A Fibre‐ vs. cereal grain‐based diet: Which is better for horse welfare? Effects on intestinal permeability, muscle characteristics and oxidative status in horses reared for meat production

Abstract

Horses reared for meat production are fed high amounts of cereal grains in comparison with horses raised for other purposes. Such feeding practice may lead to risk of poor welfare consequences. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two feeding practices on selected metabolic parameters and production aspects. Nineteen Bardigiano horses, 14.3 ± 0.7 months of age, were randomly assigned to two groups—one fed with high amounts of cereal grains (HCG; n = 9; 43% hay plus 57% cereal grain‐based pelleted feed) vs. one fed with high amounts of fibre (HFG; n = 10; 70% hay plus 30% pelleted fibrous feed)—for 129 days. At slaught on abattoir, biological and tissue samples were collected to evaluate the microbiological contamination of mesenteric lymph nodes and liver; selected meat quality traits (chemical composition and fatty acid profile of the Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle); and the oxidative status of the horse. A linear mixed model was used: dietary treatment and sex were fixed effects and their interaction analysed on production and metabolic parameters as dependent variables. Results showed an increased intestinal permeability in the horses fed HCG compared to HFG, according to the significant increased total mesophilic aerobic bacteria counts in mesenteric lymph nodes (p = 0.04) and liver samples (p = 0.05). Horses in HCG showed increased muscle pH (p = 0.02), lighter muscle colour (L) (p = 0.01), increased intramuscular fat concentrations (p = 0.03), increased muscle glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities (p = 0.01 and p = 0.03, respectively). Moreover, horses in HCG had lower muscle water holding capacity at interaction with sex (p = 0.03, lower in female), lower muscle protein content (p = 0.01), lower concentration of muscle PUFAs (p = 0.05) and lower plasma catalase activities (p = 0.05). Our results showed that feeding a high cereal grains diet can have global effects on horse physiology, and thus represents a threat for their welfare.

Effects of Donkeys Rearing System on Performance Indices, Carcass, and Meat Quality

“…In fact, in older donkeys it is possible to determine a higher amount of IMF compared to younger animals [ 36 ]. Results obtained in this study confirmed that animal diet can significantly affect IMF and its fatty acid profile [ 37 ]. In equid meat, it is possible to determine small amounts of residual glycogen, even if significant differences can be detected among different muscles [ 38 ].…”

A high-starch vs. high-fibre diet: effects on the gut environment of the different intestinal compartments of the horse digestive tract

“…The project compares the effects of a standard feeding regime, adopted by intensive farming systems rearing horses for meat purposes, based on a high starch diet (HS) with a novel feeding regime strategy based on a high fibre diet (HF). The project was organised to study the effects of the two diets on: welfare [ 6 ], behavioural activities [ 14 ], meat production [ 42 ] and gut health.…”

“…To avoid the repetition of data that has already been published, a brief summary of the experimental trial is reported below; further details can be found in Raspa et al 2021 [ 42 ]. The trial was approved by the Ethical Committee of the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Turin (Italy, Prot.…”

“…6 kg/animal/day for the HS group and 8 kg/animal/day for the HF group. The complementary feeds were gradually increased to reach the final amount during the last 72 days of the fattening period; more details about the feeding trial are reported in Raspa et al [ 42 ]. The proximate analysis of the hay, the different complementary feeds used and the daily nutritional composition of the diets (HS and HF) are reported in Table 4 .…”

When Changing the Hay Makes a Difference: A Series of Case Reports

“…unsuitability [1] . Horses are adapted to a slow and almost continual intake of a diet rich in structural fiber and low in rapidly hydrolyzable carbohydrates [2] . Hay can supply the fiber requirements for the production of volatile fatty acids by fibrolytic bacteria in the hindgut [3] .…”