What is a perfect horse poo?
Did you know that a 450kg horse produces approximately 22kg of manure per day, spread over around eight poos, sometimes more in young stock or stallions?
Is there anything you should look for when doing your daily muck chores?
A horse’s diet can have a huge impact on the droppings that that they produce, as can external temperature, gut health, general wellbeing, age, exercise and access to water. In a healthy horse, the ‘perfect’ poo should have well-formed faecal balls with noticeable fibres but no real "chunks" of food. Is should have a fairly uniform colour, little odour, and no mucus or blood specks. A small amount of liquid before or after is fairly standard.
What do droppings contain?
Droppings contain a mixture of everything the horse consumes. It can also contain shedded cells. Approximately ¾ of the total weight of muck is water, so to maintain good gut health, and therefore healthy poos, you need to make sure your horse is hydrated and has access to good, fresh water in a suitable container.
How feed can change things
As many owners know, a horse that grazes on lush, fresh grass may soon be having very ‘cow patty’, green, loose and smelly poos. In this sense, what goes ‘in’ can determine what comes ‘out’. For example:
Fresh, bright green hay may make your horse’s poo a brighter green colour, as can alfalfa.
A diet high in sugar beet pulp can lead to a more reddish brown poo that has a slightly sticky nature.
A high vegetable oil diet, that isn’t introduced gradually, can lead to looser, almost greyish and oily poo.
What to be aware of
Although feed can change a horse’s droppings, there are key things you need to look out for and call a vet if you are at all concerned.
Fewer poos than normal, or ones that have a mucus covering can indicate a delayed digestion passage, such as an impaction. It is important to look for signs of colic at this stage and call your vet for guidance if you are at all unsure.
Poos of a very foul smelling nature can be caused by a rapid diet change, with too much fat or protein. However, they can also show signs of ulcers, salmonella, or internal parasites.
Undigested food and very long pieces of grass and hay fibre can be indicators of dental issues or trouble chewing, particularly in veterans. So again it is wise you have your horse’s teeth checked so they can chew and digest in comfort.