, Munsterman says. Ensuring he is in a regular exercise program can assist with channeling his extra energy, and spacing out feedings can also help keep him busy and out of trouble.

Read more at EQUUS magazine.

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Average metabolic equivalents of task and heart rate responses were greater for riders during the long trot portion of the walk-trot-canter and cutting rides compared to the overall walk-trot-canter ride. When the walk-trot-canter ride was evaluated by gait, average metabolic equivalents of task increased as gait speed increased. Riders engaged in cutting and reining experienced more-intense exercise in short durations, while walk-trot-canter riders has a greater overall total energy expenditure due to the duration of the activity. Interestingly, all three riding activities were similar in peak metabolic output compared to activities like jogging, and playing soccer and rugby.

This study highlights the importance of horseback riding as a viable tool to support health through physical activity. As gait speed increased so did the intensity of work output by the rider, suggesting it is possible for health benefits to be achieved through horseback riding, particularly if riding at the more intense gaits.

For more information, read the abstract at the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.

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A research team led by Dr. Robert Colborne created a horse trailer that allowed them to study how a horse's body moves to compensate for trailer movement. They found that a horse's legs play a key role in dampening road vibrations from the trailer floor and helping a horse maintain his balance.

The study trailer had fitted force plates that allowed researchers to measure precisely how a horse moves in response to braking, turning, acceleration, and constant speed horses experience on a typical trailer trip. Two study horses were taken on a 56-mile trip that took 58 minutes to complete; it covered both city and country roads.

They discovered that in total, the horse's bodies moved over 228  and 320 feet vertically during the trip. Though these values seem large, the horse's movement was still less than the vertical movement of the trailer floor. This indicates that horse's use their legs as springs to dampen trailer vibrations.

The horses also adjusted their bodies horizontally to deal with braking. The team found that the horses moved 745 and 797 feet horizontally over the course of the trip. The horses swayed over 11 inches back and forth and side to side during the trip.

It is expected that as horses become more seasoned travelers that their energy expenditure to stay upright and maintain balance would decrease.

Read more here.  

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Teff is an annual, warm-season grass that many believe originated from Ethiopia, where it was cultivated as a grain crop for human consumption. Teff is fine-stemmed, fast-growing, high-yielding, seems adaptive to numerous environments, and tends to thrive in warmer, drier conditions. However, teff's nutrient profile is what makes it attractive to many in the horse industry.

Compared to cool-season grasses and legumes, teff tends to be higher in fiber values and lower in nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) and digestible energy (DE). This nutrient profile makes it an appealing option for horse owners with “easy-keeping” horses, over-weight horses, or horses diagnosed with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), laminitis, Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), or Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM).

These horses tend to require total diets lower in NSC and DE, making teff a desirable option. Elevating teff's popularity and demand is the rate of obesity and related issues (e.g. EMS and laminitis) in the horse population. Similar to human and companion animal populations, obesity in the horse population is estimated at 30 percent, requiring many horse owners to seek lower caloric feedstuffs. However, what does research say about fitting teff into horse diets?

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have explored the impact of horses grazing teff. They found that teff produced less season-long yield compared to alfalfa and perennial ryegrass, primarily due to less grazing events. Since teff is a warm-season grass, it must be planted later in the spring in northern climates when soil temperatures are warmer and is more easily killed by cooler fall nights compared to cool-season grasses.

Teff was confirmed to have higher amounts of fiber and lower amounts of NSC, DE, and crude protein (CP) compared to cool-season grasses and legumes. The combination of higher fiber values, which tend to slow intake, and lower NSC values have been reported to decrease the glucose and insulin response in horses. Similar to humans, maintaining a more level (or homeostatic) insulin response is thought to be desirable to overall health, especially in horses diagnosed with metabolic diseases like EMS.

Researchers found that blood glucose and insulin values of horses grazing teff, cool-season grasses, and legumes were not different in the spring and summer; however, they were lower when horses grazed teff in the fall and late fall (September and October) compared to horses grazing cool-season grasses.

