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Favorite Flavors
A
new study reveals that horses love bananas and … fenugreek?
by Tracy Williams
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As
a horse-owner, you have probably personally witnessed your horse
separate carefully-blended powdered medication from the grains
of his feed or watched him nibble every last shred of leaf before
eating the hay stalks. Obviously horses can taste different
nuances of flavor and prefer some over others. In a new study,
British researchers took this knowledge a step further and discovered
that out of 15 options, the studied horses preferred to munch
banana and fenugreek over other flavors.
Several historical research trials indicate horses crave variety;
in the wild, they will consume up to 50 types of forage as they
roam and graze throughout the day. According to Deborah Goodwin,
head researcher of the new study, many horses experience "dietary
monotony" through domestication. For simplicity's sake,
feeding limited feed varieties is practical in most horse settings;
even with turnout, most horses can't wander far enough to eat
an extensive range of feeds. In fact, horse owners avoid diet
changes because a sudden shift in feed type could result in
gastric upset; the horse's digestive system is prone to problems.
However, providing your horse with some flavor variety might
be the key to tempting a finicky appetite, camouflaging medications
or preventing unwanted behaviors such as weaving or cribbing.
In this study, researchers discovered two flavors that may be
keys to unlocking those doors.
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A
Series of Trials
Goodwin and a team of researchers chose 15 potentials historically
and currently used to flavor horse feeds all over the world:
apple, banana, carrot, cherry, coriander, cumin, echinacea,
fenugreek, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, oregano, peppermint, rosemary
and turmeric. Eight horses participated in a series of preference
tests over three trials to discover which of these flavors was
preferred. They determined rankings by measuring the quantity
consumed, consumption time and any partial rejections or refusals
of the flavors.
In the first trial, one gram of each powdered flavor was mixed
with 100 grams of plain cereal by-product, in addition to free-choice
hay and a morning feeding of the unflavored grain. Six flavors
were presented per day, separated by an hour in between each
test, and the tests were replicated. From this initial trial,
researchers eliminated echinacea, nutmeg and coriander after
they were rejected by three horses. The other twelve flavors
were accepted by every horse, but researchers only chose the
eight fastest consumption times to continue to trial 2. In the
second trial, the eight flavors were paired off and presented
simultaneously in separate feed tubs to the eight horses. Fenugreek,
banana, cherry, rosemary, cumin, carrot, peppermint and oregano
were the top ranking flavors in that order. In the third trial,
the winning flavors fenugreek and banana were further tested.
Here researchers experimented by seasoning mineral pellets instead
of the cereal by-product with these two flavors. Not only did
the horses overwhelmingly prefer the flavored pellets but banana
edged out fenugreek for the top-ranking taste of the study.
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Bananas
and Fenugreek
Bananas may initially seem like an odd food for a horse, yet
they are not as uncommon as you might think. In other countries
bananas are a staple treat - like apples and carrots in this
part of the world. "In India horses are often fed bananas.
And my horse's dentist told me recently that one of his clients
feeds her old horse with very poor teeth 4-5 bananas a day,
and it maintains excellent condition," said Goodwin who
lives in the United Kingdom. Nutritionally, bananas are rich
in potassium and high in energy; they also contain high levels
of phospholipids that can help line the stomach and protect
against gastric ulcers. For these reasons, during the Olympic
Games in Sydney, bananas were a favorite treat and diet component
for horses from seven countries.
Although
bananas sound slightly strange, fenugreek sounds completely
exotic. It is an herb, traditionally used to flavor Indian curries
and other foreign dishes. According to equine herbalist, Victoria
Ferguson, fenugreek was historically used as a hay conditioner
for Greek horsemen, and currently in the horse world, it is
used in herbal supplementation. "Horses find the aroma
of fenugreek attractive, and it is therefore an excellent herb
to stimulate the appetite while at the same time being a tonic
to the liver and digestive system. Therefore, it helps to promote
balanced feed conversion and improve general body condition,"
Ferguson said. According to Ferguson, fenugreek also cleanses
the lymphatic system, protects mucus membranes and can be given
in conjunction with other herbs to promote sweating in horses
suffering from anhydrosis. |
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Your Horse's Favorites?
