Abstract
In heath-dominated mountains of northern Spain, number of horses for foal meat production is increasing. The objective of this study was to compare the productive responses of horses grazing on different types of heath-related shrublands, and to assess the changes in vegetation produced by intensive grazing by horses. The study was carried out in a mountain area of western Asturias (Spain). Horse performance and grazing effects at a stocking rate of 3.3 mares/ha were studied in three types of heath vegetation: dominated by heather species (Erica-Calluna), dominated by gorse (Ulex gallii), and co-dominated by grasses and gorse. Two crossbred mares with their foals were managed per plot (6 plots of 0.6 ha) during the autumn of 2008, and two non-lactating mares per plot (12 plots of 0.6 ha) during the spring-summer of 2009. Animals were weighed monthly, and plant cover and height were measured. Differences in daily body weight (BW) changes among types of shrubland were analysed using ANOVA, while vegetation data were subjected to mixed model procedures for repeated measures. Mares grazing on gorse and grass-gorse shrublands achieved more favourable BW changes than those grazing on heather-dominated ones in both years. In 2008, foals also obtained higher BW gains in gorse and grass-gorse shrublands. Changes in botanical composition showed a trend for decreasing gorse cover, while heather cover was maintained, indicating a preferential browsing on gorse. Although horses are known to preferentially select grasses, herbaceous cover slightly increased as gorse canopy was opening. In conclusion, gorse-dominated shrublands were better used as a feeding resource by horses than those that were heather-dominated, as indicated by the better productive responses attained by both lactating and non-lactating mares in the gorse-dominated shrublands. Horses could be used to reduce gorse dominance, favouring the spread of heather plants, and preserving a more typical botanical composition in heathlands in the long term.
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Celaya, R., Ferreira, L.M.M., García, U., García, R.R., Osoro, K. (2012). Heavy grazing by horses on heathlands of different botanical composition. In: Saastamoinen, M., Fradinho, M.J., Santos, A.S., Miraglia, N. (eds) Forages and grazing in horse nutrition. Forages and grazing in horse nutrition, vol 132. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-755-4_26
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-755-4_26
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