How Are Equine Urine and Feces Collected For Research?

When Kentucky Equine Research conducts digestibility studies, the procedure includes precise measurement and analysis of everything consumed by the horse as well as all waste products eliminated during the study period.

To carry out the protocol for waste collection, horses are outfitted with metabolic collection harnesses, commonly referred to as “nappies,” two days prior to the beginning of the collection period. The harnesses allow complete and separate accumulation of all urine and feces.

Horses are stalled on rubber matting and nappies are emptied three times a day. They can’t be turned out while they are wearing the nappies, so they are exercised on a mechanical walker or hand-walked two times a day for the duration of the study.