Forage nutritive analysis in practical equine feeding: challenges and opportunities

Previous research has shown that forage nutritive analyses are not used to any large extent in equine nutrition. As forages differ widely in nutritional quality, knowledge of the nutritive value is essential to avoid under- or overfeeding of horses.

The aim of this study was to investigate how forage nutritive analyses were used among horse owners in Sweden, and to identify challenges horse owners encounter with such analyses.

Data was collected through an online survey with questions about the respondent, access to forage analytical reports, if and how the respondent used such reports and how the use of it could be facilitated.

The survey yielded 425 complete responses, and 84% of the respondents (356 of 425) had access to a forage nutritive analytical report. Of these, 185 (52%) used it for calculation of feed rations followed by 160 (45%) using it for estimates of forage allowance amounts. Of the 16% (69 of 425) who did not have access to a report, 39% (27 of 69) stated that difficulties in obtaining a representative sample was the main reason for not conducting analyses while 26% (18 of 69) stated it was unnecessary. A lower price for the analysis (40%, 168 of 425) and specific feeding recommendations (32%, 135) were suggested to facilitate use of forage analyses in equine feeding.

A high proportion of survey respondents had access to a forage analytical report, but improved information on how to use the report could facilitate further use of it.