American Quarter Horse

Image: Map of Rangelands

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Before Domestication Habitat

Before the quarter horse was used for transportation and work, they roamed on large range lands in North America. These horses grazed on the land in large groups with usually a lead mare and lead stallion.(Stable Management)

Performance Rope Horse

Source: Personal Camera

Species Introduction

The American Quarter Horse is a cross breed between native horses and Spanish horses. It is one of the oldest recognized breeds of horses in the United States. The breed originated in the 1660s used by the earliest colonists when Spanish horses and English horses were bred together in 1610. The American Quarter Horse is a herbivore which means it eats plants and no other animals. However domestic horses are sometimes-given supplement grain. Their diet includes soybeans, oats, timothy hay, corn, flax, barley, wheat, clover and more. This breed of horse is a range land animal so they are kept in pastures and grasslands to keep them healthy with plenty of room. This horse is commonly mistaken for a Morgan horse which have similar builds and color but are not quarter horses. (Standlee Premium Western)

Feeding Behaviors & Nutritional Ecology Classification

Horses are non-ruminant herbivores. They eat small amounts of roughage(grasses, etc.) often. Horses require 1.5% of their body weight in pasture feed or hay a day. A 1,000 pound horse will eat 20 pounds of roughage a day. Their digestive tracts are made up of a simple stomach, small intestine and large intestine. A horses diet can consist of many different things. Horses can eat all sorts of grains and roughage such as soybeans, oats, timothy hay, corn, flax, barley, wheat, clover and more. Do not let them fool you taking care of a horse is not a small task. The basic nutrients when feeding horses are very important. It is vital to recognize that there are six basic nutrient categories that must be met: carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and water. Feed companies try their best to balance the first five nutrients and we cannot forget to make sure they have access to water. There are certain factors that can affect a horses nutrition. Such as age, individual health needs, exercise level, breed, body type and weight, and use of the animal.(Duberstein, Kylee Jo, and Kari K. Turner)

Quater horses grazing on roughage

https://horsyplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2641282345_ce2a19b640_o-e1556905223782.jpg

Horses walking to get water with ther young

https://homesteadontherange.com/2016/04/20/quarter-horse/

Digestive Anatomy & Anatomical Classification

The American Quarter Horse is a colonic sacculated digester. Horses are non-ruminant herbivores, meaning they eat mainly plant material. The horse’s gastrointestinal tract consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine and the highly developed large intestine composed of the caecum, large colon, small colon and rectum. Horses require their owners to maintain a regular feeding schedule and base a feeding program on high quality forage. Horses are fed concentrate to meet nutrient requirements that are not met by the forage. A smart way to feed your horse is in small meals especially when feeding concentrates feeding 4-5 pounds of concentrate/meal will minimize the NSC levels in the concentrate while assuring adequate supply of energy and other non-calorie nutrients. It is key to utilize highly digestible fiber and fat for increased calorie needs in performance horses, lactating mares, and growing horses. When changing a horses diet you must change the feed slowly when changing to a richer forage such as pasture or legume hay allow 7 to 10 days for adjustment of microbes in hindgut. When doctoring your horse you must follow a regular schedule for dental care and deworm.(Lucerne Farms and Auwerda)

Graph of equine digestive system

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/equine/blog/dr-peggy-m-auwerda/digestive-anatomy-and-physiology-horse

Barley in its growing stage

https://precisionagricultu.re/barley-planting-nutrition-and-harvesting/

Works cited

Forage, Standlee Premium Western. “Feeding Behavior of Horses - the #1 Resource for Horse Farms, Stables and Riding Instructors: Stable Management.” The #1 Resource for Horse Farms, Stables and Riding Instructors | Stable Management, The #1 Resource for Horse Farms, Stables and Riding Instructors | Stable Management, 29 Oct. 2017, https://stablemanagement.com/articles/feeding-behavior-of-horses.

on, Posted, and Standlee Premium Western Forage. “Calming Feeds for Performance Horses?” Quarter Horse News, 30 Aug. 2019, https://www.quarterhorsenews.com/2019/09/calming-feeds-perform-horses/.

Duberstein, Kylee Jo, and Kari K. Turner. “Equine Parasite Control: Moving beyond Rotational Deworming.” University of Georgia Extension, 1 Mar. 2020, https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1355&title=How+to+Feed+a+Horse%3A+Understanding+the+Basic+Principles+of+Horse+Nutrition.

Lucerne Farms. “Factors That Affect the Nutritional Requirements of a Horse.” Lucerne Farms, 26 May 2020, https://lucernefarms.com/factors-that-affect-the-nutritional-requirements-of-a-horse/.

Auwerda, Author: Peggy. “Digestive Anatomy and Physiology of the Horse.” Equine Science, https://www.extension.iastate.edu/equine/blog/dr-peggy-m-auwerda/digestive-anatomy-and-physiology-horse.

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