Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T07:35:34.208Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effects on fluid balance, digestion and exercise response in Standardbred horses fed silage, haylage and hay

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 November 2008

S Muhonen ,
J E Lindberg ,
J Bertilsson  and
A Jansson
S Muhonen*
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Box 7024, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-750 07Uppsala, Sweden
J E Lindberg
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Box 7024, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-750 07Uppsala, Sweden
J Bertilsson
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Box 7024, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-750 07Uppsala, Sweden
A Jansson
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Box 7024, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-750 07Uppsala, Sweden
*
*Corresponding author: sara.muhonen@huv.slu.se
Get access

Abstract

The objectives were to investigate the effects on fluid balance, digestion and exercise response in Standardbred horses in race training when feeding silage, haylage or hay-only diets. In experiment (exp) 1, five Standardbred geldings were fed forage-only diets: hay (82% dry matter, DM) and silage (45% DM) for 23 days in a crossover design. Total collection of faeces and urine was performed. In exp 2, six Standardbred geldings were fed forage-based diets: haylage (68% DM) and silage (41% DM) for 17 days in a crossover design. On day 17, an incremental interval exercise test was performed on an oval racetrack. In exp 1, horses drank more on the hay than on the silage diet, but total water intake (drinking+water in feed) was higher and resting values of total plasma protein (TPP) was lower on the silage diet. Total water output per day did not differ and therefore the estimated evaporation was larger on the silage than the hay diet. The apparent digestibility was higher on the silage than the hay diet. In exp 2, heart and respiratory rate, TPP and lactate and blood pH did not differ between the haylage and silage diets during and after the exercise test. In conclusion, feeding silage did not affect faecal water content, but apparent digestibility and estimated evaporative fluid loss were higher on the silage diet compared with the hay diet. The silage did not adversely affect the response to intensive exercise compared with haylage. However, the estimated higher evaporative fluid loss on the silage diet compared with the hay diet might cause an unnecessary challenge during more prolonged exercise.