While these two flavors won out in this particular study, they
are probably not universal for every horse. It may take a bit
of experimenting to discover what your horse loves best. Before
adding anything to his feed, however, contact a qualified nutritionist
or veterinarian to avoid causing more harm than good. Furthermore,
beware drastic diet changes lest you upset the delicate digestive
balance, but consider introducing new flavors in small doses.
They can have benefits. In previous studies, Goodwin demonstrated
that horses presented with several feed varieties didn't exhibit
negative stall behavior such as cribbing or weaving. In addition,
seasoning your horse's feed may tempt his finicky appetite and
encourage weight gain or help you disguise medications from
his clever senses. At the very least, you can introduce novelty
by providing an occasional, nutritious treat. "Owners may
like to learn more about what their own horses' preferences
are by offering small amounts of novel flavors," Goodwin
said. "However, responsible owners will be aware of the
risks of making sudden large changes to the bulk of the horse's
diet."
In
the newest study on flavor preferences in horses, researchers
found that out of 15 options, horses preferred banana, fenugreek,
cherry and rosemary flavors in that order. |
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Reference:
Goodwin, D.; Davidson, H.P.B.; Harris, P. (2005) Selection and
acceptance of flavours in concentrate diets for stabled horses.
Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 95, 223-232, 2005. |
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The
Flavors of Choice
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Tempt
your horse's appetite with the fragrant blends in Spillers
Meadow Herb feeds. These products contain eight herbs:
balm, fenugreek, garlic, parsley, spearmint, red clover,
rosemary, and sage. In the latest flavor preference study,
researchers tested the effects of fenugreek, rosemary,
spearmint and garlic and discovered that these flavors
significantly increased palatability of feeds - especially
fenugreek, the second most preferred flavor in the study.
The new line of Meadow Herb now includes three options:
Spillers Meadow Herb Cool Mix, Competition Mix or Senior
Mix. Now, more than ever, your horse can enjoy the fragrant
and tasty Meadow Herb blends.
Learn
more about Spillers Meadow Herb Feeds... |
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Meet
the Experts
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Dr.
Deborah Goodwin
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Victoria
Ferguson,
Equine Herbalist |
Dr. Deborah Goodwin is the head researcher in the recent
flavor preference study. She holds a degree in Zoology
from the University College of Wales and a PhD in Equine
Parasitology from the University of Southampton where
she researched equine behavior and ecology in the transmission
of parasitic infections.
In addition, she spent nine years investigating social
and feeding behavior of horses, cats and dogs at the School
of Biological Sciences at Southampton. Currently she holds
a lectureship position at the University of Southampton
in Applied Animal Behavior, but she is also actively pursuing
several research projects. Her current research interests
include human-animal interactions, enrichment for captive
animals including stalled horses, equine behavior and
cognition, as well as several others.
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Victoria
Ferguson grew up in Central Queensland and started riding
in shows at 5 years old. She has been addicted to horses
ever since. She has competed successfully with hacks,
showjumpers, eventers, campdrafters and dressage horses.
With her Grand Prix dressage partner Gamekeeper, She was
selected on the long list for the Australian team to the
1990 World Championships. She is an Equestrian Federation
of Australia Level 2 Dressage Coach, which includes a
Certificate of Horse Studies. Victoria has a Diploma of
Herbal Medicine, having completed her herbal medicine
training with Dorothy Hall, the eminent Australian herbalist
& author. She is also the author of the best selling
handbook for horse owners, The Practical Horse Herbal.
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Tracy
Williams, a native New Mexican, recently graduated from
Colorado State University with degrees in both Equine
Science and Journalism. For the time being, she is the
new editorial intern at ec while she contemplates moving
permanently to Florida and leaving the Western mountains
and chile behind.
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