Equine Nutrition and Feeding

During the past six years there has been a surprising amount of work on the dietary requirements and husbandry needs of the horse. This will undoubtedly lead to improvements in equine management in an increasingly competitive world where resources of raw materials, from land space to spices become scarcer. The mass of work has encouraged me to revise the 3rd Edition in order to bring the evidence up to date. All chapters and sections of the book have been revised, with, in particular, clarification of the causes and control of several metabolic diseases. In addition the principles of equine nutrition, which evolve gradually with time, and are based upon the best experimental evidence are adequately covered. There have been two major objectives in preparing the 4th Edition: (1) to summarize, collate and integrate 647 new research reports and papers not previously reviewed in order to: (a) replace previous speculative evidence by more secure conclusions in several areas of equine husbandry, (b) indicate areas needing further investigation and (c) inquire about issues not previously investigated by experiment. (2) to integrate the evidence, conclusions and recommendations published by the NRC in their excellent and comprehensive 6th Revised Edition, "Nutrient Requirements of Horses" (NRC 2007), and in particular to compare their estimates for protein and energy with those of INRA (1984, 1990) at the feed level, where two dissimilar systems of measurement have been used. The book covers all types of horse, all ages and conditions, in sickness and in health, kept for whatever purpose, sport, work, show or companionship. All the relevant science is covered with practical advice on the prevention and treatment of disease, the control of pests and parasites,the design of facilities, including horse boxes. The book is designed to inform and help the whole range of those concerned, from the student to the most practical, from the rider to the breeder and all those involved in the care of the horse. The book can be used for easy reference or read as a narrative, helped by clear diagrams and tables.