MYCOTOXIC or fungal poisoning diseases can be seen in horses across the world. Mycotoxicoses are diseases caused by toxins of fungi. They can result from exposure to feed or bedding contaminated with toxins that can be produced when various types of fungi or molds grow on feed and fodder including hay, grass and straw.

Anything that impacts on the normal flora of the horse’s gut can and will affect the horse’s peformance.

By nature, the horse is a monogastric (single-stomached) herbivore, a hindgut fermenter, reliant on a healthy gut flora to break down the cellulose found in grasses and fodder. Any disruption to this delicate balance puts the horse at increased risk of colic, sickness and general poor performance.

Year round, all horse owners and trainers should take the time to make sure their horse feed and hay/haylage and bedding is stored properly, free from damp and prevent the risk of harmful molds forming.

Storage bins should be regularly checked and vermin-proofed while any old or suspect feed should be disposed of without delay.

Attention should always be paid to good stable management practice with bins, feedpots and waterdrinkers all cleaned thoroughly and regularly.

NUTRITION ANALYSIS

The Irish Equine Centre - just announced this week as the winner of the prestigious Agricultural Laboratory of the Year Award - launched an expanded Nutritional Analysis service this spring within the Microbiology Unit of the Kildare-based not-for-profit centre.

Since then, both Irish and interestingly, British trainers, have been quick to take advantage of it with over 40 UK trainers, both flat and National Hunt, availing of the IEC service alone. Such is the interest from British trainers that some IEC staff are spending up to a week each month testing in UK racing yards.

Armed with the latest NIR infrared technology, the Irish Equine Centre staff can provide, through light spectrum technology, a comprehensive analysis of the quality and content of all types of feed and forage within minutes, helping to ensure that horses are fed the absolute optimum diet for their requirements.

Moisture, energy, fibre, protein and mineral levels are extremely important when balancing any ration for horses. Knowledge of the nutritional quality of feed and forage is very useful to maximise the growth and performance of all animals, especially horses. Fungi and certain mycotoxins in feed and forage can also be a major cause of bad performance in racehorses.

“The turnaround times for a full analysis on seed or hay for example is now just minutes instead of days with our new NIR technology, it’s very comprehensive, reasonably priced and very speedy. We find that trainers are becoming increasingly active to make sure that they have covered every angle when it comes to the performance of their horses. The more professional trainers are testing everything from feed, hay, straw, bedding, water, you name it. When it comes to feed and hay, it should be checked for quality, don’t just take it on face value that it is okay. Prevention is better than cure,” said Professor Buckley.

“For our environmental testing service, we have personnel out on the road, calling to mainly racing and some show jumping yards, checking all the environmental conditions, looking at the ventilation, taking samples of everything from the food, hay, haylage, the bedding the horses are on. We are looking for aspergillus and mycotoxins, metabolites produced by fungi, which can be dangerous to horses’ health above a certain level. They can hit a horse’s liver, leading to poor performance syndrome. A jockey might say to a trainer the horses are just not firing, these tests can help identify why that may be happening.

“Aspergillus contamination can lead to exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) or bleeding in racehorses as the capillaries are fragile due to the presence of the aspergillus. The yard samples are brought back to the centre and in about a week, we can grow the fungi present and identify them. Haylage can be a deadly area for horses if it has been punctured and harmful moulds form,” said Prof Buckley.

Testing feed or forage for fungi or mycotoxins costs €26.50 while a full nutritional analysis costs €50 at the IEC. Other tests include a full mineral analysis and a mycotoxin screen and cost between €30 to €40 per sample testing. Combination tests are available at a reduced cost and details of the full range of tests offered and prices are available at www.irishequinecentre.ie.

Professor Tom Buckley was in conversation with Isabel Hurley

The Irish Equine Centre is an independent, not-for-profit organisation whose aim is to protect the wellbeing of Ireland’s horse population. As the primary equine diagnostic and research facility in Ireland, it serves the overall interest of the Irish equine industry by its unceasing vigilance in seeking to maintain Ireland’s “low disease status”.

Telephone: 045 866266.

Web: www.iec.ie