Diet composition influences equine large intestinal motility as measured by transcutaneous ultrasound.

Diet composition significantly affects large colon motility in horses, requiring dietary consideration during gastrointestinal ultrasonographic assessment.

This prospective crossover study evaluated the influence of diet composition on large intestinal motility in 12 healthy American Quarter Horses using transcutaneous ultrasound. Horses received either a complete pelleted diet (1.35% body weight/day) or Coastal Bermudagrass hay (2% body weight/day) supplemented with complete pelleted feed (0.5–0.7% body weight/day), with each diet fed for 13 days prior to motility assessment. Ultrasonographic evaluation was performed at three anatomic sites—the sternal flexure of the large colon, left ventral colon, and cecum—recording contraction frequency over four consecutive 1-minute intervals at 2 hours post-morning and post-evening feedings. A contraction was defined as intestinal wall movement exceeding 2 cm. Statistical analysis using Wilcoxon signed-rank and Kruskal-Wallis tests with Bonferroni correction revealed that horses fed the complete pelleted diet demonstrated significantly higher contraction frequency at the sternal flexure of the large colon compared to hay-fed horses. No significant differences were detected at the left ventral colon or cecum, and time of day did not influence contraction frequency at any site. These findings indicate that diet composition selectively affects motility at specific anatomic locations within the equine large colon. Clinically, this underscores the importance of considering a horse's dietary regimen when interpreting ultrasonographic gastrointestinal motility assessments, as diet-induced differences in contraction patterns may influence diagnostic interpretation and management decisions in horses with suspected gastrointestinal dysfunction.

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