Abstract
Hokkaido native horses (HH) were compared with light half-bred horses (LH) for digestibility and the number of bites and chews when fed non-chopped timothy hay at 90% of the maintenance level in the pen. Apparent digestibility of nutrient and energy in HH were similar to those in LH. The time budget of eating by HH per day was shorter than that by LH (P<0.05, 403.3 vs 557.5 min), while there was no difference between HH and LH in the eating rate. The rate of biting, bite size, chewing rate per a minute and the number of chews per 1 g DM intake in HH were similar to those in LH. Ingestion by HH was indicated to be more efficient than that by LH.
