Feeding practices and prevention of developmental diseases

摘要

Not only does the horse have exceptional physical abilities, it has also a fragile Orthopaedic structure. In view of its fast development and its increasingly early training, the young foal pays the highest price when it comes to Developmental Orthopaedic Diseases (DOD), thus compromising its athletic career. For many years, the relationship between food and DOD was analysed from the point of view of the lack or excess in a particular nutrient: DODs were principally considered as part of nutritionalaetiology: osteoporosis, rickets, osteofibrosis, osteopetosis (Wolter, 1988; Paragon 2000). They still exist but are now seen as anecdotic in the larger breeding context, since the care given to animals is very high and the errors underlying these affections are better prevented.