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TRANSCRIPT
Voluntary intake and dry matter digestibility of turfgrasses
grazed by ponies
By Camille Lee College Park Scholars – Science & Global Change Program
Animal Science
College Park Scholars Academic Showcase, May 5, 2016
Introduction
The purpose of this experiment was to test the
dry matter voluntary intake (DMI) and
digestibility (DMD) of various turfgrasses in
order to consider their suitability as a source of
forage for overweight ponies.
Acknowledgments:
This research study was by Kristina Davis, Aubrey Lowrey, Thomas Turner, Patricia Harris, and Amy Burk. I would like to acknowledge Kristina
Davis for letting me participate in this study and for explaining all of the logistics of the study. I would also like to acknowledge the site supervisor,
Dr. Amy Burk, and graduate student, Aubrey Jaqueth for their guidance throughout the whole study. Finally, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Holtz
and Dr. Merck for their guidance on this poster and for making SGC such a valuable learning experience.
Discussion:
This study is a great example of how complex equine research is.
A research study such as this one is extremely difficult to
complete because there are so many external factors at play. For
example, finding 12 ponies that fit all of the criteria was not
accomplished and we had to make exceptions in order to be able
to move forward. If this study can be completed some day, it
could provide horse owners with a management option that they
could put in place to manage their overweight ponies. Installing
turfgrass as opposed to supplementing hay to a pony living in a
dirt paddock is much better for the environment as it decreases
runoff also it would reinforce grazing habits that horses don’t
utilize when they have hay freely available.
Site Information:
Equine Research Unit
4241 Folly Quarter Road, Clarksville, MD
Dr. Amy Burk
http://agresearch.umd.edu/cmrec/clarksville-facility
The Central Maryland Research and Education Center located in
Clarksville is the largest research facility owned by the Maryland
Agriculture Experiment Station.
Materials
•12 geldings between age 5 and 15 were used,
with a body condition score of 5-6, and a cresty
neck score of 2-3. The ponies could not have a
prior history of laminitis, Pars Pituitary
Intermediate Syndrome, or Equine Metabolic
Syndrome.
•The 4 grass types used were Tall Fescue
control (K-31), Creeping Bentgrass (info),
Kentucky Bluegrass (Midnight), and Tall
Fescue (Fescue arundinacea).
•12, 12ft² stalls, matted, and included hay
boxes, water bucket holders and salt block
holders
•Harvester to mow and collect the 4 types of
turfgrasses
•Buckets… lots of buckets.
•Platform scale to weigh the pasture and the
ponies, and a small scale to dry the grasses for
calculations of DM
Methods
•Before any ponies got to the unit, I helped clean all of the stalls and
buckets in the barn. Then we prepped all of the stalls with shavings, hay,
and 2 full water buckets in each stall, barn cleaning took 2 full days.
•As the ponies started arriving for the study, we had to examine each one
and make sure they still fit the criteria, we also experimented with turning
out the ponies which was really interesting and difficult at times.
•Listening to the descriptions of the ponies from the owners and watching
the interactions between the ponies was really cool!
•During the AM shifts, I worked with one other person. We would get to
the barn at 7:00 AM and let some of the ponies out while we cleaned their
stalls. When the study started, I had to pick every blade of grass out of the
stall and weigh it.
•I also helped with the noon shift many times, which involved using the
harvester to mow and collect grass. Usually Kristina or Tim would drive
the harvester and I would follow behind with the farm truck and about 14
buckets, filling them up with the bags of grass to take back to the barn.
Results
During the course of this study, there were a few times that we had to delay the start or even restart due to extenuating
circumstances such as an unqualified pony or at one point a sick pony. Due to the delayed start of the study and also the lack of
sufficient grass growth, we eventually ran out of the Creeping Bentgrass pasture to harvest and could only collect 7 days of data
before the study had to be stopped. No conclusions could be determined from the 7 days worth of data.
Space to
place QR
Code Background Image Source: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/green-grass-field-background_991901.htm
Figure 2. Two of the research ponies, Welker (left) and Razor (right), getting some exercise
during the acclimation period before the study. Image source: UMD Equine Studies
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Equine-Studies-at-the-University-of-Maryland-
105729806176354/photos/?ref=page_internal
Figure 1. The inside of the barn at the Equine Research Unit.
This is where all of the ponies were housed during the study, I
had to sweep the aisle after every shift. Image source: Camille
Lee
Figure 3. One of the paddocks I turned the ponies out in, this one is located directly
behind the barn that the ponies were stalled in. Multiple ponies could be turned out
together to stretch their legs and exhibit normal horse behaviors. Image Source: Camille
Lee
Figure 4. Alumni Daphne O’ Grady using the harvester to collect some of the control
pasture for the ponies. Image source: UMD Equine Studies
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Equine-Studies-at-the-University-of-Maryland-
105729806176354/photos/?ref=page_internal