b'NUTRITIONYou might have to experiment to find out what types of feeds and flavoringsfrom fenugreek to spearmint to aniseyour picky horse will eat.puffed grain product in the off chance theCarbondale, has, for the past year, beensmell and taste are linked, but the aroma mare would appreciate the feeds textureresearching the taste and olfactory prefer- of the product is what the horse en-and flavor. But Cera flat-out refused. ences of 10 horses from SIUs herd tocounters first before it ever takes a bite, I tried putting it in a separate bucketdetermine whether horses really do haveFrancis says.alongside her regular grain, and I mixed itcertain flavor and scent preferences. SheSo what flavors do horses prefer? Fran-with her regular grain, Yakin-Palmer re- chose the animals involved in the researchcis says horses in the study chose sweet calls. Either way, she wouldnt touch it. project based on their willingness toflavors over sour ones, such as lemon consume a pair of diets: one consisting ofand orange, largely because carbohy-Aromas, Flavors, and Feels commercially prepared pelleted feed sansdrates are their primary energy source The latter grain choice never madeflavor or olfactory enhancers and another(sugar molecules are the basic units of it past Ceras nose and, among finickymodified with an oil-based flavoring. carbohydrates).horses, says Thunes, thats not unusual. Some horses will eat anythingif youHorses in natural settings choose feed-If a horse stops 6 inches into his feedleave a bucket full of feed where they canstuffs based on nutrient content, Francis bucket, its possible that he does not likereach it, they will gorge themselves, shesays. As a result, horses like sweetsthe smell, she says.says. Thats why we were selective ofsugar cubes, peppermints, apple slices. As such, many feed manufacturersthe horses we used for our research. WeBut while few turned up their noses at add aromas and flavors to feed productsmade sure they tried both diets beforeanything sweet, the horses in the study to entice horses. Jesse Francis, MS, a re- settling on the one they preferred. did prefer one flavor over them all: anise. searcher and doctoral student inSouthernThey also considered scent. WeA lot of people dont even like the smell Illinois Universitys (SIU) Departmentwanted to explore how the horse reactedof black licorice, but horses in our studyof Animal Science Food & Nutrition, into the odor, because we know the sense ofpreferred the taste of anise as compared to apples or peppermints.Some horses have food texture prefer-ences, just like humans do. One of my mares prefers a solid texture, like a carrot or an apple, but doesnt like others, such as the texture of a banana, she says. Meanwhile, some animals decline any-thing fresh in favor of a manufactured feed or treat. Texture is a factor feed manufac-turers must take into consideration when designing a product, Francis says.Bitter foods also rank low, likely because horses in the wild avoid plants ISTOCK.COM PHOTOSthat are toxic to them, and most of those plants taste bitter.Horses are very pickythey are naturally selective grazersand will When horses turn up their noses at hay, find alternatives such as hay pellets, beet pulp, completeavoid anything that is harmful to them, senior feed, or alfalfa, seen here. Francis says. So bitter weeds such as 26January 2020The Horse|TheHorse.comNutrition_Jan_use.indd 26 12/4/19 1:01 PM'