FEATURES OF DIETARY FEEDING OF SPORT HORSES WITH THE DISORDERS OF THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM

Abstract

The diet of a horse with the musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the treatment period should provide it enough energy and nutrient requirements, but not provoke excessive activity and mobility, which can cause a decrease in the recovery effectiveness. There are no exact recommendations for veterinary specialists on the features of making ration for the horses with MSD. The aim of our study was to explore the practice of feeding horses with MSD, and to assess the influence of the diets composition on the factors influencing the processes of treatment and recovery. For this purpose, we assessed and analyzed the diets of sports horses (n=65) during the period of treatment of the MSD of various etiologies, in terms of compliance with their needs. It was found that in the absence of factors that reduce the efficiency of the gastrointestinal tract, the need for metabolic energy and crude protein can be fully met by roughage (hay). But without balancers or specialized additives, there is a significant lack of micronutrients (I, Zn, Cu) in the diets and a violation of the Ca, P, Mg ratio with a significant excess of Ca, even if only hay is used, without additional feed and additives. Excess of metabolizable energy (ME) is observed even in "only hay" diets, and with the introduction of additional feeds, it increases greatly, which leads to an increase in body condition score or the need to use sedative supplements and behavioral drugs. When organizing the diet, it is necessary to control the total content of ME by limiting the quantity or reducing the calorie content of roughage (replacement with less nutritious, soaking, etc.), limiting the quantity of additional feed.