Nutrition plays a major role in several common equine diseases including joint health. The key to preventing problems in equine joints is to provide good quality feed at all times throughout the horse’s life. As Hippocrates said, “Let thy food be thy medicine.”
Horses eating from a feeder
Dr. Caroline Loos recommends that the key to joint health is prevention, and this can be best achieved by utilizing high quality feed throughout the horse's life.
© 2017 by Sedin
How does a horse owner know what to feed and when to feed it during a horse’s life for optimal joint support? The horse’s life begins in the womb, so look first to the nutritional needs of the broodmare. Growing horses should be kept on a steady growth path, and as life goes on, it is almost inevitable osteoarthritis will to creep into the picture.
Here’s some advice from leading nutritional expert, Dr. Caroline Loos, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar at the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at the University of Kentucky, who works closely with Cavalor North America, a global leader in equine nutrition:
“Many joint health issues in the foals’ later life can be prevented by proper nutrition of the pregnant mare. People underestimate the impact of mare nutrition on foal health. Recent research has shown that poor nutrition such as poor quality feed, overfeeding or underfeeding, will affect fetal development and can therefore have irreversible consequences, even if the horse is properly fed in later life.
- Remember to feed the broodmare a well-balanced, high quality diet, year round, not just during the last trimester. Keep an eye on her body condition and weight before and during pregnancy.
- Essential minerals for bone development to pay attention to in the broodmare diet are: Ca, P, Cu and Zn.
- Avoid feeding too much starch and sugars. Improve your forage quality first, then meet any remaining requirements with concentrates.
- After birth, continue to feed the lactating mare a high-quality diet as nutrients for the foal are transferred via the milk.
- Basic broodmares diets: pasture is ideal or a high quality forage (alfalfa) in combination with a concentrate that is properly balanced to supply all essential nutrients to the broodmare and her foal.
- The most critical factor affecting joint problems in growing horses is growth rate. You always want to strive for a moderate and consistent growth rate. Practically, this means you want to avoid rapid growth by not overfeeding the foal, but also prevent a growth slump that can be caused by lack of good nutrition or horses going off feed.
- Avoid overfeeding and be aware of the nutrient/calorie ratio. If you feed higher energy feeds, make sure they also contain all the other nutrients needed to support an even growth and healthy development of tissues and bones. Therefore, when feeding single grains instead of formulated/fortified feeds, ensure to balance for protein, vitamins and minerals.
- Feeding the young horse well from the start will avoid many problems later on! High quality nutrients are essential for a strong musculoskeletal system. Creep-feeding allows for more control of what the foal eats and has shown to result in a smoother weaning process with less growth slumps, better weight gain and less stress on developing joints post-weaning.
- Increase feeding quantities during colder temperatures to avoid a growth slump.
- Key minerals in growing horses are: Ca, P, Mg, Cu, Zn, Mn
- High quality protein is essential for proper musculoskeletal development: alfalfa or soybean products have a good amino acid profile.
- Plenty of movement and pasture turnout are preferred for healthy joint development.
- Monitor growth rate closely.
Next to developmental joint issues, the next most prevalent problem affecting joint health is probably osteoarthritis {OA}. Because OA cannot be cured, prevention is essential and good nutrition can play an important role.
- Support the equine athlete by matching nutrient intake to the exercise performed. People often overestimate energy expenditure and this can result in overfeeding. Obesity can increase risk for injury and strain on the musculoskeletal system.
- Keep an eye on weight and body condition score (BCS) to monitor whether your feeding regime matches your horse’s needs.
- Feed high quality nutrients that support muscle and bone function: amino acids, Vit E, Zn, trace minerals. Remember purity and source of minerals are important for optimal use and effect of mineral supplementation. Furthermore, poor quality minerals can be harmful to tissues. Spending a little more money on high quality feed/supplements will pay off in the long run.
- Additional nutrients can be useful for horses that are prone to joint problems or those that perform heavy exercise. For example, extra vitamins, trace minerals, natural anti-inflammatory agents, provide joint supporting building blocks
- Do your research and talk to your vet/nutritionist about which products are supported by science and might be appropriate for your horse.
- Slowly build up exercise intensity, especially in the growing horse, so the musculoskeletal system can adapt without causing strain or injury. Increase feed accordingly to keep supporting growth and development.”
In conclusion, Dr. Caroline Loos recommends that the key to joint health is prevention, and this can be best achieved by utilizing high quality feed throughout the horse’s life.
To address the need for top quality equine nutrition as part of your overall optimal health strategy, utilize the Cavalor’s specially formulated feeds for mare and foal: Cavalor® ProBreed for pregnant and lactating mares, as well as foals through a year, and Cavalor® Juniorix, for young horses that are 1-3 years old.
When you put your trust in the Cavalor® brand rest assured that their research has led to demonstrated effectiveness across their line of feed and supplements, and all products are guaranteed 100% doping-free.
For more information on the full range of products, that include feed and supplements for sport horses, horses requiring special care, breeding stock, recreational horses and horses on rest that are available from Cavalor® please visit http://www.cavalor.com/us-en
By Nikki Alvin-Smith
This article is brought to you courtesy of Cavalor North America, Dalton, GA– Kindly visit their website at http://www.cavalor.us to learn more. Dealer inquiries are welcomed.
About Cavalor® North America, Dalton, GA: Cavalor is a global brand that can justifiably be called the world leader in equine nutrition for high-performance horses. Cavalor® products are available in more than 50 countries worldwide and are used by champion riders. Cavalor® offers a complete line of horse feed, supplements and care products.
The company's values are: Innovation - Quality - Results. They dedicate themselves to inventing, manufacturing and distributing the best quality and most effective equine nutrition products in the world for the health, performance and happiness of all horses, from a foal’s first steps to retirement.
Please visit http://www.cavalor.us to learn more about their top quality line of products used by advanced riders for their high performance horses, ‘when the result counts.’
About Nikki Alvin-Smith: Internationally published freelance writer in such world renowned publications such as The Chronicle of the Horse, Horse and Hound, Dressage and CT, Warmbloods Today, The Horseman’s Yankee Pedlar, Reiter, The Equine Journal, Spur, Hoofprints, Horsin’ Around, Horses All, Field & Stream, Western Horse and Gun, Pony Quarterly, Horses All Canada, Catskill Horse to name a few. Ghostwriting, blog services, PR/Marketing copy either direct with manufacturer or for agencies, copy editing and editor services also available. Nikki also produces catalog copy, white papers, e-books, corporate brochures and advertising copy for international corporations and PR/Marketing for celebrities.
As a Brit who has called the America home for the past 34 years, Nikki brings a unique perspective to the equestrian world. Nikki is also an accomplished Grand Prix dressage trainer/competitor, competing at international Grand Prix level to scores over 72% and is a highly sought clinician offering clinics worldwide. She has been a horse breeder/importer of warmblood and Baroque breeds for more than 25 years. Together with her husband Paul who is also a Grand Prix trainer, they run a private dressage breeding operation and training yard in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of New York.
Please visit https://nikkialvinsmithstudio.com/ to learn more about her affordable services.