Abstract #T246

Section: Horse Species
Session: Horse Species
Format: Poster
Day/Time: Tuesday 7:30 AM–9:30 AM
Location: Gatlin Ballroom
# T246
Effectiveness of a brewer’s yeast supplement with or without fat for performance horses.
Jeneva R. Seidl*1, Toree L. Bova1, J. Latham Brister1, Lauren B. Hodge1, Angela R. Mays2, Brian J. Rude1, 1Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, 2F.L. Emmert Company, Cincinnati, OH.

The objective of the current trial was to evaluate the effect of additional fat to a brewer’s yeast supplement on hoof, coat, and body condition of performance horses. Twelve performance geldings randomly allotted to one of 3 dietary treatments: 1) a commercially available horse feed (10% CP, 4.5% fat) at 0.9% BW/d; 2) diet 1 plus a brewer’s yeast product at 113g/d; 3) diet 2 plus vegetable oil at 5% of the diet. Diet 1 was given to meet basic nutrient requirements of 10% CP and 0.6% LYS. All geldings were fed half of their diet treatment twice a day for 84 d. Geldings had ad libitum access to bermudagrass pasture and hay throughout the trial. Body weight (BW) measurements and body evaluations were collected at initiation of the trial and every subsequent 28 d until 84 d. Body evaluations included coat condition, body condition score (BCS), and hoof condition. Coat and hoof condition were evaluated on scale ranging from 1 to 5 (1 reflecting poor or damaged and 5 reflecting glossy) accounting for condition, texture and appearance. Body condition was based on the standard BCS scale of 1 to 9. Four total evaluations were taken during the experiment, an initial evaluation and then every 28 d. Data were subjected to ANOVA using the GLM procedures of SAS. No effect of diet was found for hoof (3.5, 3.4, and 3.1; P = 0.6207), coat (3.3, 3.3, and 3.3; P = 0.0826), or BCS (5.3, 5.6, and 5.6; P = 0.9967) for diets 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Body weights were not different (509, 524, and 560 kg; P = 0.4602) among diets 1, 2, and 3, respectively, nor was the change in body weight during the trial different (1.9, −6.8, and 4.5 kg, respectively; P = 0.6815). Addition of fat to brewer’s yeast supplement did not enhance body scores or weight change. Diet 1 (basal diet fed to all treatments) was a concentrate based supplement containing a large amount of available energy. Feeding diet 1 at 0.9% BW/d may have masked the effects of increased energy from fat. Further research should be conducted to evaluate brewer’s yeast product and fat with horses while being fed a less nutritious basal diet.

Key Words: equine, brewer’s yeast, fat supplementation