supplements
Whilst much of the emphasis of equine feeding is often placed on fibre, calories, protein, starch or sugar, the importance of a correctly balanced diet for vitamins and minerals should not be underestimated. A fully balanced diet is important for strong healthy hooves, good energy levels, good bodyweight, a shiny coat, great muscle tone and top line, as well as internal nutrient reserves.
The primary vitamins that are of importance for the horse are vitamins A, D and E. In contrast to human nutrition, vitamin C holds much lesser prominence in equine diets as, unlike humans, the horse possesses the specific enzyme to produce vitamin C in the liver so supplemental vitamin C in the healthy horse is often of no additional benefit. Vitamin A is important to support eyesight, with night blindness and runny eyes being indicative of a potential deficiency.
Vitamin D plays a crucial role in calcium regulation and absorption, and vitamin E is an antioxidant, supporting muscle and cell function. B vitamins, like thiamine, biotin, niacin and riboflavin, are essential for chemical reactions in the body and are primarily produced by bacteria in the hindgut as a result of fibre digestion, but are also provided in concentrate feed.
Minerals can be divided into two broad categories: macrominerals, which are present in larger levels in the body, and microminerals, which are typically required in smaller amounts. The term ‘chelated’ refers to minerals which have been combined with other molecules, such as amino acids, to improve the way in which minerals are absorbed and utilised by the body.
Dietary minerals should be regarded as a group rather than individually due to their interactions: an excess of one may cause a deficiency of another. Calcium and phosphorus are the major minerals in bone and are often considered in ratio to one another. Calcium is also required for muscle contraction and phosphorous is essential for energy production.
Horses require a calcium: phosphorous ratio in their daily diet in the region of 1.5-2:1. An excessively high level of calcium can result in brittle bones, phosphorous deficiency and decreased absorbance of zinc. Diets that contain an imbalanced ratio can result in abnormal bone physiology, particularly in growing youngstock. Feeds, such as wheat bran, or cereals, like maize and barley, have a poor calcium to phosphorous ratio, so should not comprise the main portion of the diet.
Potassium is required for muscle activity and cell function. The horse can lose a significant amount of potassium via sweat so horses on a limited forage intake that sweat regularly may become deficient in potassium. Signs of a deficiency include muscle weakness, fatigue and exercise intolerance. Forage typically will provide good levels of potassium alongside the concentrate ration, but for those sweating regularly an electrolyte supplement is recommended.
Sodium is another of the major electrolytes (salts) which are lost in sweat. For light work, the provision of a salt lick is normally suitable to meet demands, however, it can be difficult to monitor intake this way so another option is to add ½ -2 tablespoons of salt to the feed. For horses in harder levels of work, a good quality electrolyte supplement
will contain levels of sodium, potassium, chloride and other electrolytes in a balance designed to restore levels and support recovery.
Copper is often present in low levels in forage, and a copper deficiency could cause a number of conditions, due to the effect on copper dependent enzymes involved in many metabolic functions within the body. Zinc’s major function in the body is as a component of enzymes involved in carbohydrate and protein metabolism. The horse is quite resistant to a high zinc intake but, at high levels, zinc can inhibit the uptake of copper, which is not ideal, especially in growing youngstock.
So how can I make sure my horse is getting suitable levels of everything he needs?
Here at Baileys we undertake numerous forage analyses each year and find that even the best quality forage is often lacking in certain nutrients, especially minerals. For this reason, we always advocate feeding the manufacturer’s full recommended amount of a mix, cube or balancer to provide a fully balanced diet supplying all the nutrients your horse needs, particularly those which may be lacking in forage.
Under feeding a mix or cube, in order to control calorie intake, will mean your horse is going short of vitamins and minerals, so balancers are ideal for providing essential nutrients without unwanted calories. Be wary of adding extra supplements, which may contain further vits and mins, as they may affect the overall balance of the diet. If you are at all unsure, contact the supplement or feed manufacturer.
For free feed advice, contact Baileys Nutrition Helpline on 01371 850247 (option 2) or email
nutrition@baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk or check out the new Feed Finder at
www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk
www.theequinesite.co.uk Equine Page 11
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