Quality and physical form of the Tifton and Alfalfa hay on corporal biometry and performance of horses in short-term activity

• Grant number: 13/03075-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Pastures and Forage Crops
• Principal Investigator: Ciniro Costa
• Grantee: Ciniro Costa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Kátia de Oliveira ; Marcos Jun Watanabe ; Paulo Roberto de Lima Meirelles

Abstract

The amount of energy required to run the horse is directly related to the weight being moved. Thus, it is common for coaches adopt strategic food-restricted consumption of hay, aimed at reducing body weight (BW) of horses, to improve sports performance. This practice has caused an increase in the occurrence of digestive disorders and behavior. Further investigations have suggested that the quality of forage offered as well as the physical form can cause a reduction in the weight of the horses. In this sense, the research will aim to study the effect of quality alfalfa and tifton hay, as well as the physical form of the same in isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets on body biometrics horse and see if performance sport horse athletes, in modalities of three barrels, is influenced by variation in body weight and abdominal circumference, as a result of ingesting hay with different physical qualities and shapes. The research will consist of four trials, the trials 1 and 2, will aim verify the effect of the quality and physical form, respectively, of tifton and alfalfa hay on corporal biometry (body weight and abdominal circumference) and equine experiments 3 and 4, will study the effects of quality and physical form hay on performance sport horse athletes, in terms of three barrels. For each test 1 and 2, will be used six horses, crossbred, aged 6-7 years and 400 kg average BW. The treatments will have six diets consist of concentrated and hay and experimental design will be the Latin square 6 x 6 (six horses and six periods). At six treatments, test 1, the forage diet will consist of combinations of hay in 2 x 3 factorial, two forage (alfalfa and tifton) and three qualities of hay (A, B and C). While for the second experiment, the forage diets will consist of tifton and alfalfa hay in nutritional medium (type B) and three physical forms of hay, whole, pelleted and cubed (2 x 3 factorial), totaling six treatments. In trials 3 and 4 will use six horses for each study, the quarter-mile breed, specialized in the three barrels (PC average 400 kg). The treatments of the assays 3 and 4 shall the same as used in assays 1 and 2, respectively, designed in Latin square (6x6). The variables measured in horses for tests 1 and 2 will be body weight, abdominal circumference, water intake, fecal output, digestibility of DM diets, and moisture content in feces, indigestible fiber content in feces and plasma total protein concentration. The variable of assays 3 and 4 will consist of the performance test, speed, heart rate, body temperature and blood lactate. Variables related to corporal biometry, studies 1 and 2, and those relating to sports performance in athletic horses (trials 3 and 4) will be subjected to analysis of variance computer program Statistical Analysis System (SAS, 2000). Comparisons will be made between means by Tukey test at 5% significance. For the variables obtained before and after in the same horse will be compared using the paired "t" test. (AU)