ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to synthesize the literature on the subject and provide a perspective on the use of algae in horse feeding. Macroalgae and microalgae have been used in both human and animal nutrition since ancient times. However, information about the use of algal biomass in horse feeding is limited. There is a trend to use algae not as a direct feed or feed additive but as a source of a wide spectrum of bioactive compounds that can be used in the treatment of many diseases. Algae can constitute an innovative source of a broad range of bioactive substances, protein, amino acids and lipids and thus can become an excellent feed ingredient that might be successfully used in advanced equine nutrition. Algae per se might cover requirements not only for protein or amino acids, when used as a feed, but also for active ingredients that can be successfully used as an activator of particular mechanisms and pathways.
