Influência da composição da dieta no escore de condição corporal dos equinos e no padrão de excreção fecal

Abstract

The formulation of balanced diets for horses must consider not only the quantitative adequacy of nutrients but also the quality of ingredients, the physical processing of feeds, and the feeding frequency, especially in production systems with high technical demands, high-performance animals, or challenging conditions. In this context, the objective of this study was to carry out a systematic and detailed survey of nutritional, productive, and body data of Mangalarga Marchador horses, focusing on the analysis of body condition score (BCS) and fecal excretion patterns, in order to understand how different dietary compositions and feeding management strategies influence these parameters. A total of 3,910 animals were evaluated under different management systems, with records of BCS, sex, age, type of production system, zootechnical purpose (competition or maintenance), type and amount of forage and concentrate provided, as well as the use of supplements and feeding frequency. Among these, a subset of 537 animals with complete dietary information and available fecal samples was subjected to diet evaluation and fecal sieving analysis, using mesh sizes of 4.75 mm, 3.15 mm, and 1.60 mm. The particles retained on each sieve were quantified to assess the fragmentation of excreted content, serving as an indirect indicator of digestive efficiency. The BCS was determined through visual inspection and palpation, using a 1-to-9 scale adapted from Henneke et al. (1983), and the data were analyzed using non-parametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis and Wilcoxon with Bonferroni correction), Spearman’s correlation, and simple and multiple linear regression. The results indicated that a significant proportion of the animals presented a high BCS, above 6, suggesting a challenging body condition for health. A significant association was observed between the amount of concentrate provided, the diversity of forages used, and feeding frequency with both BCS and fecal particle fragmentation. Diets with energy oversupply were associated with greater adipose tissue deposition, while more balanced feeding strategies resulted in a better fecal excretion pattern. It can be concluded that diet composition and feeding management exert a direct influence on both body condition and digestive efficiency in horses, reinforcing the need for individualized nutritional formulations, based on scientific evidence, to promote welfare, metabolic health, and performance in these animals.