Equine Nutrition/Nutrient requirements

Nutrient requirements

Nutrient requirements are very much dependent on a number of aspects including 1) horse's size and function; 2) the capacity of the horse for feed; and 3) the nutrient composition of each of the available appropriate feeds (Frape, 2004).

There are five dominant and related factors that regulate appetite and capacity of horses for acceptable feed: 1) the volume of different parts of the intestinal tract; 2) the rate at which digesta travels through the intestinal tract; 3) the concentration of certain digestion products in the intestine; 4) the energy density and its chemical form in the feed; and 5) the energy demands of the horse(Frape, 2004).