Chewing patterns in horses during the intake of variable quantities of two pelleted compound feeds differing in their physical characteristics only

High intake of sugars and starch, low number of meals and low roughage intake are associated with Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in a Belgian cohort

“…It has been suggested that calcium and protein content, both high in alfalfa, produce a buffer effect in the stomach resulting in a protective effect on the squamous mucosa (Andrews, Larsson and Harris, 2017). In horses, the size of the pellets itself could also play a role, as was demonstrated by Bochnia (Bochnia et al, 2017). In this study larger pellets had a higher hardness degree and, as a consequence, mastication induced the higher saliva production.…”

Automated Spectrophotometric Assays for the Measurement of Ammonia and Bicarbonate in Saliva of Horses: Analytical Validation and Changes in Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS)

“…The production of saliva, including bicarbonate, acts as a buffering capacity for the acidic environment [ 35 ]. The saliva production, including the roughage, is found to minimize the occurrence of ESGD by increasing the buffer and providing a protective layer in the stomach [ 35 , 36 ]. In our report, horses that manifested gastrointestinal symptomatology but did not have EGUS also presented higher levels of bicarbonate in saliva than horses with EGUS, pointing out the relation between low values of bicarbonate in saliva and the presence of EGUS.…”

Feed Intake Parameters of Horses Fed Soaked or Steamed Hay and Hygienic Quality of Hay Stored following Treatment

“…In addition to the more or less manageable hygienic problems, the feeding of "long-stemmed forage", such as hay, in general, can help Animals 2021, 11, 2729 2 of 15 to satisfy the animal s innate need to chew [1]. Previous studies revealed that the chewing parameters in horses can vary between feedstuffs (concentrate or roughage; [2]), but also between concentrates (oat grains and compound feed, such as muesli or pelleted; [3]) and forage (alfalfa, timothy, and fresh grass; [4]), as well as between special treatments of concentrates (e.g., native, crushed and rolled cereal grains and compound feeds with different pellet diameters; [3,5,6]), with various effects on tooth wear, saliva production, and stomach health. The effect of roughage on feed intake (FI) behavior if, e.g., steamed hay is offered to horses, was also evaluated in recent studies.…”

“…So, the percentage of feed intake time can be increased without additional feed, which is beneficial for horses with EMS or other metabolic disorders [11]. Additionally, the amount of saliva might be higher during longer chewing times, which has a positive effect on gastrointestinal health [6]. Further, Argo et al (2015) demonstrated the use of soaked grass hay to promote weight loss in the management of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and obesity.…”