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When it comes to appetite, horses mirror humans—some will try anything put in front of them, delighting in the novelty, while others will be suspicious of any departure from the known, resisting or flat out refusing anything new.

“With their keen senses of smell and taste, horses sometimes back away from what they perceive as a dietary misstep,” said Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., a nutrition advisor for Kentucky Equine Research. “This wariness has served them well throughout their evolution and continues to do so. The ability to discern innocuous and noxious plants based on smell or taste is an example of this survival prowess.”

Flavors are commonly added to feeds, supplements, and medications to increase palatability. In a recent trail, researchers used mature horses to help measure the acceptability and preference of several oil-based flavors.*

The flavors in play for this trial included banana, anise, peppermint, apple, spearmint, and orange. All flavors were derived from natural extract, except banana and orange, which were synthetically produced. Corn oil was used as the control.

The trial was divided into two phases. In the first phase, flavorings were sprayed into large batches of feed at a rate of 0.75 ml/22.68 kg base concentrate. During each paired preference test, horses were offered 2 lb (0.9 kg) of two differently flavored feeds. Each flavored feed was offered for two days, but positions of the buckets were changed. Before being allowed to eat, horses were permitted to smell the feeds for 15 seconds through an olfaction board, a weighted plate with holes placed over the feed that allowed aroma to escape. Consumption was calculated as the difference in the feed offered and the feed left after a three-minute consumption period. All tests were video-recorded and behaviors cataloged.

In the second phase, only three of the flavors were used (anise, peppermint, apple), half of the feed given, and four days allotted for each comparison. Anise, peppermint, and apple were chosen in this phase because anise was favored by the horses in the first phase and because peppermint and apple are well accepted by horses, often used in high-quality supplements and medications.

What did the horses think? They preferred anise flavor over all others. The other flavors were of similar accepted palatability, except for orange flavor, which was least preferred. The preference for anise coincides with findings from other research.

Never heard of anise? Anise is a flowering plant native to the eastern Mediterranean region and southwest Asia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds resemble that of licorice. Because of this, anise is added to licorice candy or used as a “licorice” flavor substitute. Anise is used widely as a flavoring in alcohols, liqueurs, and candies. The spicy aroma also lends itself to use in soaps and perfumes.

*Francis, J.M., C.R. Neander, M.J. Roeder, and E.B. Perry. 2020. The influence of topically applied oil-based palatants on eating behavior of horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 91:102995.

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