254 



Feeds and Feeding. 



It is shown that the horse digests corn, which is low in fiber, 

 equally well as does the sheep. On the other hand, it digests oats 

 and hay, which contain considerable fiber, less completely. Of 

 the dry matter of wheat straw the horse digests only 23 per ct., 

 while the sheep digests 48 per ct. Both animals digest crude pro- 

 tein about equally well, but the digestive powers of the horse are 

 markedly lower for fiber and fat. (60) 



392. Influence of work on digestibility. Grandeau and Leclerc, 1 

 on feeding three 950- to 1000-lb. horses of the Paris Cab Company 

 rations composed of about three-fourths grain and one-fourth hay 

 and straw, obtained the following digestion coefficients: 



Digestion coefficients for the horse at rest and at work. 



The table shows that the horse digests his ration as well when 

 walking 12 miles per day as when at rest. When the horse worked 

 at a walking pace, there was a slight depression in the digestibility 

 of the ration, and when it worked hard at a trot the depression 

 amounted to as much as 5 per ct. of the organic matter, 7 per ct. 

 of the protein, and 13 per ct. of the fiber. Exercise and work 

 affect the digestion of the fiber of feeding stuffs more than that of 

 the other constituents, doubtless because the fiber, which is di- 

 gested principally in the colon or large intestine, is hurried thru 

 this organ by the motion of the horse in action. (60, 609) 



393. True maintenance requirement. It cannot be assumed that 

 the true maintenance ration of the horse has been found when the 

 intake of the body equals the outgo, as with the ox and sheep. 

 (96) Kellner 2 points out that any excess of nutrients supplied the 

 idle horse above maintenance will not usually be wholly stored as 

 flesh or fat, for confined horses, even of quiet temperament, dissi- 

 pate more or less energy thru restlessness and activities, so that a 

 ration which may barely maintain them is really somewhat in ex- 

 cess of the theoretical requirement. 



1 Ann. Sci. Agron., 1884, Vol. II, p. 235. 2 Ernahr. landw. Nutztiere, 1907, p. 447. 



