Hematochemical Profile, behaviour and BCS of Murgese mares free grazing on Camelina sativa pasture

The Murgese is an autochthonous Apulian horse breed characterized by a good temperament, strength, and atti- tude to several uses. The National Centre for Forest Biodiversity Carabinieri ”Martina Franca” rears this breed and distributes young stallions to the equestrian military services present in Italy. The Murgese horse is a superb grazer able to use poor pastures; it is highly resistant to diseases, to organic and intestinal disorders. The improve- ment of the nutritive value of pasture may be useful to enhance animal welfare and performances. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of free grazing on two forage systems containing a mixture of oat, barley, vetch, with or without Camelina sativa (20%, CAM). Eight Murgese mares (age: 5 – 6 years; body weight: 450 ± 45 kg) were divided into two homogeneous groups (n=4) in relation to the feeding system and subjected to blood collection on days 0 and 45 in order to assess the metabolic profile. Faeces composition was also assessed. The horses didn’t show any kind of stereotypies. There were no differences in faecal apparent digestibility. No significant difference between groups was observed for total protein, albumin, globulin, creatinine, total bilirubin, creatinine kinase, HDL, LDL, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, blood urea nitrogen, cholesterol and triglycerides. At the end of the trial, horses grazing on the CAM crop showed a better visual appearance of the coat, probabily due to its fatty acids profile.