179 Survey of equine veterinarians: Part 2—Hay feeding practices and horse health

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Horse owners often consider veterinarians to be an important source of information about equine nutrition. The objective of this survey was to learn about the perspectives of veterinarians on the relationship between hay feeding practices, horse health and behavior. A survey link (Qualtrics, Provo, UT) was sent to members of Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners and distributed by equine practices located in Lexington, KY. Descriptive statistics were performed in SPSS V28. The majority of veterinarians thought time spent eating hay was extremely (56%) or moderately important (33%) to health when pasture is not available. Ninety 2 percent of veterinarians said time spent eating is important for increasing saliva production and decreasing the risk of gastric ulcers. When asked about factors that may affect rate of hay consumption, 44% of veterinarians strongly agreed that physical form was important, while only 14% of veterinarians strongly agreed that fiber content was an important factor. Nutrition scenarios for performance and sedentary horses were presented to gauge concern about amount of hay offered. The amount of hay fed to performance and sedentary horses was considered of extreme or moderate concern by 97% and 86% of veterinarians, respectively. Most veterinarians considered the minimum amount of hay forperformance and sedentary horses to be 1.5 lb per 100-lb bodyweight and 1 lb per 100-lb bodyweight, respectively. Supporting digestive function was the most frequently selected reason for recommending a minimum amount of hay for performance (83%) and sedentary (66%) horses. For horses with underweight, overweight, and digestive health issues, the percentage of veterinarians who would discuss hay type with their clients was 97, 90, and 87%, respectively. For these same categories of horses, the percentage of veterinarians who would discuss hay amount with their clients was 92, 80, and 69%, respectively. Only 46% of veterinarians agreed they would discuss hay type and 59% agreed they would discuss hay amount for horses with undesirable oral behaviors or other undesirable behaviors. This survey suggests veterinarians view the type and amount of hay as having important roles in weight management and digestive health compared with affecting equine behavior. In addition, although veterinarians are often considered to be an important nutrition resource, veterinarians in this survey reported clients rarely (51%) or occasionally (37%) asked for feeding advice.