I adored my time in Pony Club, and got so much out of it: opportunities to learn from upper level riders, compete regionally and nationally, forging lifelong friendships and skills, and feeding the passion for learning about all things equine-related.
Pony Club has been a big part of a lot of dedicated and knowledgeable horse people’s development to this day, with many top professionals and international riders crediting their beginnings to Pony Club.
First established in 1929 in Britain, Pony Club traditions still hold fast - so, as a MSc Equine Nutritionist with 2 formal equine-science related University degrees, who is ALSO Canadian Pony Club alumni, I wanted to know, how up to date is Pony Club’s curriculum?
Join in on this nostalgic read down memory lane as we explore where tradition and emerging science may clash - or overlap - over good horsemanship!
Episode 1: Time Without Feed
From: The Manual of Horsemanship (2011): The Official Manual of The Pony Club (14th Edition).
“At the most, a horse must never be left for more than eight hours without food, so adequate hay or hay substitute must be fed to the stabled horse at night.”
At first glance, this statement is correct in intention: we need to minimize time spent without feed, and the biggest occurrence of this does happen overnight - but 8 hours is still too long to leave a horse without feed.
What does the science say?
It’s been long established that feed deprivation has negative impacts on equine health, but more recent research has established that even shorter durations of feed deprivation than that used in older studies can be detrimental.
Older research (Murrah and Eichorn, 1996) has reported that alternating 24-hour periods of feed deprivation resulted in erosion and ulceration of the stomach lining (gastric squamous epithelial mucosa). From there, it was established that longer periods of time between forage feeding (>5.3-6 hours) increases the likelihood of ulcers (Lutherson et al, 2009; Hewetson and Tallon, 2021).
Foraging is a highly motivating behaviour for horses, contributing to both gut and mental health. There are often misconceptions that horses do not eat during the night, but research has reported that horses will spend 53% of the night time eating. Foraging in nature is only stopped voluntarily for 3-4 hours at a time (Ellis, 2010). Interestingly, stomach pH can drop to high risk pH levels after 3-4 hours of feed deprivation as well.
When horses are fasted, trends have shown that mean pH can drop from above pH 4.0 to below pH 4.0 in less than a 4-hour period (Husted et al, 2009).
Counteracting gastric acid and keeping stomach pH > 4.0 is accepted as the key for gastric ulcer treatment, and stomach pH levels below a pH of 4.0 is considered a risk factor for nonglandular gastric ulcers (Andrews, 2015).
Exposing non-glandular gastric mucosa tissue to pH levels of 4.0 and below has been able to induce functional damage (decreased sodium transport and evidence of cellular swelling).
Healing of gastric mucosa in horses with ulcers is directly related to the proportion of time within a 24-period that intragastric pH remains greater than pH 4.0 (Pereira et al, 2009). Digesta is held in the stomach for 2-6 hours, and passage through the stomach is rapid - it takes 4-6 hours for the stomach to empty, at which point stomach acid can damage the lining (Van Weyenberg, Sales and Janssens, 2006).
As such, research suggests that more than four consecutive hours without forage puts a horse at greater risk of gastrointestinal issues such as colic and gastric ulcers, as well as the development of stereotypical behaviors like crib-biting or weaving.
So, the Pony Club manual's recommendation of a maximum of 8 hour without feed is NOT aligned with the current research, and feeding practices must be adjusted to reflect this, now that we know better!
Allowing more continual access to forage helps protect the sensitive gastric mucosa tissues from damage by forming a protective fiber mat in the stomach (Andrews, 2015).
Remember, constant, or maximized access to forage does not always mean ad lib access, which becomes especially important for horses who require calorie control for the maintenance of a healthy body condition.
Using slow feeding devices can help reduce the time your horse spends without feed, while still making sure they are not over-consuming calories!
Bonus Tip: A hay test can help you better assess energy density and suitability when managing your horse’s weight!
When assessing the effects of digestive supplements on feed deprivation models, many have not been effective in protecting against squamous gastric ulceration - as such, minimizing time without feed may be the single most important factor in helping to reduce the risk of stomach ulceration occurrence. This speaks to the huge role that management practices have in digestive health and comfort.
Interestingly, this was pulled from the 14th Edition of the Pony Club manual, which was published in 2011. Research describing negative effects of even short-term feed deprivation has been published in 2009 - yet another example of the disconnect between published research and practical applications to the horse owner.
This disconnect is what we, and many other science-based support service providers and creators, aim to fight via supportive science communications, so that we can help you improve your horse’s life.
KEY POINTS:
Horses are evolved to eat little and often. To reflect this, their stomach produces acid continually. The horse’s natural protection against this acid secretion comes from feedstuff and saliva production associated with chewing.
During periods of fasting, stomach pH can fall to low levels which increase risk of ulcer development and tissue damage. These drops can occur in as little as 4 hours without feed.
Keep time without feed under 4 hours, and maximize chew time using strategies such as forage slow-feeders.
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REFERENCES:
Andrews, FM. 2015. Gastric juice pH measurement in horses: Three-quarters of a century of history! Equine Veterinary Education 27(12): 633-636.
Busechian, S., Bindi, F., Orvieto, S., Zappulla, F., Marchesi, MC., Nisi, I., Rueca, F. 2024. Prevalence and Risk Factors for the Presence of Gastric Ulcers in Pleasure and Breeding Horses in Italy. Animals 14: 1806.
Ellis, AD. 2010. Biological Basis of Behaviour in Relation to Nutrition and Feed Intake in Horses. The Impact of Nutrition on the Health and Welfare of Horses. Wageningen Academic 2010: 51-74.
Husted, L., Sanchez, LC., Baptiste, KE., Olsen, SN. 2009. Effect of a feed/fast protocol on pH in the proximal equine stomach. Equine Veterinary Journal 41(1): 1-6.
Luthersson, N., Nielsen, KH., Harris, P., Parkin, TDH. 2009. Risk factors associated with Equine Gastric Ulceration Syndrome (EGUS) in 201 horses in Denmark. Equine Vet J 41(7): 625-630.
Iowa State University Extension. Feeding Behaviour in Horses. Accessed online from: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/equine/blog/dr-peggy-m-auwerda/feeding-behavior-horses
Murray, MJ. 1992. Review Article: Aetiopathogenesis and treatment of peptic ulcer in the horse: a comparative review. Equine Veterinary Journal 24(s13): 63-74.
Murray, MJ., Eichorn, ES. 1996. Effects of intermittent feed deprivation, intermittent feed deprivation with ranitidine administration, and stall confinement with ad libitum access to hay on gastric ulceration. Am J Vet Res 57 (11): 1599-1603.
Padalino, B., Davis, GL., Sharanne, RL. 2020. Effects of transportation on gastric pH and gastric ulceration in mares. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 34(2): 922-932.
Pereira, MC., Levy, FL., Valadao, CAA>, Ferraz, GC., Queiroz-Neto, A. 2009. Preliminary Study of the Gastric Acidity in Thoroughbred Horses at Rest after Enteral Administration of Esomeprazole Magnesium (Nexium). Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 29(11): 791-794.
Sykes, BW., Hewetson, M., Hepburn, RJ., Luthersson, N., Tamzali, Y. 2015. European College of Equine Internal Medicine Consensus Statement - Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Adult Horses. J Vet Intern Med 29(5): 1288-1299.
Van Wyenberg, S., Sales, J. Janssens, GPJ. 2006. Passage rate of digesta through the equine gastrointestinal tract: A review. Livestock Science 99(1): 3-12.
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