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Nutritional supplements in support of equine welfare

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2018

P Harris
P Harris*
Affiliation:
Equine Studies Group, WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, Melton Mowbray, Leics. Email: pat.harris@eu.effem.com
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Extract

In the wild, the horse would spend most of the day roaming and foraging in an externally variable environment as part of a herd. As non-ruminant herbivores they are well suited to a high fibre, low starch diet. They rarely fast voluntarily for more than 2 –4 hrs at a time and would naturally forage for 16-18hrs a day. Modern horse management often brings the horse into a small enclosed, isolated environment and limits the feeding occasions. What and when they are able to eat, is now predominantly determined by ourselves and we therefore have to take responsibility for the effects of our choice of management practices on their health and welfare. It is becoming increasingly apparent that some of these practices may not be optimal for the welfare of horses (Davidson and Harris 2003).

Animal welfare has been defined ecologically as the good fit of an animal to its environment (Kronfeld et al 1998).

Type
Research Article
Information
BSAP Occasional Publication , Volume 35: Applying Equine Science: Research into Business , 2006 , pp. 95 - 101
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Production 2006

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