Relationship Between Feed Olfactory Exploration and Consumption in Horses

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between horses’ behaviour during olfactory exploration and following consumption of the same food containing herbs, either previously exposed to the herb odour or not. Twenty horses’ responses to 14 herbs were compared in a smelling test, when the horses sniffed a herb, and after 20 min a consumption test, when they consumed oats mixed with the same herb. Before the tests, the horses were exposed to the scent of seven herbs, whereas the remaining seven herbs were non-pre-exposed. The results show that horses consumed oats with herbal additives, regardless of whether pre-exposed, significantly longer than oats alone. The possibility of changes in feeding behaviour should be taken into account in horse feeding management when introducing new feeds or herbal supplements. Times of sniffing and consuming a herb were not correlated, whereas significant correlations in specific behaviours between the smelling and consumption tests were few and weak (from −0.162 to +0.146). It may be suggested that horses’ olfactory exploration of a feed has limited predictive value in relation to their subsequent consumption of it. The results should be treated as preliminary and considered a starting point for further research.