Past, Present and Future: The Nutritional Value of Oats in Horse Feeds

Oats have been a favored feed for horses for many years. In 1907 a publication from the United States Department of Agriculture entitled "Diseases of the Horse", stated that "Oats take precedence ofall grains as a food for horses, as the ingredients necessary for the complete nutrition of the body exist in them in the best proportions". Although we now know that oats are not adequate in all required nutrients (for example, calcium); oats still have many nutritional characteristics that make them useful in horse feeds. This project will address the following objectives: 1) compile a bibliography of the existing research related to oats as a feed for horses, 2) produce a document summarizing the research based evidence supporting the use of oats as feed for horses, and 3) identify areas of future research that would enhance the utilization of oats in horse feeds.