Effect of physical training on nutrient digestibility and faecal fermentative parameters in Standardbred horses.
Authors: Goachet A G, Harris P, Philippeau C, Julliand V
Journal: Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Physical Training Enhances Digestive Efficiency in Standardbred Horses Six previously sedentary Standardbred horses underwent formal digestibility and faecal fermentation testing before and after a five-week training programme, with dietary intake standardised at 2.1% body weight (55% hay, 45% pelleted feed) throughout. Physical training significantly improved the apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, neutral detergent fibre, hemicellulose, crude protein and gross energy, alongside meaningful increases in faecal volatile fatty acid production—particularly acetate and propionate—suggesting enhanced hindgut fermentation capacity. These findings indicate that moderate-intensity exercise stimulates the horse's digestive system to extract and utilise nutrients more efficiently, potentially increasing dietary energy availability without requiring feed intake adjustments. For practitioners managing horses in light work (1–3 hours weekly), this has important implications: rather than immediately increasing caloric intake to support new training loads, nutritionists and coaches should recognise that training itself improves feed conversion efficiency and may partially offset increased energy demands. This adaptive response merits consideration in conditioning programmes and nutritional planning, particularly for leisure and competition horses transitioning from rest or light activity into regular work.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Exercise training improves feed digestibility and hindgut fermentation in Standardbreds, meaning horses extract more energy from the same diet—adjust caloric intake downward when increasing work to prevent unwanted weight gain
- •Light work (1-3 h/week low-intensity exercise) produces measurable improvements in digestive efficiency, so even modest training programmes warrant nutritional reassessment
- •Monitor digestive health indicators (VFA production, manure quality) as training progresses, as the gut becomes more metabolically efficient and may respond differently to dietary changes
Key Findings
- •Five weeks of training significantly increased apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, NDF, hemicellulose, crude protein and gross energy (p < 0.05)
- •Faecal total volatile fatty acids, acetate and propionate concentrations were significantly higher after training (p < 0.05)
- •Training improved dietary energy supply primarily through increased hindgut VFA production
- •Body weight and condition score remained constant despite improved nutrient digestibility