Nutrition Blog Posts

With warmer weather increasing and summer approaching, the topic of equine electrolytes becomes very relevant. Electrolytes are mineral salts that create the electrical current in the horse and are necessary for a variety of biological processes, including:

Looking through and examining the many types of equine feed available in today’s market can be an overwhelming and frustrating experience. Textured, processed, complete, what does it all mean? In order to pick out the best and correct feed for your horse’s nutritional needs, a basic understanding of the terms used to define commercial equine feed is crucial.

Vitamins in the horse’s body serve as antioxidants and are necessary for several metabolic processes, often acting as catalysts in biochemical reactions. Unlike minerals, which are inorganic, vitamins are organic compounds that can be classified as either water- or fat-soluble, depending on how they are absorbed and stored within the body.

Minerals are inorganic molecules, also called elements, which are derived from the earth. Minerals can be incorporated into living tissue (organic) but eventually return to earth in the inorganic form when excreted by the horse, or as ash once the animal is buried or cremated.

Feeding horses with a selective palate can become a frustrating matter, but horses that become particular about what they want in their feed tub are not uncommon. Horses that compete and train at levels that expend great amounts of energy can have trouble consuming enough feed to meet energy (calorie) demands. Older and recuperating horses also tend to back off their feed as well.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) are compounds that are called essential because they are not synthesized by the body and, therefore, must be obtained from dietary sources. EFA’s, Omega 3 Fatty Acids in particular, serve as components of nerve cells, cellular membranes, and the very important regulatory substances known as prostaglandins.

With hundreds of vitamin and mineral supplements on the market today it can be difficult in knowing what kind of vitamin/mineral supplement to feed and what type of situation warrants extra supplementation, as well as what products you should avoid.

Cases for Supplementation

The equine digestive tract is a fragile system and the rigors of training often cause disruption of normal function to occur. Gastrointestinal disorders, such as gastric ulcer syndrome, are common among the equine population and are often treated with a variety of pharmacological agents.

Selenium, unlike most other minerals, has a very narrow range of safety. Too little, and your horse can develop muscle weakness, difficulty moving, and respiratory distress. If iodine is too high, along with low selenium intake, the thyroid gland can be damaged.

The myths and misconceptions about protein are abundant. Have you ever known someone who attributed their horse’s bad behavior with protein intake or heard someone say high protein levels can cause developmental problems in foals? These claims against protein are incorrect and have unfortunately carried on in horse owner’s feeding methods.