Effects of feeding frequency on nutrient digestibility and feeding behaviour in the Turkmen horse

摘要

Intensively managed horses are often only provided with meals twice a day and this means that feed is consumed rapidly which may lead to the development of gastric ulcers and other health problems (Sendergaard et al., 2004). Increasing feed frequencyincreases chewing activity, stimulating salivation and breaking the forage into smaller pieces improving the action of enzymatic and microbial digestion (Mueller et al., 1998). Finding the right feeding frequency to control physiological, digestive, andbehavioural issues is crucial for the health of the horse (Clauss et al., 2009). Therefore, the aim of this trial was to assess the effect of increasing the feeding frequency, from 2 up to 8 times per day, on the feeding behaviour (i.e., chewing and rate of intake) and nutrient digestibility changes in Turkmen horses.