Scavenger brake
In horse keeping, a feeding brake is understood to be a device for horses that makes eating more difficult and thereby reduces the amount of food consumed. It is used for weight loss and to prevent diseases that can result from excessive consumption of pasture grass , such as colic or laminitis .
Description and areas of application
The feed brake looks like a horse muzzle . In contrast to this, it still allows the horse to take in food, but only to a reduced extent. The terms are often used synonymously .
The feed brake is attached to the horse's head with a halter or snaffle-like construction made of straps, which holds a mesh of nylon straps or a piece of plastic with holes in front of the horse's nose and mouth so that only individual stalks can be picked up while grazing . An individual adjustment to the size of the horse's head is necessary in order to avoid chafing and to ensure a sufficiently large space for feed intake and ventilation for the nose and mouth.
Studies have shown that the use of suitable feeding brakes reduces feed consumption in the pasture by 30% to approx. 80%. The wide range in effectiveness is attributed to the different heights of grass in the various study approaches, since higher grass can be better absorbed by horses with the caliper than short grass.
Feed brakes are used in overweight animals to reduce weight or to prevent further weight gain. In addition (according to the manufacturer), the diseases of colic and laminitis, which are favored by an excessive intake of young, very protein-rich pasture grass, can be prevented by means of a feed brake.
Feeding brakes are not suitable to ensure that they are not fed before planned operations, as the animals are still able to ingest small amounts of feed. For this purpose, muzzles must be used instead.
Cons and alternatives
Possible disadvantages when using eater brakes are chafing points on the skin and increased wear and tear on the front teeth. In any case, it must be ensured that the animals are still able to take in sufficient water despite the brakes on. Depending on the design of the feed brake, this is not always guaranteed with the self- watering systems that are common in horse keeping , so that it may be necessary to switch to watering from buckets or basins. As animals can get caught in the structure on bushes or fences, regular control of the animals in the pasture is necessary.
The effects of the feed brakes on the social behavior of horses are to be assessed critically . Since their communication with one another is based to a large extent on the facial expressions of the head, especially the mouth and nostrils , this is severely restricted by the use of feeding brakes. The facial expressions visible to the other animals are limited to ear play and can therefore no longer be interpreted by them. In addition to the social grooming , the gadfly also prevents biting as a threatening behavior, which can lead to changes in the ranking within a group of horses.
In some animals, the difficulty in eating food can lead to frustration and even resignation. In addition, not all animals accept wearing the device and, even after a period of acclimatization, still react by shaking their heads, pawing, snorting and rolling. The use of feed brakes should therefore only take place after a long period of getting used to it, only by the hour and only if constant monitoring is possible.
Alternatives to using the feed brake are proper feeding and pasture management. For example, the amount of feed intake can also be reduced by restricting grazing by the hour, by selecting pasture areas with little growth and by keeping boxes . There is also special food that is reduced in calories . The box housing can also be supplemented with a temporary housing in runs on non-edible ground (shavings, sand), while rationed hay is advised to cover the high fiber content in the feed ration required by horses .
Web links
- Fressbremse on Pferderevue.at with further information on areas of application, possible disadvantages and pictures
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Kristina Glaser: Fressbremse: Which muzzles are horse-friendly? In: Cavallo, edition 05/2011, accessed on June 14, 2016
- ↑ a b c Emily C. Glunk, Craig C. Sheaffer, Marcia R. Hathaway, Krishona L. Martinson: Interaction of Grazing Muzzle Use and Grass Species on Forage Intake of Horses. In: Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. Volume 34, Issue 7, July 2014, pp. 930-933
- ↑ AC Longland, C. Barfoot, PA Harris: The effect of wearing a grazing muzzle vs not wearing a grazing muzzle on pasture dry matter intake by ponies. In: Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. Volume 31, 2011, pp. 282-283
- ↑ Feed brakes for horses and ponies. (No longer available online.) In: pferdeheimat.net. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016 ; Retrieved June 9, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ feeding Brakes: How do they help when they hurt. In: pferderevue.at. Retrieved June 13, 2016 .
- ↑ a b NEWC - Grazing muzzles Guidance. National Equine Welfare Council September 2015, accessed June 14, 2016.
- ↑ Iris Bachmann: Challenges of a contemporary attitude. ( Memento of the original from June 14, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Horse Week No. 11/2015, accessed on June 14, 2016.
- ↑ The feed brake. In: pferde.de. Retrieved June 9, 2016 .