Keywords

abrupt feed changeacid–base balancedigestibilityforageroughage
Type
Research Paper
Information
Comparative Exercise Physiology , Volume 5 , Issue 3-4 , November 2008 , pp. 133 - 142
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Vandenput, S, Istasse, L, Nicks, B and Lekeux, P (1997). Airborne dust and aeroallergen concentrations in different sources of feed and bedding for horses. The Veterinary Quarterly 19: 154–158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Vandenput, S, Duvivier, DH, Votion, D, Art, T and Lekeux, P (1998). Environmental control to maintain stabled COPD horses in clinical remission: effects on pulmonary function. Equine Veterinary Journal 30: 93–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3Wallin, L, Strandberg, E, Philipsson, J and Dalin, G (2000). Estimates of longevity and causes of culling and death in Swedish warmblood and coldblood horses. Livestock Production Science 63: 275–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Clausen von, M, Preisinger, R and Kalm, E (1990). Analyse von krankheitsdaten in der deutschen warmblutzucht. Züchtungskunde 62: 167–178.Google Scholar
5McDonald, P (1981). The Biochemistry of Silage. Chichester: Wiley, J. and sons, Ltd., pp. 226.Google Scholar
6Jaakkola, S and Huhtanen, P (1993). The effects of forage preservation method and proportion of concentrate on nitrogen digestion and rumen fermentation in cattle. Grass and Forage Science 48: 146–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Holmquist, S and Müller, CE (2002). Problems related to feeding forages to horses. Proceedings of the 13th International Silage Conference, Auchincruive, UK, pp. 152–153.Google Scholar
8Müller, G (2002). A field study into the nutritional intake of horses fed grass silage or hay as roughage including factors influencing faecal consistency. Ph Dissertation, Tierarztliche Hochschule, Hannover, Germany, .Google Scholar
9Moore-Colyer, MJS and Longland, AC (2000). Intakes and in vivo apparent digestibilities of four types of conserved grass forage by ponies. Animal Science 71: 527–534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Austbø, D (1990). Høy, rundballesurfor og surfor fra plansilo til hest. Fordøyelseforsøk, vannopptak og test på rullende matte. Husdyrforsøksmøtet. Aktuelt fra Statens fagtjenste for landbruket. Norway, pp. 174–178.Google Scholar
11Meyer, H and Coenen, M (1989). Influence of exercise on the water and electrolyte content of the alimentary tract. Proceedings of the 11th Equine Nutrition and Physiology Symposium, Oklahoma State University, USA, pp. 3–7.Google Scholar
12Eastwood, MA (1973). Vegetable fibre: its physical properties. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 32: 137–143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13Varloud, M, Fonty, G, Roussel, A, Guyonvarch, A and Julliand, V (2007). Postprandial kinetics of some biotic and abiotic characteristics of the gastric ecosystem of horses fed a pelleted concentrate meal. Journal of Animal Science 85: 2508–2516.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14Alexander, F and Davies, ME (1963). Production and fermentation of lactate by bacteria in the alimentary canal of the horse and pig. Journal of Comparative Pathology 73: 1–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15Jansson, A, Rundgren, M, Lindberg, JE, Ronéus, M, Hedendahl, A, Kjellberg, L, Lundberg, M, Palmgren Karlsson, C and Ekström, K (2004). Utfodringsrekommendationer för häst. Uppsala: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.Google Scholar
16Lindgren, E (1979). The nutritional value of roughages determined in vivo and by laboratory methods. Report 45. Uppsala: Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, pp. 63.Google Scholar
17Jansson, A and Lindberg, JE (2008). Effects of a forage-only diet on body weight and response to interval training on a track. In: Saastamoinen, MT and Martin-Rosset, W (eds) Nutrition of the Exercising Horse. EAAP publication No. 125The Netherlands: Wageningen Academic Publishers, pp. 345–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18Wewers, ME and Lowe, NK (1990). A critical review of visual analogue scales in the measurement of clinical phenomena. Research in Nursing and Health 13: 227–236.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19Palmgren Karlsson, C, Lindberg, JE and Rundgren, M (2000). Associative effects on total tract digestibility in horses fed different ratios of grass hay and whole oats. Livestock Production Science 65: 143–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20Andersson, R and Hedlund, B (1983). HPLC analysis of organic acid in lactic acid fermented vegetables. Zeitschrift für Lebensmittel-Untersuchung und Forschung 176: 440–443.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21Müller, CE (2005). Fermentation patterns of small-bale silage and haylage produced as a feed for horses. Grass Forage Science 60: 109–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22Seale, DR, Pahlow, G, Spoelstra, SF, Lindgren, S, Dellaglio, F and Lowe, JF (1986). Methods for the microbiological analysis of silage. Proceedings of Eurobac Conference, Uppsala, Sweden, pp. 147–164.Google Scholar
23Nordic Committee on Food Analysis, (2005). Mould and Yeasts. Determination in Foods and Feed. 4th edn., No. 98.Google Scholar
24Silverman, SC and Birks, EK (2002). Evaluation of the I-STAT hand-held chemical analyzer during treadmill and endurance exercise. Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement 34: 551–554.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25Blaxter, K (1989). Energy Metabolism in Animals and Man. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
26Ragnarsson, S and Lindberg, JE (2008). Nutritional value of timothy haylage in Icelandic horses. Livestock Science 113: 202–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27Honig, H (1980). Mechanical and respiration losses during prewilting of grass. Proceedings of a Conference on Forage Conservation in the 80's. Occasional Symposium No 11. Berkshire, UK: British Grassland Society, pp. 201.Google Scholar
28Demarquilly, C and Jarrige, R (1970). The effect of method of forage conservation on digestibility and voluntary intake. Proceedings of the 11th International Grassland Congress, Queensland, Australia, pp. 733–737.Google Scholar
29Bertilsson, J and Burstedt, E (1984). Effects of conservation method and stage of maturity upon the feeding value of forages to dairy cows. II. Milk yield and feed utilization at restricted feeding of forages. Swedish Journal of Agricultural Research 14: 141–150.Google Scholar
30Selmer-Olsen, I (1994). Enzymes as silage additives for grass-clover mixtures. Grass and Forage Science 49: 305–315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
31Beuvink, JMW and Spoelstra, SF (1994). In vitro gas production kinetics of grass silages treated with different cell wall-degrading enzymes. Grass and Forage Science 49: 277–283.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
32Connysson, M, Muhonen, S, Lindberg, JE, Essén-Gustavsson, B, Nyman, G, Nostell, K and Jansson, A (2006). Effects on exercise response, fluid and acid–base balance of protein intake from forage-only diets in Standardbred horses. Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement 36: 648–653.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
33Slade, LM, Robinson, DW and Casey, KE (1970). Nitrogen metabolism in nonruminant herbivores. I. The influence of nonprotein nitrogen and protein quality on the nitrogen retention of adult mares. Journal of Animal Science 30: 753–760.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
34Argenzio, RA, Southworth, M and Stevens, CE (1974). Sites of organic acid production and absorption in the equine gastrointestinal tract. American Journal of Physiology 226: 1043–1050.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
35Jansson, A, Lindholm, A, Lindberg, JE and Dahlborn, K (1999). Effects of potassium intake on potassium, sodium and fluid balance in exercising horses. Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement 30: 412–417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
36Andersson, BE and Jónasson, H (1993). Temperature regulation and environmental physiology. In: Swenson, MJ and Reece, WO (eds) Dukes’ Physiology of Domestic Animals. 11th edn., Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell University Press, pp. 886–895.Google Scholar
37Geor, RJ and McCutcheon, LJ (1998). Hydration effects on physiological strain of horses during exercise-heat stress. Journal of Applied Physiology 84: 2042–2051.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
38Jaakola, S and Huhtanen, P (1992). Rumen fermentation and microbial protein synthesis in cattle given intraruminal infusions of lactic acid with a grass silage based diet. Journal of Agricultural Science 119: 411–418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
39Alexander, F and Chowdhury, AK (1958). Digestion in the rabbit's stomach. The British Journal of Nutrition 12: 65–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed