Scientific basis for proper feeding of working horses. Feeding working horses. Features in feeding working horses

INTRODUCTION

Feeding has a great influence on the health, productivity of animals and the quality of the resulting products. Adequate feeding plays an important role in the prevention of metabolic disorders, reproductive functions and diseases of farm animals.

Creating a strong feed base is not only an increase in the production and improvement of the quality of feed of various types, but, above all, the introduction of highly effective methods and means of their production and preparation, promoting high digestibility of the nutrients contained in feed by animals and ensuring their rational use. Only with full provision of livestock and poultry with high-quality feed can livestock farming be successfully developed. Of all environmental factors, feeding has the greatest influence on productivity.

In modern livestock farming, much attention is paid to ensuring balanced nutrition for animals. By using scientifically based feeding systems, animal productivity can be increased and feed can be used efficiently. During the feeding process, the constituent substances affect the animal’s body not in isolation from each other, but in combination. The balance of feed components in accordance with the needs of animals is the main indicator of this complex.

For livestock farming, not only the quantity, but mainly the quality of feed is important, i.e. their value is determined by their nutrient content. Complete diets and feeds are considered to be those that contain all the substances necessary for the animal’s body and are capable of ensuring the normal functioning of all its physiological functions for a long time.

The purpose of this course work is to study the basics of nutrition and substantiate the needs of working horses for nutritional factors.

SCIENTIFIC BASICS OF FEEDING AND JUSTIFICATION OF THE NEEDS OF WORKING HORSES FOR NUTRITION FACTORS

Features of horse digestion

In structure and physiological functions, the gastrointestinal tract of horses is more consistent with the digestive system of pigs than of ruminants. The horse's digestive tract, when full, makes up more than 15% of the horse's weight. Thanks to a good sense of smell and mobile, sensitive lips, horses are quite good at separating the edible part of the feed from the inedible.

The feed consumed by horses is thoroughly chewed; during the chewing process, the feed is abundantly moistened with saliva, the daily amount of which in an adult horse reaches 40 - 50 liters and is swallowed in small portions - 15-20 g each. The amount of secretion increases when feeding crushed feed (flattened grain, chopped meat), adding salt.

If horses are not watered enough, the amount of saliva is reduced by half. A horse salivates only when it eats food. Its main role is to wet food, although a small amount of amylolytic (carbohydrate-breaking) enzymes is found in it. But the main role of saliva is the physical preparation of food for digestion. Horse saliva is of great importance in gastric digestion, since it creates an alkaline environment in the stomach, necessary for the action of enzymes of plant feed and microflora.

The crushed and moistened food passes through the esophagus into the stomach. The volume of a horse's stomach occupies approximately 10% of the volume of the entire gastrointestinal tract (6-15 liters). In this regard, the horse requires frequent feeding in small portions. Feed fills the stomach as it arrives; there is practically no mixing, which is why the feed mass is digested layer by layer. The stomach primarily digests starch and protein. The breakdown of starch occurs under the influence of the enzymes of the feed itself and the enzymes of bacteria carried with them into the stomach. Soon after entering the stomach in the layers adjacent to the walls, protein digestion begins under the influence of gastric juice enzymes. The secretion of the digestive glands of the stomach is continuous. Up to 30 liters of digestive juice are produced per day. The lowest secretion is with hay, the highest with bran and very high when feeding freshly prepared hay. Juice secretion is inhibited by painful stimulation.

From the stomach, food and water quickly pass into the small intestine. Water leaves the stomach with the first sips. Therefore, although a horse can drink up to 15 liters of water at a time, it does not liquefy the contents of the stomach. Oats begin to be evacuated from the stomach 7-9 minutes after eating, and after 4 - 4.5 hours all eaten oats pass into the intestines.

Thus, when feeding and watering a horse, it is necessary to strictly follow the sequence. You should not give your horse water immediately after feeding concentrates. Otherwise, water, flowing down the walls of the stomach, carries with it part of the contents that have not yet been sufficiently exposed to the digestive juices of the stomach. This leads to indigestion, decreased digestibility of nutrients, and even acute gastrointestinal disease.

In the small intestine, under the influence of enzymes, proteins are broken down into amino acids, starch into glucose, and fat into glycerol and fatty acids. Absorption of glucose, amino acids, glycerol and fatty acids into the blood and lymph also occurs there. From the small intestine, the remains of the food mass pass into the large intestine, and in particular into the cecum, which occupies up to 40% of the volume of the digestive tract. In the cecum, fiber is broken down by microorganisms, as a result of which it becomes available to the action of enzymes. The cecum is considered the “second stomach” of the horse, because. here up to 50% of all fiber and up to 40% of protein are digested. The duration of stay of feed in the digestive tract of a horse is about 100 hours: in the stomach - 6-12 hours, in the small intestine 6-12 hours, in the cecum 24 hours, in the colon, etc. - 48 hours.

The digestive processes in a horse are closely related to the digestibility of feed nutrients, which depends on: the animal’s appetite, feeding and maintenance regime, nature and severity of work, diet structure, physiological state of the horse, etc. All this must be taken into account when organizing the feeding and maintenance and operation of horses.

Requirement for energy, nutrients and biologically active substances

The need of working horses for energy and nutrients depends on their physiological state, breed, sex, age, live weight, work performed and its intensity. Modern detailed feeding standards provide for monitoring the diets of working horses - according to 27-28 indicators (Table 1)

Complete feeding provides for complete satisfaction of horses' needs for energy, protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and ensures their good health, increased productivity and productivity with minimal feed costs.

When organizing standardized feeding of horses, one should take into account the need for dry matter, its content in feed, as well as the concentration of energy in it, the level of which is associated with the volume and intensity of work, physiological state, direction of use, productivity and other factors.

Table 1 - Feeding standards for working horses per head per day

Indicators	Work performed
		Out of employment
	Live weight

Dry matter, kg

Metabolic energy, MJ
Crude protein, kg
Digestible protein, kg

Crude fiber, kg
Table salt, g
Calcium, g
Phosphorus, g
Iron, mg


Cobalt, mg

Carotene, mg
Vitamins: A, thousand IU

The most demanding foals in their diets regarding the concentration of nutrients are trotting and riding breed foals, young animals in training, sport horses and lactating mares.

The main sources of energy for horses are easily digestible carbohydrates (starch and sugar), which, as a rule, are consumed in the first 3 hours of work. With heavy physical activity and a lack of carbohydrates, fats and then proteins of the animal’s body are included in the metabolism. In this regard, the lower the horse’s condition, the worse its performance.

Starch is the main source of energy for horses' work and glycogen synthesis. In the horse’s body, it is broken down into glucose, which enters the bloodstream in the small intestine and is sent to muscle tissue (muscle), liver, or stored as a fat reserve. Glycogen stored in the liver is converted into glucose during work, and glucose is the primary source of energy for the functioning of the nervous system. However, when starch is fed in large quantities, it does not have time to be digested and passes from the small intestine in transit to the large intestine, where lactic acid bacteria process it into lactic acid. An excess of the latter reduces the level of acid-base environment in the small intestine, which leads to the death of other bacteria and a decrease in the content of endotoxins in the blood. The combination of these two factors in varying proportions can lead to colic.

Fat is less important as a source of energy for horses than starch; it serves rather as a source of reserve fat. Horses digest fat less well (with the exception of grain feeds) than ruminants. For this reason, corn or soybean oil is a good addition to the diet.

Protein is constantly needed by the horse’s body to form new and restore damaged tissue. The protein requirement of all sex and age groups depends on the costs of maintaining life processes. In addition, in mares, protein is spent on fetal growth and milk production, in young animals - on live weight gain, in stud stallions - on the formation of semen. Excess protein in a working horse's diet is used as a source of energy. Protein amino acids are converted by the liver, nitrogen is removed from the body as urea or ammonia, carbon is oxidized and converted to glucose or used for fat synthesis. Excessive protein content in the diet should be avoided, as this increases the body's need for water and leads to an increase in urea levels in the blood, which in turn can lead to enterotoxemia. An increase in ammonia in the blood contributes to the manifestation of excessive nervousness and impaired carbohydrate metabolism.

Fiber ensures normal functioning of the intestines. Horses do not digest fiber well (18-30%), so they need feed with a low fiber content. An increased amount of fiber in the diet reduces the use of metabolic energy, and also leads to excessive development of the intestines, where bacteria settle, promoting an excessive fermentation process, which can cause colic and colic. In this regard, roughage should be given in several doses during the day, and when feeding low-quality hay or straw, the digestibility of the nutrients in the diet sharply decreases.

To form the musculoskeletal system, horses need sufficient amounts of minerals, primarily calcium and phosphorus, the ratio of which in the diet should be 1:1-0.75. Diets should contain the required amount of table salt, as it stimulates saliva secretion. With a lack of salt, horses' appetite is distorted, a lot of sweat is produced, and they quickly get tired.

In horse breeding practice, the level of feeding of adult animals often approaches maintenance, for example, when feeding horses that do not perform any work or single mares. If the horse has average fatness, or is in a normal working body, then the organization of feeding comes down to maintaining a constant weight of the animal with minimal feed costs. A horse that does not perform work requires 1.1-1.2 feed per 100 kg of live weight to maintain life. units, with content for 1 feed. units about 80 g of digestible protein.

The energy requirement of horses to maintain life has been established experimentally and amounts to 49.3-65.0 MJ of metabolizable energy or 46.3-78.6 MJ of energy - the sum of digestible nutrients for animals weighing 300-600 kg.

To properly organize the feeding of horses, it is necessary, first of all, to determine the size of the work they perform. The work performed by a horse consists of useful mechanical propulsion and the costs associated with moving its own body. The amount of useful mechanical work is determined as the product of the traction force and the path traveled in the direction of the force. The optimal traction force, at which a horse works without overwork for a long time, is in relation to the live weight of horses up to 400 kg - 15% (traction force is 60 kg), 400-600 kg - 14% (traction force - 70 kg) and more than 600 kg – 13% (traction force – 78-80 kg).

The unit of work is the kilogrammeter (work to overcome the resistance of a force of 1 kg over 1 m). In transport work, productivity is calculated in ton-kilometers. For practical purposes, useful mechanical work performed during a working day is divided into light, medium and heavy.

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MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL POLICY AND EDUCATION

Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education

ST. PETERSBURG STATE ACADEMY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Department of Animal Nutrition

Course work

Topic: “Feeding working horses”

Completed by: 3rd year student, 2nd group of FVM, correspondence course

Smirnova Maria Valerievna

St. Petersburg - 2015

Introduction
1. Features of digestion and metabolism in horses during work
2. The influence of feeding on the health and performance of horses
3. The need of working horses for energy, nutrients and biologically active substances
4. Feed used for feeding horses
5. Technique and feeding regime for working horses
6. Energy and nutrient requirements of young working horses
7. Regime and technique of feeding young working horses
Conclusion
List of used literature

Introduction

Proper feeding of horses is one of the main conditions for good work in horse breeding. We must remember that improving the horse stock is inextricably linked with improving feeding. Feeding of horses must be organized.

All feed can be divided into 3 groups: 1st group - the so-called coarse, or bulky feed: hay, straw, chaff; 2nd group - concentrated feed: oats, bran, cakes, corn, etc.; 3rd group - succulent feed: grass, carrots, beets, silage. Rough, or bulky, feed.

Hay is the most important roughage for horses. The best hay for horses is good meadow, steppe, clover, alfalfa, and vetch-oat mixture. The best straw for horses is oat straw. Winter straw is used mainly for bedding. When feeding one horse with it, they lose a lot of weight and lose their performance. Grazing on green grass has a beneficial effect on the horse's health and restores proper digestion. During the grazing period, working horses should add concentrated feed to their feed ration.

In winter, horses should be given root vegetables: carrots, fodder beets. It is especially useful to give root vegetables to young animals and suckling mares. Root vegetables are poor in protein and mineral salts, but rich in vitamins, especially red carrots. Root vegetables must be washed and cut before feeding. The horse must be given plenty of water and at least 3 times a day with clean, good-quality water.

You cannot water hot horses immediately after work: you need to let them cool down for 1.5-2 hours. In order for the horse to eat food better during the break intended for feeding, it is useful to give it a drink half an hour to an hour before the break and then, without allowing it to stand, work on it.

The horse differs from other animals in that its main product is muscle work. This determines the characteristics of its digestion and metabolism. Compared to animals of other species, horses are the most demanding on the quality of feed. One of the main conditions for the further development of sports horse breeding, improving the quality and reducing the cost of keeping horses is adequate feeding. The animal's body consists of various organic, mineral substances and water. It can replenish the substances expended in the process of vital activity only through food, which is also a source of energy for the functioning of organs and systems of the body and maintaining a given body temperature. Feed supplies important regulators of the biochemical processes occurring in the body - vitamins, enzymes, etc. Horses, taking into account the peculiarities of the anatomical structure of the stomach, require not only benign and nutritionally complete feed, but also need to be fed in relatively small portions. The feeding regimen for horses must be adapted to the physiology of digestion and correspond to the production purpose of the horse.

The goal is to study the feeding of working horses

Tasks that will be considered in the work

Subject - features of feeding working horses

Object - horse nutrition

The work consists of an introduction, a theoretical part, a conclusion and a list of references.

1. Features of digestion and metabolism in horses during work

The digestive organs ensure the exchange of substances between the body and the external environment. This organ system converts food into substances that the body absorbs and uses in the process of its life.

The digestive system includes: the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, as well as wall digestive glands (liver, pancreas). The digestive organs perform the following main functions: secretory, motor (motor), absorption, excretory (excretory).

The secretory function consists of the digestive glands secreting juices into the lumen of the digestive canal: saliva, gastric, pancreatic and intestinal juices, as well as bile. These juices or secretions moisten the feed and, through enzymes, break down proteins, carbohydrates and fats into simple compounds.

The motor or motor function is carried out by the muscular formations of the gastrointestinal tract and ensures the intake of food, its mixing and movement through the digestive canal.

The absorption function is performed by the mucous membrane of the digestive canal and ensures the flow of water and broken down nutrients into simple compounds into the blood and lymph.

The excretory function is that the digestive organs secrete from the body into the intestinal lumen some metabolic products (bile pigments, urea), salts of heavy metals and substances that accidentally enter the body. Kozlov S.A., Parfenov V.A. Horse breeding: Textbook. - M: Publishing house "KolosS", 2012. - 352 p.

Digestion in horses begins in the oral cavity, where food remains for a short time. Here it is subjected to mechanical grinding and initial processing under the action of salivary enzymes, which ensures the formation of a food coma. In horses, depending on the type of feeding, the amount of saliva normally produced reaches 40 l/day. The formed food lump, with the help of movements of the tongue and cheeks, reaches the root of the tongue, which lifts it to the hard palate and moves it towards the pharynx.

The mucous membrane of the horse's oral cavity is smooth, the lips are mobile, and are involved in grasping food. Because the soft palate is long and tightly attached to the root of the tongue, the horse cannot breathe through the mouth. The lips are long, mobile and sensitive to tactile, pain and temperature. On the outside they are covered with fine hair, which, to a certain extent, protects them from injury from the sharp edges of the grass they eat. The total number of teeth in a stallion is 40, in a mare - 36. All teeth, except for the canines, are long-crowned. It is customary to determine the approximate age of a horse based on the pattern of wear on the dental sockets of the incisive teeth. The tongue has a conical shape. It is thin, long and velvety. Between the apex and the body there is a narrowing (neck), which makes it possible to bend the tongue in this place, turning it into a grasper when plucking grass, or a panicle when grabbing grain (compound feed).

The oral cavity includes the upper and lower lips, cheeks, tongue, teeth, gums, hard and soft palate, salivary glands, tonsils, pharynx. With the exception of the crowns of the teeth, its entire internal surface is covered with mucous membrane, which can be pigmented. The upper lip merges with the nose, forming the nasolabial mirror. Normally it is moist and cool, but at elevated temperatures it becomes dry and warm. The lips and cheeks are designed to hold food in the mouth and serve as the vestibule of the oral cavity. Kozlov S.A., Parfenov V.A. Workshop on horse breeding: Textbook. - St. Petersburg: Lan Publishing House, 2007. - 320 p.

The tongue is a muscular movable organ located at the bottom of the oral cavity and performs several functions: tasting food, participating in the process of swallowing and drinking, as well as in feeling objects, as well as for contact with other individuals. On the surface of the tongue there are a large number of papillae: mechanical (grasping and licking food) and gustatory. Vitt V.O. From the history of Russian horse breeding. - M.: State Publishing House of Agricultural Literature, 2012. - 360 p.

Teeth are bony enamel organs for capturing and grinding food. In horses, they are divided into incisors, premolars and molars. Stallions and geldings have canines, but most mares do not. Horses have what is called an edentulous margin - the space between the canines and molars. If you grab the tongue with your right hand over the toothless edge, move it to the side and out, holding it tightly, you can open the horse’s mouth.

Foals are born with teeth that erupt before birth or in the 1st week after birth. The milk jaw of future stallions consists of 28 teeth, and of mares - of 24. It does not have molars. Replacement of baby teeth with molars begins at the age of 2.5 years. The jaw of an adult animal consists of 40 teeth in stallions and 36 in mares. Horses have folded molars.

Gums are folds of mucous membrane that cover the jaws and strengthen the teeth into bone cells. The hard palate is the roof of the oral cavity and separates it from the nasal cavity, and the soft palate is a continuation of the mucous membrane of the hard palate and is located freely on the border of the oral cavity and pharynx, separating them. The gums, tongue and roof of the mouth may be unevenly pigmented pink. A change in color is a sign of disease. Several paired salivary glands open into the oral cavity, the names of which correspond to their location: parotid, submandibular, sublingual, molar and supraorbital (zygomatic). The secretion of the glands contains enzymes that break down starch and maltose.

Esophagus. The esophagus is a muscular tube through which food is transported in a circular manner from the pharynx to the stomach. It is formed almost entirely by skeletal muscles. Kalashnikov V.V., Sokolov Yu.A., Pustovoy V.F. and others. Practical horse breeding / Ed. Kalashnikova V.V. and Pustovoy V.F. - M.: Kolos, 2010. -376 p.

The esophagus is a typical tubular organ. Through it, as a result of contraction of the muscular membrane, food moves from the pharynx to the stomach. The esophagus is divided into cervical, thoracic and abdominal parts. Throughout the entire length of the esophagus, its mucous membrane is lined with stratified squamous epithelium. The muscular layer is quite thick and consists of striated tissue. It is supplied with blood by the esophageal artery and branches of the common carotid artery. It is innervated by the vagus nerve. In the horse, the muscular lining of the esophagus at the end of the chest is composed of smooth muscle tissue.

The stomach is a direct continuation of the esophagus, which is a sac-like cavity organ. Horses have a single-chamber stomach, of the esophageal-intestinal type. This organ is located in the left hypochondrium and is adjacent to the diaphragm and liver. The horse has a relatively small stomach (6-16 liters), so feeding should be done frequently, in small portions. Horses cannot be fed in abundance, especially with grain feed. This is due to the peculiarity of the esophagus flowing into the stomach (cardia). In horses, the cardia is formed by oblique muscles that move towards each other, and in case of strong stretching of the stomach wall (when it is full), they tighten the entrance to the stomach. Therefore, it is impossible to induce vomiting in a horse. For the same reason, horses should never be fed low-quality feed.

The horse's stomach is single-chamber, in the form of an elongated curved sac of the esophageal-intestinal type, and holds 6-15 liters of liquid. It has two openings (cardia and pylorus), lesser curvature, greater curvature, and a blind sac. The mucous membrane of the blind sac is milky in color, lined with stratified squamous epithelium, in which there are no digestive glands. The rest of the stomach is pale pink, rich in digestive glands, which are divided into gastric glands cardia, proper and pyloric. The muscular lining of the stomach consists of three layers: oblique, longitudinal and annular (circular). The internal bundles of the oblique layer cover the cardiac opening of the stomach with a powerful loop, forming a cardiac sphincter that prevents the reverse exit of food and gases from the stomach (vomiting). Almost the entire stomach of a horse is located in the left hypochondrium. Its bottom lies on the colon, and the left surface of the cecum lies between the 13th and 15th ribs.

In the horse's stomach, the feed is chemically processed by gastric juice, mixed and moved into the intestines due to contraction of the stomach muscles. Gastric juice is secreted by the glands of the gastric mucosa. They consist of main cells that produce enzymes, parietal cells that secrete hydrochloric acid and accessory cells that produce mucus. Kambegov B.D., Balakshin O.A., Khotov V.Kh. Horses of Russia: a complete encyclopedia. - M.: Publishing house RIC MDK, 2012. - 240 p.

Gastric juice is secreted continuously. Each meal increases the activity of the stomach glands. The amount of gastric juice, its acidity and enzymatic activity depend on the quality of the food taken. 10-30 liters of gastric juice are secreted per day, its acidity is 0.24%, of which 0.14% is free hydrochloric acid. Strong stimulants of gastric juice secretion are green grass, clover hay, oats, and carrots.

Digestion of food in the stomach and its passage into the duodenum occurs slowly. Therefore, with regular feeding, the horse's stomach is always full.

The food in the horse's stomach is arranged in layers and remains in this position for several hours, which determines the nature of gastric digestion. In the lower layers, saturated with gastric juice, proteins and fats are digested. In the upper layers, abundantly moistened with alkaline saliva, carbohydrates are broken down under the influence of plant food enzymes and bacteria. As the food becomes saturated with gastric juice, the area for digesting carbohydrates decreases and the area for digesting proteins and fats increases. When the contents of the stomach are completely saturated with gastric juice, the breakdown of carbohydrates and waters stops and only proteins and fats are digested. This happens a few hours after feeding. Under the influence of bacteria, lactic acid fermentation occurs in the horse's stomach. Fiber is not digested in a horse's stomach.

Intestine Kozlov S.A., Zinovieva S.A., Markin S.S. Herd horse breeding (milk and meat productivity of horses, horse games): Textbook in 4 parts. - M.: Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education MGAVMiB, 2009. - 340 p.

The horse's intestine is a hollow tube 22-40 m long, on average 30 m. The ratio of body length to intestinal length is 1:12. The intestine is divided into thin and thick sections.

The horse's intestines start from the pyloric opening of the stomach and have a large volume (100-180 l).

Digestion continues in the intestines, and three main work processes take place:

1) the final stages of digestion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates; fiber breakdown,

2) absorption of water, mineral salts, vitamins, as well as simple molecular breakdown products of all feed components,

3) movement and, ultimately, throwing out undigested remains of the feed mass.

Intestinal microflora and protozoan single-celled organisms play a major role in completing the processes of digestion and absorption.

The intestines of animals are usually divided into six morphofunctional zones, taking into account not only the function performed, but also the appearance and location:

1) small intestine (capacity 30-60 l) includes the duodenum, jejunum and ileum,

2) the large intestine (capacity 60-120 l) consists of the cecum, colon and rectum.

Small intestine. Rules for testing pedigree horses of riding breeds at hippodromes of the Russian Federation. - Divovo: All-Russian Research Institute of Horse Breeding, 2008. - 76 p.

The duodenum is the small intestine and is about a meter long. It is located in the right hypochondrium and forms a wide loop between the stomach and the right kidney. Its mucous membrane, like the lining of the entire intestine, is covered with bordered (absorbent) epithelium. The tunica muscularis consists of two layers of smooth muscle, and the serosa proper is continuous with the mesentery. The contents entering the duodenum from the stomach are exposed to complex digestive juice with a volume of 10-15 liters per day, including the secretions of the wall digestive glands (pancreatic digestive juice and bile) and the secretion of their own (intrastinal) duodenal glands. During processing, the pH of the intestinal contents changes gradually from acidic (pH 4.3) to alkaline (pH 7.5-8.0), which prolongs the action of gastric juice enzymes at the beginning of the intestine. Pancreatic digestive juice (7.5-8.5 liters per day) enters through the pancreas duct, which is located in the mesentery of the duodenum. It contains enzymes whose action is aimed at the final transformation of proteins, the breakdown of carbohydrates and partly fats.

The parenchyma of the pancreas is heterogeneous. One part of it forms alveoli and ducts, the glandular cells of which secrete a secretion - pancreatic juice. The other part of the parenchyma is represented by small cells that accumulate in the form of islands between the alveoli. These clusters are called pancreatic islets or islets of Langerhans. They do not have ducts and secrete their hormones into the blood. There are three types of cells in the islets: alpha cells produce the hormone glucagon; beta cells are light, slightly stained, and secrete the hormone insulin. Both hormones regulate carbohydrate metabolism in the body. Dark cells with signs of degeneration are classified as D cells.

The horse has a pancreas weighing 250-350 g, with two ducts. One of them, the main one, flows into the duodenum along with the hepatic duct; and the other, additional, opens opposite the main duct. Bile is constantly produced by liver cells - hepatocytes in the amount of 5.0-6.0 liters per day. The weight of the liver in adult horses is 5 kg, but with age it decreases to 2.0-3.5 kg. In the horse's liver there is no bile storage organ (gallbladder) and bile accumulates in small portions in the enlarged part of the hepatic duct (length 4-5 cm). The pancreas and hepatic ducts open together 10-12 cm from the pylorus. The intestinal juice itself is the secretion of the intrawall duodenal glands lying in the submucosal layer of the wall.

Rectum. Rules for testing pedigree horses of trotting breeds at hippodromes of the Russian Federation. - M., 2009. - 40 p.

The rectum begins under the last lumbar vertebrae and has two parts: abdominal and pelvic. The abdominal part is relatively short, has a cylindrical shape and is covered with its own serous membrane up to the 4-5 sacral vertebrae. The pelvic part expands towards the tail in the form of a cone (ampulla) and is covered with adventitia. It ends under the tail with a special constipation - the anus. In the rectum, the processes of digestion and absorption end and the accumulated undigested remains of food are thrown out 7-8 times a day (defecation). On average, with normal feeding, a horse throws out 16 kg of feces at 70% humidity.

The pancreas also lies in the right hypochondrium and secretes several liters of pancreatic secretion into the duodenum per day, containing enzymes that break down proteins, carbohydrates and fats, as well as the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels.

The horse's liver is located in the right hypochondrium. Its mass is about 1.2% of body weight, and it produces bile. The horse does not have a gallbladder. Blood passes and is filtered through the liver, complex metabolic processes are carried out in it, and toxic metabolic products are neutralized. During the embryonic period, the main processes of hematopoiesis occur in the liver. Removing it leads to the death of the animal. Bishop R. Feeding horses. A complete guide to proper feeding of horses: trans. from English E.B. Makhiyanova [Text] / Ruth Bishop. - M.: Aquarium Buk LLC, 2005. - 183 p.

The diameter of all large intestines in horses is several times greater than the diameter of the small intestines. There are no villi on the mucous membrane, but there are depressions (crypts) where the intestinal glands are located, secreting a small amount of juices containing a lot of mucus, but few enzymes. Microbes from the intestinal contents cause the fermentation of carbohydrates, and putrefactive bacteria cause the destruction of residual products of protein digestion, and harmful compounds such as indole, skatole, phenols are formed, which, when absorbed into the blood, can cause intoxication, which occurs, for example, with protein overfeeding, dysbacteriosis , lack of carbohydrates in the diet. These substances are neutralized in the liver. Water (up to 95%) and some minerals are intensively absorbed in the large intestines. Bulatov A.P. Rational use of feed protein: theory and practice [Text] / A.P. Bulatov, N.A. Lushnikov, G.E. Uskov, G.S. Azaubaeva. - Kurgan: Trans-Urals, 2006. - 208 p.

Due to strong peristaltic contractions, the remaining contents of the large intestine pass through the colon into the rectum, where the formation and accumulation of feces occurs. The release of feces into the environment occurs through the anal canal (anus). Vladimirov N.I. Feeding farm animals: textbook [Text] / N.I. Vladimirov, L.N. Cheremnyakova, V.G. Lunitsyn, A.P. Kosarev, A.S. Popelyaev. - Barnaul: Publishing House of AGAU, 2008. - 211 p.

2. The influence of feeding on the health and performance of horses

The process of planning a horse's diet is not an easy task, since you need to know what substances the horse needs, how much of them can be given to the animal, and at what age. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that any feed additives for horses are calculated depending on the work performed by the horse, its age and, of course, weight. That is, for example, young animals should be given 2.2 - 2.8 feed units per day per 100 kg of live weight, and an adult horse 1.8-2.7 feed. units per 100 kg. It is important to remember that you must always comply with the feeding norm for horses, because both overeating and undernutrition have a negative impact on the health and performance of the animal.

Another sign of determining the nutrition of horses is the energy value of the feed; an adult horse needs 18-25 MJ of metabolizable energy per day, and a young horse needs 21-28 MJ.

Horses' nutrition must necessarily contain minerals, which contain microelements such as phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron. Also, do not forget about feeding green grass; an adult horse can eat 50-60 kg of pasture grass per day.

