This work was carried out to evaluate the nutrient digestibility of forages using mobile bags technique in horses. The forages were lucerne (Medicago sativa), peanut (Arachis pintoi), desmodio (Desmodium ovalifolium), stylo (Stylosanthes guianensis), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), lime-yellow pea (Macrotyloma axillare) and coastcross (Cynodon dactylon cv. coastcross). A randomized block design was used with seven treatments (feeds) and five blocks (horses). Five crossbreed horses were used with age ranging from 17 to 27 years and average weight of 350 kg. The assay lasted 12 days, being three days for adaptation to barns, five days for nasogastric insertion of bags and four days for bags collection in feces. The diet of horses was composed of 80% of coastcross hay and 20% of commercial concentrate. During the pre-experimental period of 30 days, the horses were maintained in paddocks feeding the diet. Nylon cloth had 45µ pore size, and bags presented dimensions of 7,5 × 2 cm with 510 mg of DM of forage sample/bag. The nutrient digestibility of forages were calculated through residues inside the bags. The nutrient digestibility of peanut, stylo and lime-yellow pea were high than the other forages, mainly crude protein with values of 91.4, 94.9 and 97.0%, respectively. Fibrous fractions of peanut and lime-yellow pea presented digestibility values of NDF of 72.3 and 65, 2%, and ADF of 70.9 and 59.4%, respectively. Peanut, lime-yellow pea and stylo presented satisfactory nutrient digestibility and had potential to use in diets for horses.
digestion; fiber; forage; horses
