Effect of feeding exercised horses on high-starch or high-fat diets for 390 days

Our hypothesis was that, because horses have not evolved as fat eaters, there may be negative metabolic long-term effects of feeding a high fat diet. The objective of the present study was to identify these long-term effects and compare them with the effects of isoenergetic long-term high starch feeding. This randomised block study with 20 exercised horses looked at the effect of feeding either a high starch (HS) or a high fat (HF) diet type in 3 periods during stabling (Stable 1), pasture, and stabling (Stable 2) over 390 days. The horses received a HS or HF concentrate, straw, hay and 6 h pasture/day in the pasture period. HF horses gained weight (2% of initial bwt) and, therefore, fat intake was reduced (from 1.43 to 0.88 g/kg bwt/day). Blood plasma glucose, total protein, albumins, gamma-globulins, free fatty acids, phospholipids and cholesterol concentrations were higher but urea concentration was lower with HF compared to HS feeding (P<0.05). Plasma concentrations of triglycerides, bilirubin and pre-beta lipoproteins were unaffected by the diet type. There were period effects (P<0.05) for all variables except triglycerides and pre-beta lipoproteins. In contrast to HS, in HF the quotient alpha/beta lipoproteins rose (P<0.05) throughout the stable periods and decreased (P<0.05) during 'pasture'. Glutamic acid dehydrogenase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activity in sera were within the normal range. In conclusion, on the precondition that substantial bodyweight changes were prevented, no apparent adverse effects of long-term high fat feeding were identified and there were no apparent disadvantages of feeding on high fat compared with high starch diets.