CSU student Claudia Macleay wants to know what Australian horse owners are feeding their animals as part of research for her Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree!
Claudia said, “Although there’s a large amount of research on what horses should be fed, there is very little research on what Australians actually feed their horses.
She’s conducting a survey into the feeding practices and supplement use among Australian horse owners.
“I want to collect data that will help us understand what feeds and supplements horse owners and managers are using across Australia and how that relates to the horse’s current use, housing, pasture and workload or training,” said Claudia.
This is important information because if Australians are over or under-feeding their horses it can lead to a range of health issues such as poor dental health, gastric ulcers, obesity, metabolic problems and colic.
“Sometimes our human perceptions get in the way of what we should be feeding our animals,” she said.
“We want our production animals like cows, sheep and pigs to be fatter and bigger but that philosophy for horses doesn’t necessarily work,” she said.
Claudia hopes her research findings will be used to examine the current equine nutrition trends in Australia.
“This national survey will give us much needed data around whether owners are feeding their horses enough fibre and roughage, what supplements they are using, or if their needs to be more education around what horses can eat.”
You’ll find the online survey, Feeding Practices and Supplement Use Among Australian Horse Owners, here. The survey is approved by the CSU Human Research Ethics Committee and the Faculty of Science.
Full story: CSU News.
