Fecal Microbiota, Forage Nutrients, and Metabolic Responses of Horses Grazing Warm- and Cool-Season Grass Pastures

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Incorporating warm-season grasses into traditional cool-season grass equine rotational grazing systems can increase pasture availability during hot, dry months and bridge the “summer slump” forage gap. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of this pasture management practice on the equine microbiome and to explore relationships between the fecal microbiota, forage nutrients, and metabolic responses of grazing horses. Results of this study indicate that distinct changes in microbial community structure and composition occur as horses adapt to different forages and that shifts in the microbial community were most influenced by forage non-structural carbohydrates and crude protein, rather than fiber. Interrelationships were found between these nutrients, glycemic responses, and Akkermansia and Clostridium butyricum. These bacteria were also found to be enriched in horses adapted to warm-season grasses. While the results of this study suggest that integrating warm-season grasses may not offer substantial metabolic benefits in healthy adult horses, this study did reveal new insights and targets for future research necessary to better understand the function of Akkermansia and Clostridium butyricum in the hindgut microbiome of grazing horses and possible roles in modulation of equine metabolic health. ABSTRACT: Integrating warm-season grasses into cool-season equine grazing systems can increase pasture availability during summer months. The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of this management strategy on the fecal microbiome and relationships between fecal microbiota, forage nutrients, and metabolic responses of grazing horses. Fecal samples were collected from 8 mares after grazing cool-season pasture in spring, warm-season pasture in summer, and cool-season pasture in fall as well as after adaptation to standardized hay diets prior to spring grazing and at the end of the grazing season. Random forest classification was able to predict forage type based on microbial composition (accuracy: 0.90 ± 0.09); regression predicted forage crude protein (CP) and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations (p < 0.0001). Akkermansia and Clostridium butyricum were enriched in horses grazing warm-season pasture and were positively correlated with CP and negatively with NSC; Clostridum butyricum was negatively correlated with peak plasma glucose concentrations following oral sugar tests (p ≤ 0.05). These results indicate that distinct shifts in the equine fecal microbiota occur in response different forages. Based on relationships identified between the microbiota, forage nutrients, and metabolic responses, further research should focus on the roles of Akkermansia spp. and Clostridium butyricum within the equine hindgut.