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- Connysson, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Road transport and diet affect metabolic response to exercise in horses
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Animal Science. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0021-8812 .- 1525-3163. ; 95, s. 4869-4879
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigated the effects of transport and diet on metabolic response during a subsequent race-like test in Standardbred horses in training fed a forage-only diet and a 50: 50 forage: oats diet. Six trained and raced Standardbred trotter mares were used. Two diets, 1 forage-only diet (FONLY) and 1 diet with 50% of DM intake from forage and 50% from oats (FOATS), were fed for two 29-d periods in a crossover design. At Day 21, the horses were subjected to transport for 100 km before and after they performed an exercise test (transport test [TT]). At Day 26, the horses performed a control test (CT), in which they were kept in their stall before and after the exercise test. Blood samples were collected throughout the study, and heart rate and water intake were recorded. Heart rate and plasma cortisol, glucose, and NEFA concentrations were greater for the TT than for the CT (P = 0.008, P = 0.020, P = 0.010, and P = 0.0002, respectively) but were not affected by diet. Plasma acetate concentration was lower during the TT than during the CT (P = 0.034) and greater for the FONLY than for the FOATS (P = 0.003). There were no overall effects of the TT compared with the CT on total plasma protein concentration (TPP), but TPP was lower with the FONLY than with the FOATS (P = 0.016). There was no overall effect of the TT compared with the CT on water intake, but water intake was greater with the FONLY than the FOATS (P = 0.011). There were no overall effects of transport or diet on BW, plasma lactate, or plasma urea concentration. It was concluded that both transport and diet affect metabolic response during exercise in horses. Aerobic energy supply was most likely elevated by transportation and by the FONLY. The FONLY also decreased exercise-induced effects on extracellular fluid regulation. These results highlight the importance of experimental design in nutrition studies. If the aim is to examine how a diet affects exercise response in competition horses, transport should preferably be included in the experimental design, because horses are likely to be transported before a competition.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Muhonen, Sara, et al.
(författare)
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Effects on the equine colon ecosystem of grass silage and haylage diets after an abrupt change from hay
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Animal Science. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0021-8812 .- 1525-3163. ; 87, s. 2291-2298
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of an abrupt change from grass hay (81% DM) to grass silage (36% DM) or grass haylage (55% DM), fed at similar DM intakes, and to compare the effects of silage and haylage on the composition and activities of the colon microflora. The forages were from the same swath harvested on the same day. Four adult colon-fistulated geldings were randomly assigned to diets in a crossover design. The study started with a preperiod when all 4 horses received the hay diet, followed by an abrupt feed change to the haylage diet for 2 horses and the silage diet for 2 horses. All 4 horses then had a new second preperiod of hay, followed by an abrupt feed change to the opposite haylage and silage diet. The periods were 21 d long, and the forage-only diets were supplemented with minerals and salt. The abrupt feed changes were made at 0800 h. Colon samples were taken before the abrupt feed change, 4 and 28 h after the feed change, and 8, 15, and 21 d after the feed change, all at 1200 h. Colon bacterial counts, VFA, pH, and DM concentrations were unchanged throughout the first 28 h after the abrupt feed change from hay to haylage and silage. Also, fecal pH and DM concentrations were unchanged during the first 28 h. During the weekly observations, colon lactobacilli counts increased (P = 0.023) in horses receiving the silage diet and were greater than on the haylage diet at 21 d. Streptococci counts decreased (P = 0.046) in horses receiving the haylage diet and were less than on the silage diet at 15 and 21 d. Total VFA concentrations and colon and fecal pH did not differ between diets and were unchanged throughout the weekly observations. The DM concentration of colon digesta and feces decreased (P = 0.030 and 0.049, respectively) on both diets during the weekly observations. The results suggest that in horses fed at the maintenance level of energy intake, an abrupt feed change from grass hay to grass silage or grass haylage from the same crop does not induce any major alterations in the colon ecosystem during the first 28 h. During the subsequent 3-wk period, colon and fecal DM decreased and there were alterations in the lactobacilli and streptococci bacterial counts. The changes in lactobacilli and streptococci counts need further investigation.
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