In two studies, anise and fenugreek topped the lists of horses' preferred flavorings, researchers found. | Photo: The Horse Staff

Students took the spotlight on Day 2 of the 2019 Equine Science Society (ESS) symposium, held June 3-6 in Asheville, North Carolina. They shared their research as part of the symposium’s student competition presentations. Here are some of our top take-homes from the nutrition sessions.

Horses prefer anise flavoring over other oil-based palatants. Jesse Francis, of Southern Illinois University, tested six flavors that owners can add to feeds or medications to make them more appealing: anise, apple, peppermint, banana, orange, and spearmint. The least popular flavor? Orange.

Horses turned out in fields with restricted space due to rotational grazing lose weight while horses continuously grazing large pastures gain it. Beverly Gartland, of Western Kentucky University, compared weight changes and grazing behavior of horses housed in 2.2-acre fields and those rotated weekly through 1/3- to 1/10-acre grazing cells