112 Nutritional management of horses in Pennsylvania: A survey

Abstract

Gastrointestinal (GI) health is frequently identified as a top concern for equine caretakers. Various dimensions of nutritional management can impact the horse's GI health. The objective of this study was to characterize the feeding management and GI issues of horses in Pennsylvania (PA). It was hypothesized that horses with a high commercial feed intake and low forage intake would have a higher frequency of GI issues. An online survey was distributed through Penn State Equine Extension's online outlets and through PA equine groups from February 27th to August 31st, 2020. Kurskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used to analyze the data, and the significance level was set at P < 0.05. Nonparametric statistics were used when data were not normally distributed. Of the 470 total responses collected, 58.5% of the horses were geldings, 39.8% were mares, and 1.7% were stallions. The average age was 15.7 years (SD = 7.5), and the most common breeds were the Quarter Horse and the Thoroughbred. Of the 345 horses who received commercial feed, 51% were fed on a volume basis. Most horses received hay on a volume basis (93–98% in stall, pasture, and dry lot). There was no measured difference in scoops of commercial feed (median = 2; P = 0.284) or the flakes of hay per day (median = 5.7; P = 0.765) between horses reported in different exercise categories (no exercise, light, or moderate exercise). The frequency of all reported GI issues was 10% (46/470). Recurrent colic was reported in 2.0% of horses (9/470). Owner perceived, veterinary perceived, and veterinary diagnosed (via gastroscopy) ulcers were found in 2.3%, 4.0%, and 2.3% of horses, respectively. Of the horses scoped (24/470), 46% (11/24) had ulcers. There was no difference in the number of scoops of commercial feed fed per day between horses with or without any type of GI issue ( P = 0.536). The veterinary diagnosed frequency of ulcers in this study was lower than that in previous studies, though the percentage of horses found with ulcers via gastroscopy was similar. The majority of equine caretakers fed concentrates on a volume rather than weight basis, similar to prior studies. This practice is common in the equine industry despite being an inaccurate way to measure feed. Moreover, horses were provided the same amount of commercial feed and forage despite the reported exercise category. These findings indicate that more education should be provided to equine caretakers about proper nutritional management of horses. Further, caretaker-reported GI issues for recreational horses in PA stand in contrast to other studies of GI issue prevalence. The reason for this difference requires further investigation.