127 Exercise management of horses in Pennsylvania: A survey

Exercise is an integral part of most domesticated horses’ lives. Understanding the frequency, duration, and intensity of exercise is important for determining the correct diet and management for the horse. The 2007 NRC categorizes exercise workloads into light, moderate, heavy, and very heavy to help determine the energy and nutrient requirements. The objective of the current study was to characterize the exercise management of horses in Pennsylvania. An online survey was distributed through Penn State Equine Extension's online outlets and through other Pennsylvania equine groups from February 27th to August 31st, 2020. NRC exercise workload guidelines were presented to respondents for them to self- report their horses’ exercise workload. Kurskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used to analyze the data, and the significance level was set at P