Fall grazing tends to be a risky time for horse diagnosed with metabolic diseases, or with a history of laminitis, as warm days and cool nights can lead to spikes in NSC concentrations in cool-season grasses. Although teff was lower in DE, if consumed at 2.5 percent bodyweight on a dry matter basis daily, it did meet the DE requirements of adult horses at maintenance.

Additionally, when a more detailed amino acid analysis was conducted, researchers found that while alfalfa and cool-season grasses had greater concentrations of most amino acids, horses grazing teff had similar blood amino acid responses compared to the other forages. This suggested that the lower CP values found in teff were not detrimental to the mature, idle grazing horses. Finally, teff did tend to have a slightly inverted Ca:P ratio, making it essential to test teff for forage nutritive values and supplement Ca when necessary.

Several universities have also explored harvesting teff as hay and adult horse preference. When harvested under ideal weather conditions and maturity, most describe teff hay as fine-stemmed and leafy. However, like any forage, environmental conditions, maturity at the time of harvest, and production practices can greatly impact forage quality.

In a hay preference trial conducted at Penn State, horses unaccustomed to teff preferred both mature alfalfa and timothy hay over teff hay. However, many agree that once acclimated to teff, most horses will readily consume teff. A Kentucky study investigated the intake of teff hay cut at three different stages of maturity (boot, early, and late).

Based on voluntary intake, horses preferred boot (1.8 percent bodyweight) and early-maturity (1.7 percent bodyweight) teff hays over late maturity hay (1.5 percent bodyweight). Similar to what is observed in grazing research and with other forages, maturity can be a major factor in palatability and intake.

In the Kentucky study, nutrient requirements for mature horses eating the less mature teff hays were generally met, although when consuming the late-maturity teff, DE and CP requirements were not met for adult horses at maintenance.

Collectively, research on grazing teff and feeding it as hay confirmed it can be used as a horse forage, but is more suitable for horses with lower energy demands or horses prone to metabolic concerns. While teff's niche in the horse industry is most likely as a forage for “easy-keeping,” overweight, laminitic or metabolically challenged horses, there are some drawbacks and frustrations horse owners have anecdotally shared.

Because of the higher fiber values and lower NSC, some horses simply refuse to eat the forage. This is not surprising as past research has shown preference and intake are positively linked to NSC amounts and negatively linked to fiber values. In these cases, owners should provide part of the diet in teff, while including other more palatable forages.

Like any newer forage, there is also a learning curve in planting, harvesting, and feeding the forage. A few challenges shared by hay producers include successfully planting the small-seeded forage, timely harvests, ideal cutting frequency of the mostly prostrate growing forage, and lack of labeled herbicide options. Finally, research is needed to establish if horses can be successfully maintained long-term on only teff forage, and a vitamin and mineral supplement.

Sign up for the University of Minnesota e-newsletter here.

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Animals that hibernate experience a decrease in both their heart rate and their body temperature when winter weather hits; their metabolism also slows. Drs. Lea Brinkmann, Martina Gerken, Catherine Hambly, John Speakman and Alexander Riek created a study to se if ponies had similar physiological adaptations.

The research team used 10 Shetland ponies and studied them through the year, measuring each pony's vital signs and using blood tests to check metabolic rates. During winter months, they fed all 10 ponies a diet that met 100 percent of their maintenance needs. They then divided the ponies into two groups: one group received meals that met tall their metabolic needs and the second group was put on a diet that provided only 60 percent of the pony's energy requirements.

The team discovered that the ponies on the restricted winter diet had lower metabolic rates and their body temperature dropped. The scientists say that these changes, which are similar to changes hibernating animals experience, compensated for a decreased energy supply during the time of year when energy is needed to maintain warmth.

The pony's behavior didn't change, but the reduction in metabolic rate and temperature enabled them to minimize the effect of limited energy stores.

Read more at EQUUS magazine.

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