The work was carried out at the Equine Production Sector of the Department of Animal Science of the Federal University of Lavras - UFLA, in Lavras - MG, Brazil, with the objective of evaluating the effect of pectin and soybean meal addition on the apparent digestibility of nutrients in horses. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 4x2 factorial arrangement, with four pectin levels (0, 1, 2 and 3% of the DM of the hay of coastcross consumed) and addition or not of soybean meal amounting to eight treatments with four replications. Variables were the coefficients of apparent digestibility of dry matter (CADDM), crude protein (CADCP), neutral detergent fiber (CADNDF), acid detergent fiber (CADADF), hemicellulose (CADHEM), gross energy (CADGE) and of digestible energy (DE). Pectin addition did not affect the CADDM, CADNDF, CADADF, CADGE and nor DE; it improved CADCP, when at the level of 1.25% and CADHEM at all the used levels. It follows that the addition of 1.25% of pectin to the diet improved the apparent digestibility of CP and addition of 3% pectin provided the best apparent digestibility of hemicellulose. The addition of soybean meal to the diet with the purpose of increasing the utilization of crude fiber of feed as an energy source is not advisable, since there was no improvement of apparent digestibility of the NDF and ADF.
digestibility; horse; pectin
