SUSTAINABLE FEED PRACTICES STUDIED

Sustainable horse feeding practices are the focus of a recently launched study at Van Hall Larenstein University in the Netherlands. Led by Gulsah Kaya Karasu, DVM, PhD, the two-year project will examine the sustainability and environmental impact of various feeding management practices.

“The professional equine field is facing increasing pressure to demonstrate environmentally sound horse feeding management practices and horse owners are becoming more aware of the need to manage their horses and the land on which they live in a sustainable manner,” says Kaya Karasu. One specific aspect of the study will be how the environmental effects of mineral leaching from manure or compost can be environmentally disruptive. “Excess minerals excreted in the manure of horses can accumulate in the soil or leach into nearby waterways and pollute water resources,” she explains.

Kaya Karasu hopes to produce user-friendly guidelines to help “facility owners make easy, effective and sustainable decisions to benefit the environment through maintaining soil quality, reducing erosion and preserving clean water and air… Minor changes in daily horse feeding management practices can have positive effects on the environment, circular agriculture and the horses themselves.” The study is co-financed by the SIA Agency, part of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.