Equine Feed Tags

Who has regulatory authority over pet-food products?

The FDA

Who sets standards for food labeling? (Hint: they are not a regulatory agency)

Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)

What 8 things, by law, are required to be on the equine food label?

Product/brand name, purpose statement, guaranteed analysis, ingredient statement, use (feeding) directions, precautionary statement (required if medicated), manufacturer name/address, and quantity statement (weight of bag)

True or False: Like small animals, ingredients have to be listed in order by weight from most to least on the equine food label.

False: Ingredients do not have to be listed in order by weight from most to least

What 5 things do you need to know when giving feeding directions?

Weight of horse, activity of the horse, recommended feeding rate listed on the feed bag, how much hay the horse is eating, and what the feed bag says about how much hay the horse is eating

You should feed concentrates by what and not by what?

By weight, not by volume

When feeding concentrates, what 2 things do you need to do?

Know total dry matter intake of forage, and feed not greater than 0.5% body weight

What 6 things are not required to be on the equine food label?

Quality/bioavailability of feedstuff, non-required nutrients, ingredient recipe, if quantity/level of nutrients is actually appropriate for the horse, quality control, and research

What are the 5 classes of horses?

Maintenance, performance (including stallions), broodmare, growing, and special needs (senior, metabolic concerns)

How many hours a week is a light workload? What is an example of a light workload?

1-3 hours per week. Example: Recreational riding

How many hours a week is a moderate workload? What are some examples of a moderate workload?

3-5 hours a week. Training, showing, and polo

How many hours a week is a heavy workload? What are some examples of a heavy workload?

4-5 hours a week. Ranch, polo, and showing

How many hours a week is an intense workload? What are some example of an intense workload?

6-12 hours a week. Racehorses, endurance, and elite training

True or False: The average horse can be maintained on good quality forage.

True

What 2 nutrients are more efficient for performance horses?

Carbs and fats

True or False: Required nutrients are the same for every category of broodmare, but intake differs.

True

In a calcium-phosphorus ratio, which should always be higher?

Calcium

True or False: Trace mineral supplementation of mare is important for the foal?

True

Lactating mares need energy for what?

Maintenance, milk production, and ± pregnancy

Which class of horses is next to racehorses in heavy training with the highest nutrient requirements?

Broodmares

What percent of mature weight are horses at birth?

About 10%

What percent of mature weight are horses at 1 year old?

61%

What percent of mature body weight are horses at 2 years old?

96%

What 4 things supply a growing foal?

Mare’s milk, pasture, supplemental concentrate, and mineral stores

True or False: If mare is well-managed in late gestation and milk is adequate, no concentrate is needed for foal until 90 days of age.

True

What is “creep feeding”?

Assuring the foal is accustomed to eating feed prior to weaning (max - 1lb of feed/month of age)

What is most vulnerable to disease in horses less than 12 months of age (weanling)?

The skeleton

What skeleton disease is more common in horses less than 12 months of age (weanling)?

Developmental Orthopedic Disease (DOD)

Growth and feeding management of yearlings depends on what?

Their career

True or False: DOD is less of a concern in yearlings since they are older than 12 months of age.

True

Besides DOD, what are 5 skeletal diseases young horses an develop?

Physitis, Osteochondrosis Dissecans (OCD), angular limb deformity, flexural deformity, and wobbler syndrome

What are 8 risk factors for skeletal diseases?

Genetics, environment, body size, growth rate, mechanical stress, trauma, hormones, and too many calories (starch/poorly balanced diets)

What are 3 “special needs” of horses?

Insulin dysregulation (ID), senior/dental problems, and obesity

What are two examples of insulin dysregulation (ID) diseases?

Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and Insulin Resistance (IR)

What are the 5 equine commercial feed classes?

Textured (concentrates - sweet feed), processed (concentrates - pelleted, extruded), complete feeds, ration/diet balancers, and supplements

Which equine commercial feed class has a high sugar/starch content, usually low in fat with variable protein, and is not meant to be feed to “special needs”?

Textured (concentrates - sweet feed)

Which equine commercial feed class is variable in sugar/starch, fat, and protein levels, anf has specific options for “special needs”?

Processed (concentrates - pelleted, extruded)

Which equine commercial feed class is a combination of roughage and concentrate, can be fed without hay, and is for “special needs”?

Complete feeds

Which equine commercial feed class “fills in the gaps”?

Ration/diet balancers

Which equine commercial feed class adds additional nutrition for “special needs”?

Supplements

What is the name of the equine body condition score chart?

Henneke Body Condition Score

Equine body condition score is on a scale of 1 to?

9

What is the ideal body condition score of equine?

4.5 to 6

What do you need to do in equine that are under-conditioned?

Assess diet, management, and animal health, need to increase plane of nutrition by adding energy and fat, and be mindful of other disease processes

What do you need to do in equine that are over-conditioned?

Assess diet, management, and animal health, need to decrease plane of nutrition by changing/removing concentrate, exercise the horse

True or False: Commercial feeds are designed to meet nutrient requirements, but only if a minimum threshold of feed is met.

True

What type of feed do you need to use to accomplish a nutritionally complete diet?

Ration balancer