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was trotting and cantering over taller and taller caval- letti. His vitamin E dosage was raised to 7500 IU.


IMPORTANCE OF VITAMIN E Though it is vital to living beings, vitamin E does not naturally occur in the horse. Its source comes from a diet of fresh, green grass, particularly alfalfa, with fresh being the operative word. Within a month or two of being cut, dried and stored, the grass, now hay, loses more than 85 percent of its vitamin E. “The


Beltane’s hind end before he started on vitamin E.


good news is that the vita- min is read- ily stored in the liver and


“…vitamin E does not naturaly occur in te hose. Its source comes from a diet of fresh, gren grass, particu- larly alfalfa…”


can keep a horse supplied throughout the winter,” says


Juliet Getty, PhD of Getty Equine Nutrition. “But if you have a horse on hay year around, by the time the hay is six months old, you need an outside source of vita- min E.” Here’s how it works. Every living thing on earth


needs oxygen to live. Yet oxygen is capable of oxidiz- ing molecules with cell membranes, resulting in the formation of highly reactive molecules known as free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS). “ROS’ goal is to become stabilized by pulling an electron from other molecules. It will go on a damaging rampage through- out the body, pulling electrons from portions of cell membranes, thereby destroying the molecule and


creating more free radicals,” explains Dr. Getty. “All cells are lined with a membrane consisting of a double layer of fat-containing molecules, which are highly vulnerable to attack by free radicals. Once the membrane loses an electron to a free radical, the inside of the cell becomes vulnerable to further damage and disease because the membrane has been compromised. Free radical formation is a normal occurrence; however, their levels become elevated when the horse is overly stressed, or consumes toxins such as pesticides, herbicides and chemical preservatives,” she adds. Left uncontrolled, oxidative stress


can overpower the horse’s ability to fight back and may result in tissue damage that has been linked to degenerative disease or inhibit the immune system. Vitamin E is one of several anti-


oxidants in the body that work to neutralize these destructive volatile


molecules, making vitamin E essential for proper func- tion of the reproductive, muscular, nervous, circulatory and immune systems. As a fat-soluble antioxidant, it comes to the rescue against free radicals and oxida- tive stress by donating an electron to the free radical, which doesn’t ‘care’ from where it gets the electron. The vitamin E makes the sacrifice, but the membrane is protected and the chain reaction which produces more damage and free radicals is stopped.


SIGNS OF E DEFICIENCY In addition to the antioxidant benefits of Vitamin E, it also is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, analgesic effects and immune-system enrichment. Often veterinarians recommend vitamin E for horses diagnosed with equine protozoal myeloencepha- lopathy (EPM), a disease caused by a parasite spread through opossum feces. Vitamin E also is recom- mended to aid healing the central nervous system and may also help recovery from stress, for example after surgery, or after intense exercise. Some horses may be vitamin E deficient, but not


Recent shot of Beltane with trainer Erika Jannsen, now healthy, keeping his weight and performing well under saddle.


30 November/December 2018


show clinical signs of neuromuscular disease and in many individuals, there are no apparent ill effects of the deficiency, according to Dr. Stephanie Valberg, DVM, PhD, of Michigan State College of Veterinary Medicine. However, skeletal or cardiac muscle degen- eration may be reason to suspect and test for vitamin E deficiency. For example, in a foal, tongue muscles may be affected enough to interfere with normal nurs- ing. That muscle degeneration may be due to vitamin E deficiency.


Courtesy Karen Mountain


Courtesy Karen Mountain


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