Cymbaluk N F, Christison G I
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract. 1990 Aug;6(2):355-72. doi: 10.1016/s0749-0739(17)30546-1.
Horses are reared in all types of weather. Temperatures as diverse as -40 degrees C to 40 degrees C are tolerated by horses. The nutrient requirement most influenced by cold weather is energy. In cold weather, feeding good quality hays free-choice is usually sufficient for mature horses in good body condition. Grain may have to be fed when poor quality hays are used. Hot weather (greater than 30 degrees C) necessitates heat loss to maintain body core temperature. Horses sweat to reduce body heat. Heat stress can be minimized by feeding diets that reduce the heat increment. Use of grain and fat in the diet, which have a lower heat increment than fibrous feeds such as hays, may benefit horses in hot climates. Wind or precipitation necessitate protection to minimize chilling in cold weather and discomfort in hot weather. However, it is a moot point whether horses will use shelters under these circumstances.
马匹在各种天气条件下饲养。马匹能耐受低至零下40摄氏度到高达40摄氏度的温度。受寒冷天气影响最大的营养需求是能量。在寒冷天气中，让体质良好的成年马匹自由采食优质干草通常就足够了。如果使用劣质干草，则可能需要喂食谷物。炎热天气（高于30摄氏度）时，马匹必须散热以维持核心体温。马通过出汗来降低体温。通过喂食能减少热增耗的日粮，可以将热应激降至最低。日粮中使用谷物和脂肪，其热增耗低于干草等纤维性饲料，这可能对炎热气候下的马匹有益。在寒冷天气中，刮风或降雨时需要提供遮蔽以尽量减少马匹受冻，在炎热天气中则是为了减少不适。然而，在这些情况下马匹是否会使用遮蔽物还存在争议。
