Ammonia is generally present within all livestock buildings; it is a by-product of protein digestion. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is probably the most common cause of chronic coughing in horses in the UK. This has resulted in horse owners offering haylage, which is a low–dust alternative to hay (Moore–Colyer and Longland, 2000). However, Moore–Colyer and Longland (2000) reported that haylage usually contains more protein than hay (70 vs. 44 g CP/kg). When protein supplied in the diet exceeds the requirements of the horse, urea production will increase and consequently ammonia output will increase. Aerial ammonia concentrations can be regarded as a predisposing factor of COPD (Pratt, 2000). The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of offering horses different basal forages (hay vs. haylage) on the aerial ammonia concentrations within stables at different times during the day.

The carbohydrate (CHO) fraction of pasture grasses is a major source of energy for many domestic herbivores. However, the amounts, and types, of the water–soluble carbohydrate (WSC) fraction (i.e. glucose, fructose, sucrose, and polymers of sucrose and fructose, the fructans) present in such grasses, varies with species and environmental conditions. As the WSC constitute a highly digestible, energy yielding fraction of grasses, it is important to be able to measure their levels in a sward so that the diets of pastured animals may be designed to elicit optimal health and productivity. The aim of this study was to characterise the WSC profile of six UK pasture grasses, and to develop a technique for extracting the fructan portion of the WSC.

Six species of UK pasture grasses [Cocksfoot (C), Timothy (T), Meadow Fescue (M), Italian Ryegrass (IR), Perennial Ryegrass (PR) and Hybrid Ryegrass (HR)] were grown in experimental field plots at IGER.