In vitro fermentation kinetics of a range of fresh leguminous forages, measured using equine faecal innocula

Extract

Evolutionary diets composed solely of grass & hay are rarely able to provide domesticated equidae with the energy required for the athletic performance. Modern feeding practices have dictated that horses with a high-energy demand are fed cereal-based concentrate foods, often with minimal forage inclusion within the diet. Such high starch, low-fibre diets, when fed to excess, are recognised to induce metabolic disorders such as laminitis. Alternative forage sources capable of providing higher amounts of energy would be preferable in some cases, allowing the reliance on cereal diets to be reduced. It has been found that when fed to ruminant animals, ensiled red clover has a higher D-value and leads to an increase in both voluntary feed intake (VFI) & animal production, when compared to grass silage, (Freudenberger et al, 1994; Rutter et al, 1998). Recent studies have shown that when fed to ponies, red clover silage had a significantly higher apparent digestibility & VFI than either grass silage or hay (Hale and Moore-Colyer, 2001). The aim of this study was to investigate the potential benefits of several leguminous forages in their fresh, rather than conserved form, as suitable feeds for horses. Degradation of the fresh products was estimated using in vitro gas production techniques.