Houpt K A
Department of Physiology, New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca.
Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract. 1990 Aug;6(2):319-37. doi: 10.1016/s0749-0739(17)30544-8.
In summary, horses spend 60% or more of their time eating when grazing or when feed is available free choice. Grasses are their preferred food, but they supplement the grass with herbs and woody plants. Sweetened mixtures of oats and corn are the most preferred concentrate. Horses can increase or decrease the time spent eating and amount eaten to maintain caloric intake. Their intake is stimulated by drugs such as diazepam and by the presence of other horses. Horses stop eating when gastric osmolality increases; increases in plasma osmolality, protein, and glucose accompany digestion. Foals eat several times an hour and begin sampling solid food at the same time that their dam is eating. Several areas of particular importance to the equine industry have not been investigated. These areas include the effect of exercise on short- and long-term food intake and the influence of reproductive state on the feeding of mares.
总之，马在放牧或能自由选择饲料时，会将60%或更多的时间用于进食。草是它们的首选食物，但它们也会用草药和木本植物来补充。燕麦和玉米的甜味混合物是最受欢迎的浓缩饲料。马可以增加或减少进食时间和进食量以维持热量摄入。地西泮等药物以及其他马的存在会刺激它们的摄入量。当胃渗透压增加时马会停止进食；消化过程中血浆渗透压、蛋白质和葡萄糖会增加。幼驹每小时进食几次，并在其母马进食的同时开始尝试固体食物。对养马业特别重要的几个领域尚未得到研究。这些领域包括运动对短期和长期食物摄入量的影响以及繁殖状态对母马进食的影响。
