Harvested Forages for Horses From a Feeding Perspective—A Systematic Literature Review

ABSTRACT

Due to the important role of forages in equine diets, the aim of this project was to perform a systematic literature review of the area with relevance for Northern Europe. The objectives were to identify the currently available published peer‐reviewed literature on forages for horses from an equine feeding perspective and to summarize it to present the existing knowledge and identify knowledge gaps. The literature search resulted in 11,316 hits, but after removing duplicates and papers outside the study scope and inclusion criteria, 312 publications remained. The studies included were mainly about forage intake, forage digestion, digestibility, nutritive value, conservation and treatment methods of forages for horses, and forage hygienic quality in relation to health issues in horses. Forage intake and digestibility are to a large extent determined by forage fibre content even if it does not fully explain the variation, and more knowledge is needed on how to use different forage species in equine nutrition to suit the requirements of different horse categories. Several studies aiming at comparing different forage conservation methods had confounding factors in differing plant maturities or species, which restricted the possibility to draw any clear conclusions. Hygienic quality of forages and its impact on horse health was mainly covered in case reports and not comparative studies, except for silage and haylage having less respirable particles than hay, which is important for respiratory health. Further research is required within the area considering the importance of these feeds for a hindgut fermenter such as the horse.