The effect of wearing a grazing muzzle vs. not wearing a grazing muzzle on intakes of spring, summer and autumn pastures by ponies

Longland, A. C.; Barfoot, Clare; Harris, PV

doi:10.3920/978-90-8686-755-4_20

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Although the intakes presented in this study are estimates, they are in agreement with the calculated nutrient intakes of Longland et al [63,64] during the season. They found the lowest intakes in mid-summer because of the lower nutrient content of summer pasture compared to spring and late summer/autumn pastures [63,64].…”

Section: Nutrient Intakes and Animal Wellbeingsupporting

confidence: 90%

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Horse Welfare and Natural Values on Semi-Natural and Extensive Pastures in Finland: Synergies and Trade-Offs

Saastamoinen

Herzon

Särkijärvi

et al. 2017

Land

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Abstract:In several regions in Europe, the horse is becoming a common grazer on semi-natural and cultivated grasslands, though the pasturing benefits for animals and biodiversity alike are not universally appreciated. The composition of ground vegetation on pastures determines the value of both the forage for grazing animals as well as the biodiversity values for species associated with the pastoral ecosystems. We studied three pastures, each representing one of the management types in southern Finland (latitudes 60-61): semi-natural, permanent and cultivated grassland. All have been grazed exclusively by horses for several decades. We aimed to evaluate feeding values and horses' welfare, on the one hand, and impacts of horses on biodiversity in boreal conditions, on the other. Though there were differences among the pastures, the nutritional value of the vegetation in all three pastures met the energy and protein needs of most horse categories through the whole grazing season. Some mineral concentrations were low compared to the requirements, and supplementation of Cu, Zn and Na is needed to balance the mineral intake. Only minor injuries or health problems were observed. All metrics of biological values, as well as number of species eaten by horses, were particularly high in a semi-natural pasture compared to other pasture types. The highest ratio of species cover preferred by horses to the total cover was found in the permanent pasture, while at the regularly re-seeded pasture, there was a particularly high cover of species, indicating low biodiversity values on grassland. There was, therefore, a trade-off between the quantity of forage and biological values in pastures, but not in quality. The results provide clear indication both for the suitability of the studied pasture types to horses and for grazing of horses for biodiversity management. In each pasture type, specific management is needed to simultaneously achieve objectives of adequate pasturing and biodiversity. The short duration (only one grazing season) must be considered when applying the results.

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Section: Nutrient Intakes and Animal Wellbeingsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…They found the lowest intakes in mid-summer because of the lower nutrient content of summer pasture compared to spring and late summer/autumn pastures [63,64].…”

Section: Nutrient Intakes and Animal Wellbeingmentioning

confidence: 98%

Horse Welfare and Natural Values on Semi-Natural and Extensive Pastures in Finland: Synergies and Trade-Offs

Saastamoinen

Herzon

Särkijärvi

et al. 2017

Land

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“…However, many of the horses and ponies were able to return to turnout and some grazing during the programme. Grazing muzzles were used in suitable cases and, when fitted appropriately, were well tolerated . It has been shown that restricting grazing time results in a compensatory increase in dry matter intake but no change in digestible energy intake if the horse has access to hay .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Treatment of equine metabolic syndrome: A clinical case series

Morgan

Keen

McGowan

2015

Equine Veterinary Journal

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“…The almost unlimited access to CSG pasture sections during EARLY grazing also explains the increases in weight and BCS during this period. When ad libitum access is provided, intake of pasture forage can exceed 3% BW DM in horses, with ponies known to consume up to 5% BW DM ( Smith et al, 2007 ; Longland et al, 2012 ). Thus, there is potential for pastured horses to greatly exceed dietary caloric requirements ( Trieber et al, 2006 ; Goer and Harris, 2013 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield, nutrient composition, and horse condition in integrated crabgrass and cool-season grass rotational grazing pasture systems

Weinert-Nelson

Meyer

Williams

2021

Translational Animal Science

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Integration of warm-season grasses into traditional cool-season pastures can increase summer forage for grazing cattle. The aim of this study was to determine impacts of this practice on yield and nutrient composition of equine rotational pasture systems as well as horse body condition. Two 1.5 ha rotational systems (6-0.25 ha sections/system) were evaluated: a control system (CON) [all sections mixed cool-season grass (CSG-CON)] and an integrated system (IRS) [3 CSG sections (CSG-IRS) and 3 Quick-N-Big crabgrass [Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.] (CRB-IRS)]. Three horses per system grazed in 3 periods: EARLY (mid-May to mid-Jul), SLUMP (mid-Jul to mid-Sep), and LATE (mid-Sep to mid-Nov). Herbage mass (HM) was measured prior to each rotation and samples were collected (0800-1000 h) for nutrient analysis. Grazing days were tracked to calculate carrying capacity (CC). Horse condition measures were assessed monthly. Over the full grazing season, 9125 kg of forage was available for grazing in IRS vs. 6335 kg in CON. The CC was 390 horse d for IRS, while only 276 horse d for CON. Total HM/section did not differ during EARLY when CRB was not available (CSG-IRS: 2537 ± 605; CSG-CON: 3783 ± 856 kg/ha), but CC was greater in CSG-IRS (220 ± 37 horse d/ha) than CSG-CON (92 ± 26 horse d/ha; P = 0.03). In SLUMP, both HM and CC were greater in CRB-IRS (HM: 4758 ± 698 kg/ha; CC: 196 ± 31 horse d/ha) than CSG-IRS (HM: 1086 ± 698 kg/ha; CC: 32 ± 31 horse d/ha) or CON (HM: 970 ± 493 kg/ha; CC: 46 ± 22 horse d/ha; P < 0.02). While HM did not differ by section type in LATE (1284 ± 158 kg/ha), CC was greater in CSG-CON (84 ± 9 horse d/ha) vs CRB-IRS (32 ± 13 horse d/ha; P = 0.03) and CSG-IRS (40 ± 13 horse d/ha; P = 0.06). During SLUMP, water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) were lower in CRB-IRS (4.46 ± 0.80%) than CSG-CON (7.92 ± 0.90%; P < 0.04), but not CSG-IRS (5.93 ± 1.04%); however, non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) did not differ (7.05 ± 0.62%). There were no differences in WSC (6.46 ± 0.54%) or NSC (7.65 ± 0.54%) by section type in LATE. Horses in IRS maintained a body condition score (BCS) of 5.78 ± 0.48, but BCS did not differ by system (CON: 6.11 ± 0.48). Thus, integrated grazing increased summer pasture yield and provided adequate nutrition to maintain horse condition, but further research is needed to improve late-season production. Integrated grazing may not, however, provide an advantage in limiting dietary NSC, as NSC remained low for all pasture sections.

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The effect of wearing a grazing muzzle vs. not wearing a grazing muzzle on intakes of spring, summer and autumn pastures by ponies

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Horse Welfare and Natural Values on Semi-Natural and Extensive Pastures in Finland: Synergies and Trade-Offs

Horse Welfare and Natural Values on Semi-Natural and Extensive Pastures in Finland: Synergies and Trade-Offs

Treatment of equine metabolic syndrome: A clinical case series

Yield, nutrient composition, and horse condition in integrated crabgrass and cool-season grass rotational grazing pasture systems

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