It's no secret that the main dish for horses is forage - these are different types of food of plant origin, which in total make up 90% of the entire diet, no more than 10% can be of animal origin. Forage includes grass, hay, straw and others. But this type of forage requires special attention, such as haylage, which is something between hay and silage and has a moisture level of 50-55%. The process of preparing haylage is very important, which is carried out in the following stages: grass mowing, wilting, raking and picking, then the grass is crushed and transported to storage, where it is carefully compacted and protected from air penetration. The quality of haylage directly depends on the grass from which it is made, so it is best to use perennial leguminous grasses such as sainfoin, alfalfa, clover; annual legume-cereal mash is also suitable. But we must pay attention to the fact that legumes must be mowed during the budding period, and cereals during the heading period. The quality of haylage can be determined by smell, chemical composition, humidity, and temperature. Golovin A. Feeding livestock during the grazing period [Text] / A. Golovin // Animal husbandry of Russia. - 2011. - No. 6. - P. 53-55.

In winter, when animals move less, the owners don’t think much about what to feed the horse, since 40-50% of all animal feed is such a type of fodder as hay. But not all types of hay are suitable for feeding to horses. There are two types of hay: seed hay and natural hay. Of the sowing hay, only timothy and clover-timothy hay are suitable, and of natural hay, only meadow hay is suitable. In some cases, horses can also be given bean hay, but only 2 times less than the usual amount of hay.

Very similar to haylage, silage is made under anaerobic conditions, when all the grass sugars are converted into organic acids. The technology for preparing silage is approximately the same as for preparing haylage. horse feed forage foal

Feeding horses is not complete without water, but few people know that the temperature of the water the horse drinks is very important and should be within 8-12 degrees, otherwise it can make the animal more sensitive to disease. A horse can drink from 25 to 50 liters of water per day, and in hot weather up to 80 liters; it is best to drink 4-5 times a day. Under no circumstances should you give water to a hot horse; you must wait at least half an hour. In order to eat better, you can give her something to drink 30 minutes before meals.

Keeping horses cannot do without feed additives, which include oats, bran, barley, wheat, rye and many other different additives. Oats should not be given whole, as they are harder to digest, so peeled oats are better suited for feeding horses. The rate of this supplement, depending on the horse’s load, is 2-5 kg per day. Ishmuratov Kh.G. Chemical composition and nutritional value of green mass of forage crops grown

in mixed crops. H.G. Ishmuratov A.E. Andreeva // Feeding farm animals and feed production, 2010. - No. 8. - P. 44-48

Barley is often used in the form of feed and feed additives for animals; it is 20% more nutritious than oats, but it is not recommended to overdo it with such feed because horses may develop colic. It is not recommended to feed horses wheat and rye; due to these products, horses may become bloated and performance decreases, but despite this, on many farms horses are given these products and the animals do not experience any particular discomfort; such supplements are prohibited for breeding horses. The most famous feed additives for horses are succulents; these are, first of all, treats that reward the animal for a job well done; such feeds include apples, carrots, beets, and to a lesser extent bananas.

Preparing the wrong diet can cause deterioration in the horse's health, if you do not take into account factors such as: the age of the horse, the amount of work performed, the time of year, the condition of the animal; it will be very difficult to feed the horse correctly.

When choosing to feed horses, the main thing is to try and adhere to the norms and basic rules of hygiene and safety, this will protect the animal from unwanted diseases such as glanders, infectious anemia, rheumatic inflammation of the hooves, colic, diarrhea. Diarrhea can be caused by incorrectly chosen food or feeding the same food for a long time. Colic in horses can occur due to difficult digestion, that is, when feed with a high percentage of fiber is added to the diet. The cause of the disease can also be succulents from which the dirt has not been washed off; also, you should not overindulge the horse with fruits, as this can cause gastric disorders of the animal. The health and performance of a horse depends solely on the care of the owner; the more attention is paid to the animal’s nutrition, the less likely it is to get sick. You also need to remember that horses need proper care and maintenance. Kirilov M.P. Livestock feed resources. Classification, composition and nutritional value of feed: scientific publication [Text] / M.P. Kirilov, N.G. Pervov, A.S. Anikin, V.N. Vinogradov, V.M. Duborezov, V.V. Puzanova, V.M. Kosolapov, I.F. Draganov, V.P. Degtyarev. - M.: FGNU "Rosinformagrotekh", 2009. - 404 p.

3. The need of working horses for energy, nutrients and biologically active substances

In order to properly formulate a feed ration, it is necessary to know the horse’s requirements for nutrients and biologically active substances.

Dry matter and energy requirements. Adult working horses require an average of 1.8-2.7 feed units, depending on the work performed, young animals - 2.2-2.8 feed units. units per 100 kg of live weight. The number of feed units in the diet characterizes the underfeeding or overfeeding of the horse. The requirement of working horses for dry matter is on average 2.2-3 kg per 100 kg of live weight. For working pregnant and lactating mares, this rate is increased by an average of 20% for litter growth and milk production.

Both a deficiency and an excess of dry matter in the diet adversely affects the motor and secretory activity of the digestive organs, the digestibility and absorption of feed nutrients and the overall health of the horse.

The level of energy nutrition of a horse is determined by the amount of metabolic energy per 100 kg of live weight or per head per day and is expressed in megajoules - MJ. The need for metabolic energy in adult working horses is on average 18-25 MJ, in young animals - 21-28 MJ per 100 kg of live weight. When energy metabolism in the body is disrupted, performance decreases, growth is delayed, and other negative consequences are observed. Laptev G. Animal feeding and microflora [Text] / G. Laptev // Animal husbandry of Russia. - 2010. - No. 2. - P. 56-57

Protein requirement. It is necessary for the growth of young animals, the renewal of worn-out tissues of an adult horse, the formation of milk in lactating mares, as well as for the synthesis of enzymes, hormones, immune bodies, etc. the optimal requirement for working horses is on average 170-240 g, for young animals - 180-280 g per 100 kg of live weight.

Fiber requirement. Although horses receive the main amount of energy from carbohydrates, the need for easily digestible carbohydrates (starch and sugar), as well as fat, is not standardized. Only fiber is regulated. Moreover, the need for fiber is minimal, since its excess reduces the digestibility of feed nutrients. The optimal fiber content in diets should be no higher than 16% of the dry matter of the feed. The optimal requirement for adult working horses is 400-480g, for young animals -450-480g per 100 kg of live weight.

Requirement for minerals. The mineral nutritional value of feed is characterized by the presence of trace elements - calcium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, magnesium, etc., as well as trace elements - iron, copper, cobalt, zinc, manganese, iodine, etc.

Sodium and chlorine. The main source is table salt, 100 g of which contains 39 g of sodium and 60 g of chlorine. An adult horse requires an average of 5-9 g of salt, young horses - 5-7 g, sports horses during preparation and performance - 12 g per 100 kg of live weight.

Calcium and phosphorus. With a deficiency, rapid fatigue, decreased performance and osteodystrophic diseases (swelling of the joints of the limbs, etc.) are observed. the consequences of insufficiency in the diet of calcium and phosphorus are aggravated by a violation of the correspondence of these elements, which normally should be 1: 0.75. The calcium requirement is 4-12 g for adult horses, 13-21 g for young horses; in phosphorus in adults - 3-9 g, in young animals - 12-15 g per 100 kg of live weight.

Magnesium. If there is a deficiency, horses become very excitable (especially sports horses). The need for magnesium in adult horses is 2.5-4 g, in young horses - 3-4 g per 100 kg of live weight.

Iron. Copper. Cobalt. In terms of their importance in horse feeding, these elements are closely related. Long-term deficiency of one or more of them in the body causes various forms of anemia. The iron requirement for adult working horses is 80-120 mg; in m Leshchenko E.A. Quality as a factor in the efficiency of feed production [Text] / E.A. Leshchenko // Bulletin of the National Academy of Sciences. Series of agricultural sciences, Belarus, 2006. - No. 5. - P. 39-40 units in adult horses - 15-25 mg, in young animals - 21-27 mg; in cobalt - in adults 1-1.8 mg, in young animals - 1.5-2 mg per 100 kg of live weight.

Zinc. A deficiency in the diet sharply slows down a horse's growth and delays puberty, disrupts the sense of taste (horses chew wood) and sense of smell, and sometimes skin diseases appear. The need for zinc in adult horses and young animals averages 55-96 mg per 100 kg of live weight (depending on the work performed).

Manganese. With a deficiency in the diet, delayed puberty, irregular ovulation, the birth of dead and non-viable offspring, and poor sperm quality in breeding stallions are observed. The need for manganese in breeding horses is 60-120 mg per 100 kg of live weight.

Iodine. Lack of food in working horses contributes to their rapid fatigue and decreased performance; in horse diets, it often causes the birth of weak, non-viable foals with a pronounced painful enlargement of the thyroid gland, sparse hair, and sometimes hairless. The need for iodine is: for adult working horses 0.8-1.4 mg (depending on the work performed), for young animals - 1.5-2 mg (depending on age) per 100 kg of live weight. N.G. Makartsev Feeding agricultural products animals Kaluga: Scientific. lit. N.F. Bochkareva, 2007. - 608 p.

4. Feed used for feeding horses

The horse's intestines are physiologically designed for continuous processing of food, which forces the animal to constantly consume feed. This feature of the structure of the horse’s digestive system must be taken into account when keeping it in a stable.

Life-giving moisture

The most important component in the diet of any animal is, oddly enough, water. Most living creatures can survive much longer without food than without liquid. Horses constantly require clean and fresh drinking water, and ideally, access to it should be free (except when feeding). In stable conditions, automatic waterers can be a good solution, but in levada - just containers.

For adult horses, the most favorable water temperature is 10-12 °C. Giving them liquids at temperatures above 20°C pampers such animals and makes them more susceptible to colds. The ambient temperature is also important, or more precisely the difference between the temperature outside, the temperature in the stable and the water temperature. It should not be too significant, because horses in their natural habitat drink water from reservoirs, and it does not freeze to 0 °C.

Horses drink cold water in short, small sips to avoid hypothermia. Therefore, the optimal temperature for watering an animal in cold weather is 8-12 °C. Water the horses before starting to feed them with concentrates, i.e. at least 3 times a day, preferably 4-5 times. If you water your horse less often, it will drink a large amount of water at once, which can adversely affect the activity of its heart and disrupt digestion.

It is strictly forbidden to give water to a hot horse (after intense work). In such cases, the animal is left without water for at least 30 minutes (at medium loads). If you give the animal water right away, colds may occur, most often rheumatic inflammation of the hooves. Horses drink 25-50 liters per day depending on the load. Like people, in hot weather they consume more liquid (up to 60-80 l). F. S. Khaziakhmetov Standardized feeding of agricultural products. animals St. Petersburg: Lan 2005. - 272 p.

Main course

The majority of a horse’s diet is made up of forage, in other words, green and roughage of plant origin, which are necessary to maintain healthy digestion and proper grinding of the horse’s teeth. First of all, it's grass. It is the most useful and natural food for horses. The grass provides the animal with most of the necessary nutrients. And free grazing on pasture gives the animals good physical exercise.

In winter, in countries with temperate climates, grass in the horse's diet is replaced with hay - grass cut and dried in the sun. It is dried to a moisture level (15%) at which mold does not grow.

Another type of forage is haylage, which became widespread in the 80s of the last century. During its production, dried, but not completely dried, grass is hermetically packaged in plastic bales to avoid mold damage. Hay contains much more moisture (up to 50%) than hay, so horses eat it more readily. In addition, haylage can prevent digestive disorders because it is low in fiber. F. S. Khaziakhmetov Standardized feeding of agricultural products. animals St. Petersburg: Lan 2005. - 272 p.

Unlike European countries, haylage is practically not produced in Russia. Occasionally, when feeding horses, silage can be used as fodder, which, together with grass, is the cheapest feed. Unlike nearly dry haylage, silage undergoes a fermentation or fermentation process where the water, plant sugars and bacteria present in the grass react to produce lactic acid. However, if the fermentation process goes poorly, it can cause health problems for the horse. Therefore, silage is more suitable for feeding to cows, whose digestive process is structured differently.

Straw is also rarely used as fodder because it lacks nutrients. However, if the horse does not require a high-calorie diet, straw may be a suitable source of roughage.

There are three types of straw - oat, barley and wheat. The latter is not usually used as fodder, but can be used as bedding. Sometimes chopped hay or straw is used to add to solid diets (oats, mixed feed) to slow down the rate of eating or to “dilute” large quantities of succulent feed. When feeding any food of plant origin, you must be very attentive to its quality. Thus, moldy fungi can live in hay, straw (in the form of dust) and haylage (if the seal of the packaging is broken), affecting either the respiratory tract or disrupting the horse’s digestion. Moreover, diseases can be very serious.

Feed additives

All the nutritional needs of a healthy horse kept on constant pasture can be satisfied by eating grass. However, horses performing some kind of work usually require additional feed additives. These are the so-called simple (or grain) feeds. S.N. Khokhrin Feeding farm animals. - M.: KolosS, 2009. - 692 p.: ill. - (Textbook for students of higher educational institutions).

The traditional and still most popular “fuel” for horses is oats. The reason for this recognition was its safety for horse health, because compared to other grain crops it contains the least starch and the most fiber.

Oats are fed to the horse depending on its needs and physical condition in different forms: whole, peeled, rolled, steamed or boiled. Whole oats are difficult to digest. Traditionally, horses are fed hulled oats; in this case, digestive enzymes more easily break down the starch located inside the grains. Horses that cannot chew roughage, older animals and foals are often fed rolled oats to aid chewing. Horses with various diseases, including problems with the gastrointestinal tract, are often fed steamed or even boiled oats. For working horses, the optimal rate of feeding oats is 2-5 kg per day, depending on the load (up to 7 kg for sports horses).

To improve condition, horses are often given barley, as its nutritional value is 20% higher than that of oats. However, feeding this grain as a horse's sole feed can cause colic. Therefore, it is useful to add oats, straw or hay cuttings to it.

Since barley has a hard grain, it is first crushed, pounded, steamed or boiled. In Europe and the USA, this cereal and maize, which is quite popular there, are also sold in the form of flakes. The grains are blasted with steam, which improves their digestibility, and then the soft grains are processed into flakes.

In agricultural countries, where cereal legumes are grown in industrial quantities, horses are still used as draft labor in large farms and subsidiary farms. There, these animals are fed corn, rye, wheat, as well as peas, vetch and lentils from childhood. At the same time, corn, rye and wheat can cause colic, and peas, vetch and lentils can cause bloating.

Breeding and sport horses are not fed rye or wheat, and grain legumes should only be used as a small addition to oats and with great care for foals and breeding stallions to ensure their high protein requirements are met. Zootechnical analysis (guidelines) Ed. ON THE. Chepeleva Kursk: KGSHA, 2006. - 39 p.

Bran is often added to horse feed. They are the outer shell of wheat grains and are a by-product of flour milling, so they are inexpensive. In addition, they are safe for the health of horses, especially if the high level of phosphorus they contain is balanced by the addition of calcium.

Bran porridge stimulates the appetite of horses and is a good food for sick and tired horses. Probably the most common supplement to a horse's diet in Europe and America is sugar beet pulp. It is a by-product of sugar production from sugar beets and contains a lot of calcium, so bran and pulp are often used together. It is often recommended for problem horses with reduced performance. Its sweetness reminds horses of spring grass, making it an appetite stimulant. Currently, sugar beet pulp is becoming a fairly popular feed additive in our country.

Whole flaxseed is used to improve the quality of wool, accelerate shedding, and sometimes to improve condition by enriching the horse's diet with fats and protein. However, due to the coating of the horse’s stomach walls, it makes digestion difficult, so it is traditionally boiled before feeding it.

In the West, no less popular are whole soybeans, which are either dried or crushed. There are other ways to enrich a horse’s diet with fats - this is by adding regular vegetable oils to the feed. In contrast to the negative effects associated with poor nutrition and excessive oil consumption in humans, vegetable oil is a very good addition to a horse's diet. Workshop on feeding farm animals, ed. L.V. Toporova et al. M.: KolosS, 2007. - 296 p.

Almost any vegetable oil used in human nutrition is suitable for feeding such animals: sunflower, olive, soybean, flaxseed. And fish oil helps well in the treatment of inflammatory processes.

Currently, a large number of nutritional supplements are produced for horses. These can be broad-spectrum supplements that contain a large range of minerals, trace elements, vitamins, or special supplements, for example, to improve the condition of hooves or maintain electrolyte balance.

Digestive stimulants occupy a special place among food additives. There are three main categories of digestive stimulants - yeast, probiotics and prebiotics. Common culinary yeast used in bread baking stimulates bacterial fermentation in the horse's large intestine, resulting in improved fiber absorption. In addition, they are an excellent source of B vitamins. Live, dry culinary and brewer's yeast are used to feed horses.

Probiotics are preparations of bacterial cultures, i.e. they are “beneficial live” bacteria and are intended to stabilize the microflora in the small intestine. Prebiotics are not bacteria, but are usually derivatives of complex carbohydrates that stimulate the growth of bacteria in the horse's digestive system.

Well, the most famous feed additives are the so-called succulents. These are fruits and vegetables that make the food more appetizing, increase its volume, and provide juiciness. Most often, horses are fed carrots and apples. Nowadays, succulents should be fed in small quantities, although there was a time when carrots, apples, rutabaga and fodder beets were fed in large quantities to draft horses. Makartsev N.G. Feeding farm animals / N.G. Makartsev. 2nd ed., translated. and additional Kaluga: Oblidat, 2007. 608 p.

Less common succulents are bananas, parsnips, turnips, potatoes, sugar beets, and very rarely cabbage. Succulents are an excellent treat for horses as a reward for work done. Therefore, if you are planning a visit to a horse farm or pony club, then you can take an apple, banana or carrot with you as a treat for your horse.

Be sure to remove dirt from root vegetables because it may contain disease-causing bacteria. All treats must be cut lengthwise and crosswise to prevent the horse from choking. Remember that you can only feed the animal with the permission of the horse farm staff with a small amount of feed from an open palm.

There are also special treats, which are packaged cookies or crackers with various flavorings. You should not treat your horse with soft bread or rolls, as this may disrupt the animal’s digestion. Note that the taste preferences of horses differ from ours. So the love of sweets is not an innate property of horses. Most foals do not like sugar. The horse's subsequent addiction to it is formed by the person who offers it sugar as a reward. Therefore, you should not take sugar cubes with you. At the same time, horses are very fond of bitter substances. And this makes sense: some herbs that are essential to maintaining horse health have a rather bitter taste.

Feed that is completely balanced in terms of nutritional composition is compound feed. It is specially designed to provide horses with a complete diet and is easy to feed. The biggest advantage is the constant nutrient composition, whereas the nutrient composition of simple grain feeds can vary. Vishnyakov Ya.D. Life safety. 4th ed., rev. and additional - M.: Yurayt Publishing House, 2013. - 543 p.

In different feeds, the main ingredients are contained in different proportions, depending on the purpose and purpose of the feed. In Europe and the USA there is a wide variety of feed - granulated feed for foals and young animals, ponies, for pregnant mares, for older horses, breeding stallions, as well as a variety of feeds for sports horses (participating in racing, running, show jumping, dressage, draft horses) depending on the degree of load.

In our country, the choice of mixed feed is not so rich, but it has grown significantly with the increase in demand over the past few years. The feed includes the following ingredients: barley, wheat, oats, maize, molasses (as sources of energy), hay or alfalfa, wheat and oat bran, soy hulls, straw, sugar beet pulp (as sources of fiber), soy flour and sunflower cake (as sources of protein), as well as limestone, salt, vitamins and microelements.

The basic postulate, formed over centuries and withstood the test of time, which underlies any method of calculating a horse’s diet, is very simple - feeding according to needs. It is clear that the appetite and need for energy and protein are completely different in horses and ponies of different weight, size, temperament, condition and those carrying different physical loads. Zanko N.G. Life safety: a textbook for university students. According to special “Life Safety”\N.G.Zanko, K.R.Malayan, O.N.Rusak.-13th ed., rev.-SPb.: Lan, 2010.-621p.

To successfully feed, you need to know the level of workload, age and health of the animal. First of all, you need to start from the principle “The horse should be happy.” The food preferences of a particular animal are also important; it will not eat food that for some reason does not suit it. There is one Eastern wisdom on this subject: “And one person can lead a horse to water, but even a hundred people cannot make it drink.”

Horses do well if they are fed consistently - at the same time every day. It must be taken into account that horses in the wild consume feed about 66% of the time, i.e. about 16 hours a day. Therefore, solid food should be given at least 3-4 times a day. However, the composition of the diet is still more important for the horse than the regimen. After all, improper nutrition can not only reduce the performance and deteriorate the general condition of the animal, but also cause severe harm to the horse’s health.

The reason for the deterioration of a horse’s health can be simply an unbalanced diet, or contamination of the forage (dusty hay, mold in haylage), poorly washed root vegetables, or watering immediately after exercise. It is necessary to take into account even the location of feeders and drinkers, because in nature a horse drinks and eats “from the floor” with its neck fully stretched down.

The horse's natural feeding behavior maintains proper jaw movement, minimizes tooth wear, and provides airway ventilation. You should always monitor the physical condition of the animal very carefully. So a sudden decrease or increase in appetite without weight gain may indicate a deterioration in the horse's health.

Animals and humans have similar diseases, and even their causes are sometimes the same. Horses, like humans, can suffer from obesity and anorexia. But the most common diseases caused by improper feeding are laminitis, colic, and recurrent airway obstruction. Knyazev A.F. Life safety in livestock farming: Educational and methodological manual. According to special. “Animal science” and “Veterinary medicine” \ A.F. Knyazev, Z.V. Ivanova; MGAVMiB im. K.I.Skryabina.-M., 2009 - 63 p.

It is important to understand that people are free in their choice of food, their preparation and consumption, as well as their diet and physical activity. They are responsible for their own health. A horse as a pet is completely dependent on a person, and he is obliged to provide it with the most favorable living conditions, no matter what work it does, be it a free-grazing horse, a foal, a village horse, a child’s favorite pony, a hippodrome racer or a breeding stallion.

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Federal State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine

and Biotechnology named after. K.I. Scriabin.

Coursework on feeding on the topic:

"System of rationed feeding of pregnant mares"

Performed:

3rd year student at FZTA

Komarova Yulia Sergeevna

Teacher:

Koval Zinaida Dmitrievna.

Moscow 2009

Main part

1. Definition of a rationed feeding system and its main elements

2. Horses' nutritional and energy needs

3. Feeds and additives used in diets. Daily feeding rates. The importance of reserve nutrients in the system of rationed feeding, the prevention of metabolic and reproductive disorders, diseases

4. Feeding the pregnant mare. Diet requirements

5. Features of feeding technique

6. Practical methods for monitoring the adequacy of feeding

Calculation part

Conclusion on the calculation part

List of used literature

Main part

1. Definition of a rationed feeding system and its main elements

Under rationed feeding system(SNK) understand a complex of scientific and economic measures, the introduction of which into livestock farming practices ensures high productivity and good health of animals with economical consumption of feed.

The main elements of the SNK include:

1. Feeding rate- the optimal amount of nutrients in the diet necessary to obtain from animals the appropriate level and type of product with economical consumption of feed, preservation of their health and normal reproduction.

2. Type of feeding- determined primarily by the content of a particular food in the diet.

3. Diet- set and quantity of feed consumed by animals over a certain period of time.

4. Animal feeding technology– organization and technique of animal feeding.

2. Horses' nutritional and energy needs

In order to properly formulate a feed ration, it is necessary to know the horse’s requirements for nutrients and biologically active substances.

The amount of horse need for dry matter, energy, fiber, minerals and vitamins depends on the age, sex, live weight, physiological state of the animal (single mares, pregnant mares, lactating mares, non-breeding, pre-breeding and breeding stallions), the work performed and its intensity (outside work, light, medium and heavy load), breed (trotter, riding and draft), economic use (breeding, working, sports, mares of kumys farms, stages of growing, fattening and fattening the body for meat), etc.

Dry matter and energy requirements. Currently, the energy nutritional value of feed is expressed in energy feed units (EFU) differentially for each animal species.

One energy feed unit (EFU) is equivalent to 10 MJ of metabolizable energy (ME).

Adult working horses require an average of 1.07-1-6 ECU, depending on the work performed, young animals - 1.3-1.07 ECU. per 100 kg of live weight. This need for breeding horses is somewhat different and averages 0.9 - 1.4 ECU. Amount of feed units in the diet characterizes underfeeding or overfeeding of a horse: with insufficient nutrition the animal loses weight, with excess nutrition it becomes fat.

Standardization of the dry matter content in the feed determines the volume of the diet, the fullness of the horse’s digestive canal and its satiety. The requirement of working horses for dry matter is on average 2.2-3 kg per 100 kg of live weight. For working pregnant and lactating mares, this rate is increased by an average of 20% for litter growth and milk production.

The need for dry matter in young working and breeding horses is the same (on average 2.4 - 2.8 kg per 100 kg of live weight). In stallions under two years of age it is 10% higher than in fillies. Depending on the type of horse being raised (draft horse, draft horse), the dry matter consumption rates can be changed up or down by about 10%.

Protein requirement.

It is necessary for the growth of young animals, the renewal of worn-out tissues of an adult horse, the formation of milk in lactating mares, the formation of semen in breeding stallions, as well as for the synthesis of enzymes, hormones, immune bodies, etc. The optimal requirement for working horses is on average 170-240 g, in young animals - 180-280 g per 100 kg of live weight.

Fiber requirement. Although horses receive the main amount of energy from carbohydrates, the need for easily digestible carbohydrates (starch and sugar), as well as fat, is not standardized. Only fiber is regulated. Moreover, the need for fiber is minimal, since its excess reduces the digestibility of feed nutrients. The optimal fiber content in diets should be no higher than 16% of the dry matter of the feed. The optimal requirement for adult working horses is 400-480 g, for young animals 450-480 g per 100 kg of live weight.

Requirement for minerals. The mineral nutritional value of feed is characterized by the presence of trace elements - calcium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, magnesium, etc., as well as trace elements - iron, copper, cobalt, zinc, manganese, iodine, etc.

Sodium and chlorine. The main source is table salt, 100 g of which contains 39 g of sodium and 60 g of chlorine. An adult horse requires an average of 5-9 g of salt, young horses - 5-7 g, sports horses during preparation and performance - 12 g per 100 kg of live weight.

Calcium and phosphorus. With a deficiency, rapid fatigue, decreased performance and osteodystrophic diseases (swelling of the joints of the limbs, etc.) are observed. the consequences of insufficiency in the diet of calcium and phosphorus are aggravated by a violation of the correspondence of these elements, which normally should be 1: 0.75. The calcium requirement is 4-12 g for adult horses, 13-21 g for young horses; in phosphorus in adults - 3-9 g, in young animals - 12-15 g per 100 kg of live weight.

Magnesium. If there is a deficiency, horses become very excitable (especially sports horses). The need for magnesium in adult horses is 2.5-4 g, in young horses - 3-4 g per 100 kg of live weight.

Iron. Copper. Cobalt. In terms of their importance in horse feeding, these elements are closely related. Long-term deficiency of one or more of them in the body causes various forms of anemia. The iron requirement for adult working horses is 80-120 mg; in copper in adult horses - 15-25 mg, in young horses - 21-27 mg; in cobalt - in adults 1-1.8 mg, in young animals - 1.5-2 mg per 100 kg of live weight.

Zinc. A deficiency in the diet sharply slows down a horse's growth and delays puberty, disrupts the sense of taste (horses chew wood) and sense of smell, and sometimes skin diseases appear. The need for zinc in adult horses and young animals averages 55-96 mg per 100 kg of live weight (depending on the work performed).

Manganese. With a deficiency in the diet, delayed puberty, irregular ovulation, the birth of dead and non-viable offspring, and poor sperm quality in breeding stallions are observed. The need for manganese in breeding horses is 60-120 mg per 100 kg of live weight.

Iodine. Lack of food in working horses contributes to their rapid fatigue and decreased performance; in the diets of pregnant mares often causes the birth of weak, non-viable foals with a pronounced painful enlargement of the thyroid gland, sparse hair, and sometimes naked. The need for iodine is: for adult working horses 0.8-1.4 mg (depending on the work performed), for young animals - 1.5-2 mg (depending on age) per 100 kg of live weight.

3. Feeds and additives used in diets. Daily feeding rates. The importance of reserve nutrients in the system of rationed feeding, the prevention of metabolic and reproductive disorders, diseases

The diet of horses should include a wide variety of feed of plant and animal origin, as well as all kinds of additives. Of the plant foods, they are fed most green, roughage and grain feeds, and less - root crops, silage and residues from technical production. Feed of animal origin in horse diets accounts for no more than 10% (by nutritional value). To increase the nutritional value of diets and their balance, mineral and vitamin supplements and premixes are used.

Green food.

It contains a large amount of physiologically bound water. Young grass is close to grain feed in terms of digestible protein content and general nutritional value, but significantly exceeds them in the biological value of proteins. Green food is rich in carotene, vitamins, minerals, aromatic and estrogenic substances, and is a universal stimulant of the digestive glands.

In the summer, grass, compared to other feeds, most fully satisfies the nutrient needs of horses and should form the basis of summer feeding.

Adult horses eat up to 50-60 kg of good pasture grass, yearling foals - up to 30-40 kg per day, and on average - about 6-10 kg per 100 kg of live weight.

Grass should be given to horses often, in small portions, if possible fresh and recently cut.

Hay. During the stall period, the basis of the horse's diet is good hay, which is the best source of a significant portion of protein, minerals and vitamins. In winter, hay takes up up to 40-50% of the total number of feed units in the diet.

According to the standard, hay is divided into seed hay (legume, cereal and legume-cereal) and natural hay (meadow, forest, swamp, bluegrass, forbs, etc.). The most suitable hay for horses is timothy and clover-timothy hay; for natural hay, meadow hay is most suitable. Good bean hay is fed in half the full amount of hay. When fed ad libitum with hay, adult horses eat up to 4 kg per 100 kg of live weight. However, it is better not to give them large portions, as this burdens the animals, makes it difficult for them to breathe, and interferes with their work. Depending on the intensity of work, the type of horse and the quality of feed, the hay rate ranges from 1.5 kg to 3 kg per 100 kg of live weight. The harder the work, the less hay they give. On average, an adult working horse is fed 8-10 kg of hay, stud stallions - 10-16, mares - 12-15, yearling foals - 8-12, older foals - 8-16 kg per day.

Straw. This roughage only replaces part of the hay. Straw contains little protein, minerals and vitamins and a lot of fiber (up to 30-40%), which makes it low in digestibility and nutritional value. Oat, millet and corn straw, which is fed mixed with hay, is more suitable for horses. It is advisable to introduce straw in the form of cuttings into the diet as an additive to young watery grass or to “dilute” large quantities of succulent feed. The size of the straw cutting should be 1.5-2.5 cm. Working horses are given no more than 5 kg of good-quality straw per day.

Chaff. In terms of its nutritional qualities, it is somewhat higher than straw, but is more clogged with particles of sand and earth and is more easily spoiled. Only the chaff of awnless bread is suitable for feeding horses. Spring chaff is considered good - oatmeal, millet and awnless barley. The chaff is fed moistened or steamed (for 8-10 hours) or mixed with succulent feed. Adult horses can be given up to 4 kg per day.

Grain feed. These include grain cereal feeds - oats, barley, corn, rye, wheat, etc. and grain legumes - peas, vetch, lentils, etc. Grain cereal feeds are high in carbohydrates, good nutritional value (they contain the most digestible nutrients) .

Oats. The main concentrated feed for horses, oats, in terms of their composition and dietary properties, are among the best feeds. Protein accounts for 93% of the protein composition. Oats contain a lot of phosphorus and B vitamins. The optimal rates of feeding oats per day in combination with other concentrated feeds are as follows: for stud stallions - 3-6 kg (depending on the breed and breeding use), for mares - 2-4 kg ( depending on the physiological state), for working horses - 2-5 kg (depending on the work performed), for sports horses - 5-7 kg (depending on the period of rest or performance). The maximum rate of feeding oats in the diets of adult horses with a live weight of 500 kg is 6 kg (without work) and 12 kg (with work) per day.

Barley. In terms of chemical composition, barley differs from oats in lower content of minerals, fiber and fat and higher content of starch. Its overall nutritional value is 20% higher than that of oats. However, barley is considered only a satisfactory feed for horses. It is not recommended to feed more than 6 kg of barley per day to an adult horse with a live weight of 500 kg. Feeding barley as the sole feed can cause colic in the horse, so it is recommended to feed it at half the amount of oats. To make the horse chew barley better, add straw or hay cutting or flattening to it. On farms where the only grain feed is barley, it is necessary to accustom horses to it from a young age.

Corn. Among cereal grains, corn is high in starch and fat and lower in protein and calcium. Therefore, when feeding it to horses, clover or alfalfa hay and grain legumes (peas) should be included in the diet. In the diets of pedigree breeds of horses, corn can replace up to 1/2 of oats, heavy breeds - 1/4, working horses - 2/3. Finely ground corn is not given, as it can cause colic. The maximum rate of feeding corn is 6 kg per day.

Rye. Wheat. In terms of chemical composition and nutritional value, they are almost no different from barley. Rye is given to horses with caution. It swells greatly in the stomach and causes colic. If necessary, rye and wheat in the form of spent grain are fed mixed with oats (replace no more than 1/2 of oats with the addition of molasses to the diet). The maximum rate of rye and wheat is 4 kg per day, while the one-time rate should not exceed 2 kg with gradual habituation of animals over 5-7 days. It is not recommended to feed to high-value breeding and sport horses.

Peas. Vika. Lentils. Grain legumes are used less frequently in horse feeding than cereal grains. These foods contain relatively a lot of protein, almost entirely consisting of proteins, and a small amount of carbohydrates. They should be fed in crushed, flattened or ground form and with great caution - horses experience bloating. The maximum norm is 2 kg per day after gradual habituation (start with 300-500 g per day).

Root and tuber crops. They produce carrots, beets and potatoes. These feeds contain up to 90% water, they are poor in protein, fat, and contain little fiber. The main nutrients - sugar, pectin and starch - are 95-98% digestible in the horse's body. The most useful are red carrots, which contain an average of 54 mg of carotene per 1 kg. Carrots are fed to pregnant and lactating mares 4-6 kg, to foals 2-4 kg per day. Give it separately or chopped mixed with oats.

Beetroot Working horses with light and medium work are given up to 10-15 kg of feed and 5-7 kg of sugar per day. It is useful for pregnant and lactating mares, as well as young animals (up to 4 kg per day). It can be given either whole raw or chopped mixed with straw or chaff.

Potato rich in starch, ascorbic acid and B vitamins. It is given to horses raw, boiled or steamed. Raw potatoes can be included in the diet of working horses up to 10-15 kg, for young animals - up to 5 kg, for pregnant mares - up to 4 kg per day. Boiled or steamed, working horses are fed up to 15-20 kg per day. If it makes up the majority of the diet, then it is necessary to add good hay to it and increase the amount of table salt to the maximum. It is undesirable to feed sprouted and poor-quality potatoes.

Silage. It is fed as succulent feed, mainly to working horses and always in combination with hay. Good, high-quality corn or sunflower silage is given to working horses up to 10-15 kg, broodmares and young animals - up to 10 kg per day. At the same time, chalk should be added to the diet up to 30g per day. Horses are gradually accustomed to silage. It is not recommended to feed silage to pregnant mares, high-quality horses used in sports, heavy work and for riding.

Haylage. It is a cured, carbon-preserved green herb containing moisture. In terms of its properties, quality and nutritional value, haylage occupies an intermediate place between hay and silage. Unlike silage, it is a fresh feed, close in sugar content to green grass and is readily eaten by horses. In winter, haylage is given to adult horses up to 5-8 kg, and to young horses over a year old - 3-4 kg per day. Haylage can replace up to half of hay in the diet.

Remains of technical production.

In feeding horses, wheat bran (residues from flour milling production), cakes and meal (residues from oil extraction production), stillage and brewer's grains (residues from fermentation production), pulp and molasses - feed molasses (residues from beet sugar production), pulp (residues from starch production) are used.

Bran. Wheat and rye bran are a source of B vitamins, contain protein and a lot of phosphorus. Bran is considered a good feed for all age groups of horses. Stud stallions and mares are given 1-2 kg, young animals - 0.5-1 kg per day. The maximum norm for adult horses of wheat bran is 4 kg, rye bran - 3 kg per day.

Cake and meal. It is useful for horses to feed flaxseed, sunflower, corn, soybean, cotton and hemp cakes and meals in small quantities. They are an excellent source of protein and the essential amino acid lysine, especially for young, growing horses. The optimal rate of cakes and meals is 0.5-1 kg per day. It is not recommended to feed cottonseed meal to early foals and pregnant mares. The diet of high-value breeding and sporting horses includes flaxseed meal and cakes, which add a special shine and beauty to the coat.

Stillage and spent grains. Dry rye, corn and potato stillage is used as a protein supplement in the diets of working horses in an amount of 0.5-1 kg per day. Sometimes working horses are fed fresh stillage. Treacle stillage is not given to horses. Dried brewer's grains as a source of protein are included in the diet of working horses no more than 1 kg per day. They can also be fed in a mixture with other feeds to the maximum: dried stillage - 2-3 kg, dried brewer's grains - 3 kg, malt sprouts - 1 kg per day. This amount is divided into 2-3 doses to give the feed looseness. Abroad, stillage and spent grain are used in granulated feed with the addition of molasses, which improves their taste.

Pulp and molasses (feed molasses). Dried pulp and molasses are fed mainly to working horses. Dried pulp contains a large amount of nitrogen-free extractive substances, so the feed is used as an energy supplement. In addition, 1 kg of molasses contains an average of 543 g of sugar, and adding it to the feed improves its taste - the horse eats the entire diet. The optimal amount of dry pulp is 1 kg, molasses - 0.5 kg per day. Working horses can be given a maximum of 3-4 kg of pulp, 0.8-1.5 kg of molasses per day, and the pulp should be soaked with water (in a ratio of 1:4).

Pulp. Dried corn or potato pulp is a source of nitrogen-free extractives. It is given to horses during light and medium work in small (0.5-1 kg per day) quantities. The pulp is not fed to horses in its raw form.

Animal feed.

All foods in this group are rich in complete protein and minerals. Meat and bone meal, blood and fish meal, skim milk, etc. are fed mainly to breeding stallions during the breeding period and to growing young animals during the weaning period, and are also given, if necessary, to breeding stallions and suckling mares and emaciated horses. Animal feed is used mainly when there is a lack of protein in the diet. Necessary for balancing the diet in accordance with the protein requirements of horses, they are given no more than 100-300 g of dry feed per day. When feeding fresh skimmed milk to stallions, it is given 3-4 liters per day.

Mineral feed additives.

Of the feed additives, horses most often have to be fed mineral and vitamin supplements, as well as premixes, in their diet. They are used when the content of mineral elements and vitamins in natural feed is insufficient. Of the mineral supplements, the most important for horses are table salt, chalk, bone meal, trace element salts, etc.

Salt. Should always be in the diets of all horses. Horses' need for table salt depends on their age, physiological condition, work intensity, ambient temperature, etc. On average, adult horses are given 20-60 g per day, young horses - 12-40 g. 1-2% raster salt is moistened into the feed and given to horses in this form.

Chalk. It is fed finely ground as a source of calcium. If the chalk is contaminated, it is washed, dried and given in a mixture with concentrated feed. 100 g of chalk contains 36-39 g of calcium. The approximate amount of chalk for adult horses is 30-70 g, for young horses - 20-50 g per day.

Low-fat bone meal. It is added to diets only when the feed lacks calcium and phosphorus. 100 g of bone meal contains an average of 23 g of calcium and 10 g of phosphorus. It is given to adult horses approximately 30-50 g, to young horses - 15-25 g per day.

Precipitate (dicalcium phosphate). 100 g contains 26 g of calcium and 19 g of phosphorus. Adult horses are fed 50-80 g, young horses - 20-40 g per day.

In cases where the horse’s diet lacks phosphorus alone, but calcium is sufficient, monosodium phosphate (phosphorus 24 g per 100 g) and disodium phosphate (phosphorus 21 g per 100 g) are used. These additives are fed in a mixture with concentrated feed to adult horses - up to 120 g, and to young horses - up to 70 g per day.

Vitamins .

In general, a healthy horse requires supplementation with vitamin A, including carotene, D and E, since deficiencies in vitamin K and vitamin B complex are covered by synthesis in the large intestine. Vitamin D is formed under the influence of ultraviolet rays from 7-dihydrocholesterol contained in the skin, provided that the horse is kept outdoors during daylight hours.

Flaw vitamin A causes disturbances in the organs of vision and reproduction. A horse usually meets its need for this vitamin by containing a sufficient amount of carotene in green feed (fresh and dry) and carrots. Depending on the quality of hay and silage (silage), they contain an average concentration of carotene, while grain crops and straw of any quality are extremely poor in carotene content. Practically used horse diets contain more than 75 mg of carotene, which completely covers the need for vitamin A. If the horse’s diet contains insufficient amounts of hay, then it is necessary to use vitamin A supplements so that the carotene content is at least 50 mg per head per day.

Vitamin E necessary in the formation and function of various tissues of the body, especially the heart and muscles. Grain feed contains fairly high levels of vitamin E. It is believed that high vitamin E supplements improve the performance of fast-gaited horses, but there is not enough objective data to support this belief. At the same time, the therapeutic administration of vitamin E in the treatment of muscle diseases of sports horses has been used for a long time. Increased doses of vitamin E (from 2 to 4 mg per 1 kg of live weight per day) improve the process of antibody formation and performance. At the very least, adding 1 g of vitamin E to the daily diet of a horse that carries heavy athletic loads during competition can be considered optimal. Pasture feed and green hay are excellent sources of vitamin E.

Vitamin K necessary for normal blood clotting. This vitamin is synthesized in the intestines by microorganisms and it is necessary to introduce additional vitamin K into the diet of horses in case of diseases in the area of the large intestine. In such cases, you can use green food rich in this vitamin.

Minerals.

Errors in meeting the need for minerals are discovered only after obvious symptoms of their deficiency appear. As a rule, the lack of minerals in feed is covered by the use of special additives or lick salt with added microelements. When using such additives, it is necessary to take into account the content (excess or deficiency) of minerals in feed. For different groups of horses, the need for calcium varies from 35 to 90 g per day, while the need for phosphorus varies accordingly in the Ca:P ratio - 1.4:1 - 2:1. All minerals and trace elements in a horse's diet must be balanced, since changing their ratio changes the digestibility of these substances. For example, calcium absorption is impaired by high phosphorus levels, and high calcium levels reduce magnesium digestibility, etc.

Magnesium required in the amount of 40-50 mg per 1 kg of live weight, which is ensured by its content in grain crops, but under high loads a significant amount of magnesium is released through sweat. However, supplements exceeding 40-50 mg of magnesium per 1 kg of live weight can cause a stress effect.

Potassium, sodium and chlorine. Alkaline minerals and chlorine are necessary to maintain osmotic pressure in the blood, regulate acidity and water exchange in the animal's body, as well as perform the functions of nerve and muscle tissues. An insufficient amount of potassium in the feed causes slow development of the horse and a decrease in its performance. A small amount of sodium and chlorine causes loss of appetite and rapid fatigue.

Microelements.

This includes elements such as iron, copper, cobalt, zinc, magnesium, iodine, and selenium. All of them in certain quantities are necessary for the normal development of the body and the manifestation of high performance.

Iron participates in the formation of hemoglobin and myoglobin. Its deficiency in the body leads to physical weakening and decreased immunity against infectious diseases, especially in foals. Copper. Lack of copper causes anemia and disturbances in the development of the horse's skeleton, especially in young animals. Cobalt. The main component of vitamin B12, necessary in the horse’s body. An insufficient amount of this element leads to anemia, changes in the skin and slower growth.

Zinc. Necessary in the formation of the skin and its functions. Lack of zinc leads to skin diseases (parakeratosis) and hair loss.

Manganese participates in the reactions of various enzymes (bone and fat metabolism), and is also necessary for the functioning of the ovaries.

Iodine. Lack of iodine leads to edema, slower hair growth, tissue development disorders and exhaustion of the body. Iodine is important in the feed of pregnant and lactating mares. In places where food and water contain insufficient amounts of iodine, it must be additionally introduced into the diet in the form of special mineral supplements (lick). Excessive iodine consumption can lead to abnormalities in the development of the thyroid gland and the formation of goiter.

Selenium and vitamin E are interchangeable and necessary for the normal functioning of muscle cells. The selenium content in feed must be controlled, since after drying its amount noticeably decreases.

Microelements include molybdenum, chromium, zinc, etc., the content of which is sufficient in traditional horse diets.

Horse's need for water .

A horse, just like other types of animals, can live for a long time without food, but not without water. It can use up all the fat reserves and over half of the protein in the body and remain alive, but the loss of about 1% of water from the horse’s live weight leads to serious impairment, and 20% leads to death. If a horse is given free access to water, it will consume enough water to maintain the balance of this nutrient in the body.

Diet composition, age, use of the horse and climatic conditions are the main factors influencing water requirements. The younger the animal, the more water is contained in its tissues, indicating an increased need for it during growth. As a horse ages, the need for water per unit of live weight becomes less. This happens because as a horse ages, it consumes less feed per unit of live weight and more water in the body tissues is replaced by fat.

On average, when using standard rations, a horse requires 2-4 kg of water per 1 kg of feed consumed. These are indicative data. For example, at high air temperatures, the need for water increases. An increase in temperature from 13 to 25°C increases the need for water by 15-20%. A factor influencing the level of water requirement is also the water content in the feces. Diarrhea is one of the common causes of dehydration, which results in an increased need for water. A horse's sporting or work load also affects its water requirement, increasing it to twice that of horses at rest. After hard work or intense exercise, you should not give a lot of water without first walking the horse for 20-30 minutes until it has completely “cooled down”.

Water quality requirements. Ponds and stagnant waters of other bodies of water are easily polluted. Often, outbreaks of many diseases and helminthic infestations are explained by the use of contaminated water sources. Of course, the best way to avoid such diseases is to drink from automatic drinkers, which ensures an uninterrupted supply of clean and fresh water. If watering from troughs with imported water is used on pastures, then the containers must be regularly cleaned of dirt and sediment. Tap water used for watering horses should be tested for toxicity based on bacterial contamination and mineral content. The adverse effects of water containing a high concentration of salts depend more on the total amount of minerals than on the presence of any specific element.

Examples of diseases.

Hepatopathy - This is a disorder of liver function caused by dystrophic changes with symptoms of jaundice. The intensity of the appearance of signs of jaundice reflects the severity of pathological changes in the liver.

Etiology. A predisposing factor is a lack of carbohydrate feed, vitamins A and D in the diet against the background of low-quality concentrated feed. Loss of appetite is combined with depression, pain in the liver, coma or rare seizures.

Treatment. Measures are taken to balance the diet in accordance with the physiological state. If the mare retains her appetite, then increase the carbohydrate content and reduce the amount of grain feed to normal, and prescribe vitamin A preparations in oil. Indicated 25% solution of magnesium sulfate intravenously or intramuscularly 2 times a day up to 100 ml, 40% solution of hexamethylenetetramine, 40% solution of glucose with ascorbic acid or insulin, 10% solution of glutamic acid to improve liver function, hemodez or aminopeptide (500 ml) in a dropper. Symptomatic treatment is also used. For cardiac weakness - 20% caffeine solution, 2% papaverine solution, for enteritis - tannin, tanalbin or oak bark 10-20 g orally.

Eclampsia occurs suddenly, without any warning signs, and is considered a high degree of toxicosis. It is characterized by a complex of pathologies in which repeated convulsive seizures are most pronounced. In mares, eclampsia occurs rarely, mainly at or after foaling.

Etiology. It is believed that eclampsia occurs from excessive consumption of table salt, from an excess of other mineral salts, and intoxication with the breakdown products of lochia (sapremia). The most likely reason seems to be an increase in the mother's sensitivity to toxic factors: metabolic products of the fetus and placenta, decaying villi and lochia.

Characteristic clinical signs begin with convulsive seizures, which appear against the background of previous nephropathy. Fright, unsteady gait, lack of coordination of movements, a sudden fall and an attack of clonic convulsions are noted. Soon the convulsions stop, the mare takes a deep breath, and foam comes out of her mouth. After a few minutes, the pulse is restored, the cyanosis disappears, all abnormalities disappear, and functions are restored.

Seizures occur periodically. Complications are possible in the form of cerebral hemorrhages, pulmonary edema, and aspiration pneumonia.

Treatment. The sick animal is transferred to a stall with darkened windows and provided with thick bedding. On the first day, a starvation diet is indicated. After seizures, chloral hydrate is prescribed 10-20 g in a 10% solution or with an enema in a mucous decoction, intramuscularly 25% solution of magnesium sulfate 2-4 times a day, 100-200 ml, intravenously solutions of glucose or calcium gluconate , 5% calcium bicarbonate solution up to 500 ml, hemodez, polyglucin, cocarboxylase 200 mg, oxygen therapy, for detoxification - 20% glucose solution 400 ml, 0.5% novocaine solution 200 ml and insulin 15 units. For one injection, 2.5% aminazine solution is administered intramuscularly as a tranquilizer.

4. Feeding a mare with foal. Diet requirements

After fertilization, pregnancy causes changes throughout the mare's body. At the same time, pregnant mares are used for work. In the first half of foaling, the mare has access to average work, after six months - quiet, light work, and two months before foaling, the mares are freed from all work, but given step-by-step guidance. The duration of pregnancy in mares is 11 months, or 335 days, with fluctuations from 315 to 360 days, depending on the breed characteristics, age of the mare, sex of the fetus, feeding and maintenance conditions. As a rule, young primiparous mares carry the fetus longer, while old and emaciated mares in most cases do not carry the fetus to term. Trotting breeds have a shorter fruiting period than heavy breeds. Feeding of pregnant mares should be organized so that the mares are in factory condition throughout the entire pregnancy period. Animals should not be allowed to become obese or emaciated. The live weight of mares during the pregnancy period increases by an average of 20%: trotting breeds - by 100 kg, heavy breeds - by 120 kg. Underfeeding of pregnant mares increases the gestation period and is often the cause of unsuccessful foaling. Foals from poorly prepared dams are born weak and developmentally delayed. Poor feeding weakens the health of mares and negatively affects milk production after foaling. The need of pregnant mares for nutrients increases from 9 months of pregnancy due to the large expenditure of energy, protein, minerals and vitamins for fetal development, the deposition of reserves in the body, which are used in the first time after foaling for lactation. The general level of feeding of mares from 9 months of pregnancy is 44.4 ECU. per 100 kg of live weight. Per 1 ECU of diet there should be 10.45 MJ of metabolizable energy, 1.43 kg of dry matter, 100 g of digestible protein, 6.4 g of lysine, 286 g of crude fiber, 3.5 g of table salt, 6.4 g of calcium, 5 .0 g phosphorus, 21 mg carotene, 570 IU vitamin D3, 6 mg vitamin E and a certain amount of vitamins B complex and J trace elements. Lack of protein, minerals and vitamins in the diets of pregnant mares often causes abortions and the birth of weak foals. In this case, abortions can occur at the beginning, as well as at the end of pregnancy. Most often, young mares are aborted, whose bodies are most sensitive to inadequate feeding. Therefore, when feeding pregnant mares after 9 months. pregnancy requires an individual approach. In the structure of diets of pregnant mares in winter period roughage takes up about 55%, concentrates - 40% and juicy - 5% of the norm of feed units. In the last two months of pregnancy, the amount of roughage in the diet slightly decreases and the amount of concentrates increases. In the diets of pregnant mares with a live weight of 500-600 kg in winter include: hay - 9-10 kg, oats - 5 kg, wheat bran - 1 kg, wheat bran 1 kg, premix (P 74-1) - 200 g, table salt - 30-35 g per day. It is advisable to give part of the grain in sprouted form, and part of the feed to leaven, you can give root vegetables. The best source of protein, minerals and vitamins during the stall period is good quality meadow hay, cereal and legume hay. As part of the concentrates, in addition to oats, barley is fed in an amount of about 1 kg, corn - up to 1 kg per day. IN summer period The diet of pregnant mares includes ad libitum pasture grass or green mass of field grass - 50-70 kg, hay - 2 kg, concentrates - 2-3 kg, table salt - 30 g per head per day. The transition from one diet to another should be gradual. In the spring, the transition from feeding mares with hay to green grass should be carried out within 7-10 days, gradually reducing the amount of hay and increasing the grazing time. During the grazing period, it is important to take into account the weather conditions and the nature of the grass stand. For pregnant mares, all feed should be of good quality. Pregnant mares are fed 3-4 times a day at regular intervals. In winter, they should be given water warmed to stable temperature (8-10°C). Drinking cold water can also cause miscarriage. 10-15 days before foaling, the volume of the feed ration is reduced by reducing roughage in the diet, bean hay is excluded from the diet, rolled oats and wheat bran are given in the form of thick porridge.

During this period, pregnant mares are fed at strictly defined times. In stud farms, feed is usually distributed at 6 a.m., 11 a.m., and 10-11 p.m. (roughage). The introduction of carrots, beets, and good silage into the diet increases the milk production of queens. Particular attention should be paid to the quality of feed, because indigestion in the mother, as a rule, leads to gastrointestinal diseases in the foal.

After foaling, it is useful to give the mare a decoction of a mixture of wheat bran and flaxseed meal. In the first days of lactation, the mare is given hay and 1.5 - 2 kg of oatmeal or bran in the form of thick porridge. Gradually, the feed supply is increased and by the 6th - 8th day they are transferred to a full ration.

Suckling mares produce a significant amount of milk. It is generally accepted that for 1 kg of milk, in addition to maintenance feeding, 3.4 MJ (0.20 ECU) and 35 g of digestible protein should be given. Mares used for work should be given an additional 31 - 42 MJ (1.77 - 2.37 ECU). The premix P 74-1 for breeding queens contains (per 1 kg): vitamins - A - 1 million ME, D3 - 100 thousand ME, E-. 1 g, K - 100 mg, B1-150 mg, B2 - 400 mg, B3 - 800 mg, B5 - 2 g, B6 - 250 mg, B12 - 1.5 mg, Sun - 50 mg; magnesium - 20 g, microelements - iron - 1 g, manganese - 3 g, zinc - 4 g, copper - 250 mg, iodine - 50, cobalt - 50 mg.

Sample rations for mares during the grazing period .

Components	Riding and trotting breeds live weight 500 - 550 kg			Heavy breeds, live weight 600 kg
Singles	Pregnancy (from 9 months)	Lactating	Singles	Pregnancy (from 9 months)	Lactating
Mixed grass hay, kg	-	-	-	-	-	-
Mixed grass (withered to 56% humidity), kg	8	9	10	8	10	10
Oats, kg	-	-	-	2	-	-
Barley, kg	2	3	3	3	3	3
Bran, kg	-	1	2	-	1	2
Carrots, kg	1	1	1	1,5	1	2
Cake, kg	0,5	-	-	0,5	-	-
Chicken eggs, pcs.	1	1	1	-	1	1
Table salt, g	27	33	40	29	36	43
Premix, kg	0,1	0,2	0,4	0,4	0,5	0,5

Feeding standards for mares (9th month of pregnancy), per head per day

Index	Riding and trotting				Heavy trucks
Live weight, kg
400	500	600	400		500	600
Dry matter, kg	10	12,5	15	12,5		15	17,5
EKE	7,3	9,2	11	9,2		11	12,8
Metabolic energy, MJ	73,2	91,5	109,8	91,8		109,8	127,7
Crude protein, kg	1	1,25	1,5	1,25		1,5	1,75
Digestible protein, kg	0,7	0,87	1,05	0,87		1,05	1,22
Lysine, g	45	56	67	56		67	79
Crude fiber, kg	2	2,5	3	2,5		3	3,5
Table salt, g	24	30	36	30		36	42
Calcium, g	45	56	67	56		67	79
Phosphorus, g	35	44	52	44		52	61
Magnesium, g	13	16	19,5	16		19,5	22,7
Iron, mg	800	1000	1200	1000		1200	1400
Copper, mg	85	106	127	106		127	149
Zinc, mg	300	375	450	375		450	525
Manganese, mg	300	375	450	375		450	525
Cobalt, mg	4	5	6	5		6	7
Iodine, mg	4	5	6	5		6	7
Carotene, mg	150	187	225	187		225	262
Vitamins:
A (retinol), thousand IU	60	74,8	90	74,8		90	104,8
D (cholecalciferol), thousand IU	4	5	6	5		6	7
E (tocopherol), mg	250	312	375	312		375	437
B1 (thiamine), mg	30	37,5	45	37,5		45	52,5
B2 (riboflavin), mg	35	44	52,5	44		52,5	61
B3 (pantothenic acid), mg	50	62,5	75	62,5		75	87,5
B4 (choline), mg	1000	1250	1500	1250		1560	1750
PP (niacin), mg	65	81	97	81		97	114
B6 (pyridoxine), mg	15	19	22	19		22	26
B12g (cyanocobalamin), mgc	60	75	90	75		90	105
Sun (folic acid), mg	14	17	21	17		21	24

5. Features of feeding technique

The basic principles of horse feeding have been developed over many years and have stood the test of time. Today we know much more about their scientific background, and they work the same as before. They are all equally important.

1. The horse should always have access to fresh and clean water.

2. The horse should be fed in accordance with its temperament and condition.

3. When feeding, the horse's weight must be taken into account.

4. You need to feed the animal after the work has been done, and not before it.

5. Feed your horse rations high in fiber for gut health. The diet should consist of approximately 50% roughage.

6. Feed by weight, not volume - weigh the scoop and standard net of hay.

7. It is customary to feed the horse at the same time every day. Horses develop habits very quickly and like to follow a routine.

8. Feed in small portions, but often in accordance with the digestive physiology of horses. The stomach works best when two-thirds full, meaning its active capacity is only 6% of the total capacity of the digestive tract.

9. For each feeding there should be 2-2.5 kg of feed.

10. When feeding, use only high quality feed. Do not feed your animal dusty food that contains mold.

11. Introduce all changes in the animal’s diet gradually to reduce the risk of digestive disorders.

12. Do not load your horse immediately after eating. After eating, 2-3 hours should pass before the horse begins to work. Do not feed her until an hour after finishing work.

6. Practical methods for monitoring the adequacy of feeding

Practical control methods include:

1. Veterinary and zootechnical methods for monitoring the completeness of feeding:

Animal behavior

Animal's appetite

· Number of feeds

Product quality

· Feed diet analysis

· Number of offspring

Reproduction rates

2. Biochemical control methods and tests, used to evaluate diets:

· Examination of blood samples

Milk, eggs

· Animal tissue.

Calculation part

Table 1. Duration of winter and summer periods for keeping cows by zones of the country and diets.

A cow with an annual milk yield of 9490 kg

live weight 500kg

average daily milk yield 26kg

EKE required per year 7482.5 (100%)

Form 1 Calculation of feed requirements per cow per year and per day based on the structure of the annual diet.

Indicators	Stern
	rude		juicy				green food		Concentrates*
	Cereal-legume hay	Oat straw	Grass cutting	Haylage	Corn silage.	Root club-non-fruit beet food.	Pasture 90%	Feeding 10%	Concentrates*
	Cereal-legume hay	Oat straw	Grass cutting	Haylage	Corn silage.	Root club-non-fruit beet food.	Water meadow grass		Sorghum	Soybean cake
Structure of the annual diet (% of the total nutritional value of the diet)	16	4	-	-	30	1	26		17	6
Feed units (at the expense of individual feeds), kg EKE	1197,2	299,3	-	-	2244,75	74,83			1272	449
ECE content in 1 kg of feed	0,65	0,54	-	-	0,23	0,17	0,29	0,29	1,08	1,29
Feed required per year. kg	1841,85	554,26	-	-	9759,78	440,18	6037,76	670,69	1177,8	348
Duration of feeding, days.	210	210	-	-	210	210	155	155	365
Feed per day for a year (consumed mass), kg	8,77	2,64	-	-	46,48	2,10	38,95	4,33	3,2	1
Adjustment for possible losses during storage (based on feed requirements for the year), %	10	10	-	20	20	10	20 - 30 *	5	-	-
kg	184,19	55,43	-	-	1951,96	44,02	1509,44	33,53	-	-
Insurance fund (per year requirement), %	15	15	-	20	20	-	-	-	-	-
kg	276,28	83,14	-	-	1951,96	-	-	-	-	-
It is required to prepare feed for a year, taking into account the insurance fund and adjustments for feed losses during storage, kg	2302,32	692,83	-	-	3663,7	484,2	7547,2	704,22	1177,8	348

* If necessary, you can use 2-3 types of concentrated feed

** When using grass from long-term cultivated pastures

***When using grass from natural pastures.

Form 2 Nutritional content of 1 kg of feed (taking into account quality).

Name	Dry matter, kg	EKE	Metabolic Energy, MJ	Digestible Protein, g	Sugar, g	Fiber, g	Ca, g	R, g	Mn, mg	Cu, mg	Co, mg	J, mg	Carotene, mg	Vitamin D, IU
Cereal-legume hay	0,83	0,65	6,5	51	29	237	5,6	1,3	132,8	2,1	0,2	0,3	24	300
Oat straw	0,83	0,54	5,4	17	4	324	3,4	1	90	2,9	0,7	0,4	2	5
Corn silage	0,25	0,23	2,3	14	6	75	1,4	0,4	4	1	-	0,1	20	50
Fodder beet	0,12	0,17	1,7	9	40	9	0,4	0,5	11,1	1,9	0,1	-	0,1	-
Water meadow grass	0,311	0,29	2,9	26	24	86	1,1	0,4	21	2	0,1	-	30	3,2
Soybean cake	0,9	1,29	12,9	393	100	54	4,3	6,9	34,2	16,7	0,09	0,36	2	9,5
Sorghum	0,85	1,08	10,8	85	45	34	1,2	3	15,5	9,8	0,3	-	1,2	-

Note: The list of feeds is taken from the table 1 (according to the assignment).

Form 3 Analysis of the average daily ration of a cow for winter stall period.

Name	Kg	Dry matter, kg	EKE	Metabolic Energy, MJ	Digestible Protein, g	Sugar, g	Fiber, g	Ca, g	R, g	Mn, mg	Cu, mg	Co, mg	J, mg	Carotene, mg	Vitamin D, IU
Cereal-legume hay	8,77	7,28	5,7	57	447,27	254,33	2078,49	50,11	11,4	1164,66	18,42	1,75	2,63	210,48	2631
Oat straw	2,64	2,19	1,43	14,25	44,88	10,56	855,36	8,98	2,64	237,6	7,66	1,85	1,06	5,28	13,2
Corn silage	46,48	11,62	10,69	106,9	650,72	278,88	3486	65,97	18,59	185,92	46,48	-	4,65	929,6	2324
Fodder beet	2,1	0,25	0,36	3,57	18,9	84	18,9	0,94	1,05	23,31	3,99	0,21	-	0,21	-
Soybean cake	1	0,9	1,29	12,9	393	100	54	4,4	6,9	34,2	16,7	0,09	0,36	2	9,5
Sorghum	3,2	2,72	3,5	35,6	272	144	108,8	3,84	9,6	49,6	31,36	0,96	-	3,84	-
Contained in the diet:	64,19	24,96	22,97	230	1826,8	871,8	6601,5	134,4	50,18	1661,1	124,61	4,86	8,7	1151,4	4977,7
Required by standard:	-	21,3	21,3	213	1960	1960	4500	134	96	1215	190	14,9	16,8	840	18.7 thousand
Difference to normal ±:	-	+3,66	+1,67	+17	-133,2	-1088,2	+2101,5	+0,4	-45,82	+446,1	-65,4	-10,04	-8,1	+311,4	-13.72 thousand
Contained in 1 kg of dry matter:	-	1	0,92	9,2	73,2	34,93	264,5	5,38	2,01	66,6	4,99	0,19	0,35	46,12	199,4
Required by standard per 1 kg dry matter	-	1	1	10	92,02	92,02	211,27	6,29	4,5	57	8,92	0,7	0,79	39,14	877,9

Ca/P =2.6 SPO = 0.5

Form 4 Analysis of the average daily diet of a cow for the summer period

Name	Kg	Dry matter, kg	EKE	Metabolic Energy, MJ	Digestible Protein, g	Sugar, g	Fiber, g	Ca, g	R, g	Mn, mg	Cu, mg	Co, mg	J, mg	Carotene, mg	Vitamin D, IU
Water meadow grass (pasture + fertilizing)	43,28	13,46	12,55	125,51	1125,28	1038,72	3722,08	47,61	17,31	908,88	86,56	4,33	-	1298,4	138,5
Soybean cake	1	0,9	1,29	12,9	393	100	54	4,4	6,9	34,2	16,7	0,09	0,36	2	9,5
Sorghum	3,2	2,72	3,5	35,6	272	144	108,8	3,84	9,6	49,6	31,36	0,96	-	3,84	-
Contained in the diet:	47,48	17,08	17,34	174,01	1790,28	1282,72	3884,9	55,85	33,81	992,7	134,62	5,38	0,36	1304,2	148
Required by standard:	-	21,3	21,3	213	1960	1960	4500	134	96	1215	190	14,9	16,8	840	18.7 thousand
Difference to normal ±:	-4,22	-3,96	-38,99	-169,7	-677,28	-615,12	-78,15	-62,19	-222,32	-55,38	-9,52	-16,44	+464,2	-18552
Contained in 1 kg of dry matter:	1	1,01	10,1	104,8	75,1	227,5	3,27	1,98	58,1	7,9	0,31	0,02	76,4	8,7
Required by standard per 1 kg dry matter	1	1	10	92,02	92,02	211,27	6,29	4,5	57	8,92	0,7	0,79	39,44	877,9

Ca/P =1.65 SPO = 0.72

Form 5. Calculation of the structure of the average daily ration of a cow for the winter and summer periods.

Type of feeding Low concentration

Form 6 . Calculation of the need for balancing additives.

Missing battery	Winter stall period				Summer period				Total Supplements Required per cow per year.
	Daily shortage.		Supplements required		Daily deficiency	Type of balancing additive and content of the missing element in it	Supplements required
	Daily shortage.		on the head	for the winter period, days	Daily deficiency		per head per day	for summer
Energy, EKE	-	-	-	-	3,96	Partially compensated. due to molasses	-	-	-
Digest, protein, g.	133,2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sahara, city	1088,2	Beetroot molasses 543g per 1kg	2kg	420 kg	677,28	Beetroot molasses 543g per 1kg	1.2kg	186 kg	606 kg
Sa, Mr.	-	-	-	-	78,15	Chalk exhausted 40 g per 100 g	195.4g	30.3kg	30.3kg
R, Mr.	45,82		532.8g	111.9 kg	62,19	Feed water disodium phosphate 8.6g per 100g	723.1g	112.1kg	224kg
Mn, mg.	-	-	-	-	222,32	Manganese sulfate	1.01g	156.6g	156.6g
Cu, mg.	65,4	Copper sulfate	277 mg	58.17g	55,38	Copper sulfate	234.6 mg	36.4g	94.57g
Co, mg.	10,04	Cobalt chloride	40.5 mg	8.5g	10,24	Cobalt chloride	41.3 mg	6.4g	14.9g
J, mg.	8,1	Potassium iodide coefficient 1.328	10.8 mg	2.26g	16,44	Potassium iodide	21.8 mg	3.4g	5.7g
Carotene, mg.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Vitamin D, ME	13.72 thousand	Irradiated yeast 14.IU per 1g	1 year	210g	18.6 thousand	Alive find. on pasture, lack of compensation. solar rays.	-	-	210g.

Conclusion on the calculation task

Having analyzed the diet for this cow, we can conclude that an imbalance of some nutritional elements has been identified. This is sugar, balanced by adding molasses; calcium is equalized by introducing calcareous tuff and decomposed chalk into the diet; phosphorus, the deficiency is compensated by feed water disodium phosphate; manganese (only in the summer diet), equalized with manganese sulfate; copper – copper sulfate; cobalt – cobalt chloride; iodine – potassium iodide; and vitamin D (in the winter diet) is balanced by adding irradiated yeast to the cow's diet.

Based on the consumption of concentrates per 1 kg of milk, we can conclude that the type of feeding is low-concentrate.

With a lack of energy and protein, animals experience varying degrees of exhaustion, decreased productivity, reproductive capacity, immunity, slowdown and cessation of growth (in young animals). A lack of nutrients, vitamins and microelements can lead to disruption of the body’s vital functions, the functions of vital organs, metabolic disorders and exhaustion. It is also possible to disrupt reproductive functions, experience stress, decrease appetite, or refuse food.

Even a small deficiency can have serious negative consequences. So deficit calcium and phosphorus can lead to poor bone mineralization, enlarged joints, swelling of the limbs and displacement of the axes of tubular bones. Cows are characterized by incorrect positioning of their limbs, stiff and uncoordinated movements. In adult animals, teeth become loose; in young animals, their appearance and replacement are delayed. Shortage manganese leads to impaired reproductive abilities, possible resorption of fruits and decreased productivity. It is accompanied by lameness, shortening and weakness of the legs, inflexibility of the joints, as well as increased fat secretion in piglets. Shortage magnesium in foals it leads to muscle degeneration, emaciation, decreased rumen pH, lack of appetite in lactating cows, unsteady gait, muscle cramps, excessive drooling, convulsions are noted. If the supply of these essential minerals is insufficient, the body releases calcium, phosphorus and magnesium from the bones, thereby reducing their strength. Shortage copper leads to damage to articular cartilage, which can subsequently cause lameness in adult horses. Studies of foals identified as copper deficient show that although not all have outward signs of deficiency, all have changes in cartilage. In cattle, the appetite worsens, the increase in live weight decreases, there is a general underdevelopment of animals, a perversion of taste (licking), anemia (anemia), and diarrhea. The hair becomes discolored, especially around the eyes, and temporary sterility occurs in cows. In pigs and sheep - bending, dragging of limbs, weakness. Shortage cobalt leads to a perversion of appetite in cattle (eating wool, soil, wood), the wool becomes coarse, shaggy, and the skin flakes off. Young animals have diarrhea, exhaustion, and death. Flaw iodine leads to a disruption of the cyclicity of estrus in queens, a decrease in fertilization, fertility, possible abortions, delayed placenta, the birth of a dead or non-viable offspring. Flaw vitamin A D leads to deterioration of the hairline, a decrease in the shine of the coat, its coarseness and shaggyness.

It is necessary to combine good housing conditions and a rationed feeding system in order to have healthy animals, high productivity and fertile healthy offspring.

List of used literature

· Productive horse breeding. Kalashnikov V.V. // Animal Science 2002 No. 2.

· Electronic reference book "Oryol Trotter"

· Burns M. Feeding horses. Per. from English - VNIIK, 1981 - 21 p. (P-338)

· Baudouin N. On new feeding standards for horses. Per. from French - VNIIK, 1985 - 3 p. (P-591)

· Dakkor R., Vuigner R. Assessment of the quality of combined feed for horses. Per. from French - VNIIK, 1993 - 10 p. (P-928)

· Feed additives in horse diets. Per. from English - VNIIK, 1996 - 5 p. (P-1003)

· Korneman H. Feeding and health of horses. Per. with him. - VNIIK, 1980 - 17 p. (P-283)

· Lennox J. Compilation of rations and feeding of horses. Per. from English - VNIIK - 7 p. (P-124)

· Mazurchak E. Feed additive for horses. Per. from English - VNIIK, 1989 - 4 p. (P-784)

· Toporova L.V. , Arkhipov A.V. Workshop on feeding farm animals.

· Magazine "Horse World" Art. Feeding a mare with foal.

· Maria Zeveke, Nizhny Novgorod Newspaper "Cat and Dog" 1998 - 12.

· G.L. Rybin, N.G. Sveshnikov "About the Russian riding school" publishing house "Svetlana P" 1998

· Prince S.P. Urusov "The Book of the Horse" edition St. Petersburg, Russian Book Partnership "Activist" 1911 - Moscow, Tsentrpoligraf 2002.

Features of feeding horses

Normalized feeding of working horses is a necessary condition for maintaining their high performance, health and fertility. The horse has significant differences in the structure of the digestive organs compared to ruminants. The stomach volume of a horse is 7-8 times less than that of cattle. One of the main tasks of proper feeding of horses is to ensure the highest level of digestive processes. This is controlled by the dry matter content of the feed ration. Sufficient feeding is also judged by the condition of the horses.

With proper feeding, regardless of the nature of the work, the horses' condition should be good. The main nutrients that serve as a source of energy for muscular work are carbohydrates and fats. The use of protein as an energy source leads to severe exhaustion and weakening of the body, and therefore the horse’s performance is significantly reduced.

Feed and feeding technique

During hard work, reduce the amount of roughage and increase the supply of concentrates. For working horses, pregnant and suckling mares, good succulent feeds include corn silage, sugar beets, feed carrots, and potatoes. The provision of succulent feed in the diet of horses can be recommended from 2 to 4 kg per 1 kg of live weight. From concentrated feeds, horses are fed oats, corn, barley, rye, legumes, bran and various cakes. It is recommended to feed corn and other hard grains in crushed form; barley, and especially rye, should be fed no more than 1/3 of the grain feed, since they are highly hygroscopic and often cause colic in horses.

For working horses, the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Horse Breeding has developed feed standards for different work intensity, which should be used to guide the preparation of feed rations.

In addition to the feed ration, the horse should receive table salt. For light work it should be given in the amount of 5-7 g per 1 kg of animal weight, for medium - 7-9 and for heavy work - 8-10 g. Pregnant mares, if they are used at work, should receive additionally 1.5-2.0 feed units. Lactating mares need to increase the norm in the first 3 months of lactation by 4 feed units, and in subsequent months of lactation - by 2-3 feed units. All of the above supplements must contain 100 g of digestible protein per feed unit.

Horses should be fed at least 3 times during the day. The time of morning feeding is set depending on the start of work so that the horse eats all the given food 1-1.5 hours before going to work.

The order of feeding horses is as follows: roughage, succulent feed and concentrated feed, which are recommended to be fed after watering the horse. It is advisable to water the horse after each feeding of roughage and before distributing concentrates. You cannot water your horse immediately after work, when it has not yet cooled down. When watering horses while working, it is necessary to work on them after watering for about 30 minutes. After this, the horses can be rested and fed.

Feeding is one of the main factors determining a horse's performance. A horse expends a certain amount of energy to do work. Therefore, the diet of such a horse must contain the necessary amount of nutrients to maintain life and compensate for the body’s energy expenditure on muscle activity. Feeding standards for working horses are established taking into account their live weight and the amount of work they perform. Every month the animals are weighed and their fatness is determined. It is recommended that horses with reduced body condition be given 5-6 feeds per 1 kg of live weight gain in addition to the established norms. units

Diets for working horses should consist mainly of cheap carbohydrate feed and be balanced in protein, vitamins and minerals. When compiling rations, the taste of the feed, its palatability, as well as the age and fatness of the animals and the amount of work they perform are taken into account. Any food should be eliminated from the diet or a new one should be added to it gradually.

From roughage, horses eat good quality hay - meadow hay or mixtures of seed grasses; from hummocks - oat straw and chaff (preferably after steaming). It is recommended to include potatoes, beets, and carrots in the diet. Of the concentrates, oats are considered the best. However, oats alone cannot fully meet the nutritional needs of a horse's body. Therefore, in addition to it, mineral and vitamin supplements are included in the diet. Instead of oats, you can include barley and corn in your diet. It is good to give horses steamed porridge made from oats and bran with the addition of a decoction of flaxseed. When using these feeds, horses quickly regain their condition.

In the autumn, the main food for working horses can be freshly cut green grass. During free time from work, especially at night, it is recommended to keep working horses on pastures. If necessary, they are fed with concentrates, especially during periods of intense work. To avoid digestive upset, horses should be transferred to pasture gradually. When kept in a stable, working horses are fed 3 times a day - in the morning, at lunch and in the evening, and during long periods of work - every 3 hours. Half of the daily requirement of roughage is given at night, and the rest - equally in the morning and at noon. Concentrates are fed in equal parts in the morning, afternoon and evening. Horses are fed at certain times according to the daily routine, which promotes better digestibility and absorption of feed. First they give roughage, and then concentrates.

When working hard, especially in hot weather, the horse sweats a lot. A lot of water and salts, especially sodium chloride, are excreted through sweat, so horses should be given 40-60 g of lick salt daily. Every day horses consume from 40 to 60 liters of water, and in hot weather and during hard work - up to 80 liters. It is recommended to water horses 3 times a day, during work for 20-30 minutes. before the rest break and at least 1 hour before resuming work. Hot horses should not be given water immediately; only if they are extremely thirsty, they can be given 3-4 sips of water. To avoid colic, animals should not be given water immediately after eating oats or green food. In the evening the horses are given plenty of water.

In the summer, work and rest hours must be distributed so that horses rest and feed during the hottest time of the day. Work should begin at earlier hours and finish at later hours, lengthening the lunch break.

Timely grooming is essential to the health of a working horse. Horses are cleaned every morning before work begins. To do this, use a brush, and to clean the brush from hair and dust, use a scraper.

A good hygienic remedy in the summer to clean a horse’s skin is a 10-15 minute bath at a water temperature of 14-16 °C. Water removes dried sweat, refreshes the body, relieves lethargy and muscle fatigue. After bathing, metabolism increases, overall vitality increases, and as a result, the horse’s performance increases.

After work, it is useful to rub the horse with a straw rope, especially in the areas where the collar and saddle fit. In order for a horse to perform well, timely trimming and shoeing of hooves is necessary. Upon returning from work, the horse's hooves are cleaned of dirt with a wooden knife so as not to injure the frogs. Work horses are re-shoeed every 30-45 days. In cases where horses are not shod, it is necessary to trim and trim their hooves once a month so that they have the correct shape.

When working horses are used year-round, they are kept in stables designed for 20, 40 and 60 places. Working horses are kept in stalls, deep-foaled mares, mares with suckling foals and stud stallions in stalls. A two-row arrangement of stalls and stalls is used, the width of the common feeding passage is 2.6-3 m. No more than 12 stalls or 30 stalls are placed in one continuous row. To ensure optimal temperature and humidity conditions and the gas composition of the air, the stables are equipped with a flow-exhaust ventilation system.

The partitions between the stalls are made of rolls (cymbals) 10-12 cm thick at a height of 1 m in the front part of the stall, 0.65 m in the rear. Horses in stalls are kept on halters (possibly with rope or belt leashes). Feeders in stalls and stalls are made in the form of troughs 1-1.2 m long, 0.6 at the top, 0.4 at the bottom, 0.3 m deep, the distance from the floor to the top of the feeder is 1.1 m. In the trough arrange a compartment 0.4 m long for concentrated feed. The rest of the feeder is covered with a lifting grid with gaps of 0.3 m for roughage, the feeding front for adult horses is 1 m, for young animals - 0.6 m per animal.

The work that horses perform can be of three types: light, medium and heavy. Therefore, feeding is done from 3 to 7 times a day. The more work a horse does, the more it eats. So, for particularly difficult work, the feeding rate is 7 times a day.

Also, the nature of the work determines what kind of feed the horses need to be fed. When it is more coarse, and when it is concentrated. The harder the work, the more concentrated they give rather than coarse ones.

Rough feed is given from 1.5 to 2 kg per day per 100 kg of live weight.

Also, the value of the daily norm depends on the length of the animal’s working day, the speed at which the animal carried the loads, and how heavy they were.

In summer and winter, feeding standards are different.

For working horses, depending on the work performed, 1.3-2.2 feed per 100 kg of live weight is required. units Or for every 100 kg of live weight, a horse should receive 0.044 feed per hour. units for light work, for medium work - 0.06, for heavy work - 0.077 feed. units In light work, animals are usually used for about 4 hours, medium - 6 and heavy - 9 hours per day. Per 1 feed. units you need at least 80 g of digestible protein, 4-5 g of calcium and phosphorus, 15-20 mg of carotene.

When feeding horses, you need to take into account that the gastrointestinal tract of horses is not as capacious as that of cattle, therefore, when performing work, the digestive tract should not be overcrowded. Traditional types of feed are used in feeding horses: coarse (hay, haylage, straw, chaff), succulent (silage, root crops) and concentrates (oats, barley, rye, compound feed).

Horses eat good quality meadow hay well, as well as legume and cereal-legume hay without any preparation. Good hay contains complete protein, a complex of vitamins and mineral salts; it has a beneficial effect on the digestive process. Some of the hay in a working horse's diet can be replaced with good spring straw. Straw is fed to horses in a steamed form, flavored with mealy powder. Roughage in a horse's diet is used in the range of 1.5-3 kg per 1 kg of horse weight, depending on the nature of the work performed. During hard work, reduce the amount of roughage and increase the supply of concentrates. For working horses, pregnant and suckling mares, good succulent feeds include corn silage, sugar beets, feed carrots, and potatoes. The provision of succulent feed in the diet of horses can be recommended from 2 to 4 kg per 1 kg of live weight. From concentrated feeds, horses are fed oats, corn, barley, rye, grain legumes, bran and various cakes. It is recommended to feed corn and other hard grains in crushed form; barley, and especially rye, should be fed no more than 1/3 of the grain feed, since they are highly hygroscopic and often cause colic in horses.

The time of morning feeding is set depending on the start of work so that the horse eats all the given food 1-1.5 hours before going to work.

The needs of working horses are standardized according to 15 indicators: dry matter, feed units, metabolic energy, crude and digestible protein, crude fiber, salt, calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, cobalt, iodine, carotene.

In addition to the feed ration, the horse should receive table salt. For light work it should be given in the amount of 5-7 g per 1 kg of animal weight, for medium - 7-9 and for heavy work - 8-10 g. Pregnant mares, if they are used at work, should receive additionally 1.5-2.0 feed units. Lactating mares need to increase the norm in the first 3 months of lactation by 4 feed units, and in subsequent months of lactation - by 2-3 feed units. All of these supplements must contain 100 g of digestible protein per feed unit.

The approximate structure of the diet of working horses is shown in the table.

It is very important to correctly assess the nature of the horses' work. Thus, the use of horse traction in field work for 4 hours a day is classified as light work, for 6 hours - as medium work, and for 9 hours - as heavy work. Transport work is assessed by the number of kilometers traveled with a certain load. In this case, the horse requires the following amount of energy for every 100 kg/km of external mechanical work:

· at full normal load (traction force 12-16% of the horse’s weight) - 4.5 MJ of metabolic energy (0.43 feed, units);
· at 50% load (traction force 6-8%) - 5.8 MJ of exchangeable energy (0.55 feed, units);
· at 25% load (traction force 3-4%) - 8.4 MJ of exchange energy (0.8 feed units).

The increase in energy expenditure when the load decreases is explained by the fact that a horse needs to travel a significantly longer distance to perform similar work.

For transport work in off-road conditions, the energy requirement increases by 10% compared to the given indicators, and for field work - by 12%.

When a horse works under a rider, 0.03 feed is required for every 100 kg of the total mass of the animal and rider per 1 km of travel. units, and with free movement (without a rider) - 0.02.

The approximate metabolic energy requirement of a working horse is made up of the need to maintain life and the energy expenditure to perform work.

The need and efficiency of energy use are significantly influenced by the condition and work schedule of horses.

It has been established that during the first 2-3 hours of work with a full load, the horse uses easily digestible carbohydrates supplied with food and from the body’s reserves to provide energy to the working muscles. If there is a lack of carbohydrates, fats are included in energy metabolism. Horses of good condition quickly adapt to the use of fat as an additional source of energy under conditions of intense physical activity. In the body of horses with low fatness, fats are not oxidized as efficiently, and therefore their performance sharply decreases. Under these conditions, timely rest and feeding of animals significantly change the nature of metabolism in the muscles and the need for energy.

A sufficient level of feeding in combination with rational training of horses increases the ability of muscles to effectively use fatty acids as an energy source.

Certain adjustments to the energy requirements for performing work can be made by the breed characteristics and temperament of the animals.

Good performance of a horse and the full term of its economic use are possible only with normalized and adequate feeding. Feed standards for working horses are based on the need for energy and nutrients depending on the work performed. There are light, medium and heavy work. The amount of daily work depends on the length of the working day, traction force and speed of movement during work. The average pulling power of a horse is about 15% of live weight and, at a maximum, reaches 80% for a short time. Working horses are fed according to standards that depend on live weight and the work performed.

Table. Nutrient standards for working horses with a live weight of 500 kg (per head per day):

Energy and nutrient requirements of young working horses.

Foals have a critical period after weaning until they are one year old and must be very carefully fed a balanced diet with sufficient energy, protein, minerals and vitamins.

The table provides data from the textbook by Stekolnikov A.A.:

During the period of intensive growth of foals, 1 ECU of the diet should account for at least 10.5 MJ of metabolic energy. 100 g PP, 7.5 g calcium, 5.5 g phosphorus, 7 mg carotene, 300 IU vitamin D, no more than 170 g fiber.

The diets of young animals are controlled by the content of microelements (especially zinc, iodine and cobalt), as well as by the content of vitamins.

For young animals from 1 to 2 years of age, the diet per 1 ECU should contain at least 10.4 MJ of metabolic energy, 90 g of PP, 6 g of calcium, 5 g of phosphorus, 6.5 g of carotene, 260 IU of vitamin D, no more than 190 g fiber, as well as the required amount of iron, copper, zinc, cobalt and iodine.

For two-year-old foals, there should be at least 10.5 MJ of metabolic energy, 85 g of PP, 5.6 g of calcium, 5.6 g of phosphorus, 7 mg of carotene, 285 IU of vitamin D and a sufficient amount of trace elements.