The Positive Impact of Increasing Feeding Frequency on Feed Intake, Nutrient Digestibility, and Blood Metabolites of Turkmen Horses.
Authors: Direkvandi Ehsan, Rouzbehan Yousef, Fazaeli Hasan
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary Researchers investigated whether feeding frequency influences nutrient utilisation and metabolic status in horses, using 16 Turkmen horses (430 ± 46 kg) fed a 70:30 hay-to-concentrate diet at four different frequencies—2, 4, 6, or 8 meals daily—over 28 days. Digestibility coefficients (measured via acid-insoluble ash as an internal marker) and blood metabolite concentrations (sampled at 13 timepoints on day 27) improved progressively with increased meal frequency, with eight meals per day (M8) producing the most favourable results. Notably, horses fed twice daily showed significantly elevated diurnal mean concentrations of total protein, glucose, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein compared to higher-frequency treatments, whilst serum cholesterol remained unaffected by feeding schedule; crucially, no meaningful differences emerged between the four-, six-, and eight-meal regimens for either digestibility or metabolic markers. For equine professionals managing horses on concentrate diets, this suggests that increasing feeding frequency beyond 4–6 meals daily yields diminishing returns, making twice-daily feeding inadvisable if improved digestive efficiency and more stable metabolic profiles are desired—particularly relevant for performance and susceptible horses where minimising postprandial metabolic swings may reduce colic and metabolic stress.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Increasing feeding frequency to 8 meals daily improves nutrient digestibility compared to traditional 2-meal feeding, potentially enhancing nutritional efficiency
- •Feeding 2 meals per day results in higher blood glucose, triglycerides, and protein fluctuations throughout the day; more frequent feeding stabilizes metabolite levels
- •Practical compromise: feeding 4-6 times daily achieves digestibility and metabolic benefits similar to 8 meals, making it more feasible for most operations than 8-meal protocols
Key Findings
- •Feed intake was not significantly affected by feeding frequency (P > 0.05) across 2, 4, 6, or 8 meals per day
- •Nutrient digestibility was highest with 8 meals per day (M8) and increased progressively from M2 to M8
- •Diurnal mean blood metabolites (total protein, glucose, triglyceride, and LDL) were significantly elevated in the 2 meals per day treatment (P < 0.05)
- •No statistically significant differences in digestibility coefficients and serum metabolites were found between M4 and M6 treatments