Usable energy

ME (metabolizable energy)

calculation

After eating, the horse does not have all of the potential gross energy or heat energy from a feed available. Part of this food energy cannot be digested and is excreted in the feces.

Gross Energy – Fecal Energy = Digestible Energy

(English: "digestible energy", abbreviated DE). Since 2014, it has also been generally assumed that a much larger proportion of the horse's energy (than previously assumed) is lost in the metabolic process: it is excreted via substances in the urine and as intestinal gases.

Gross energy – feces energy – urine energy – intestinal gas energy = metabolizable energy

What you get from this equation is the metabolizable energy (ME) of a feed. The advantage of calculating feed at this ME energy level: the horse's energy requirements can be calculated more individually and in line with performance and can be appropriately covered by the respective feed. At Omento, we therefore only calculate with ME values ​​per kg of original substance.