Keeping Your Horse Fit
Nutrition, article 2
Nutrition, newest article

The role of antioxidants for the well being of your horse is very important for your animal, if a healthy, unstressed horse is on green pasture, they are generally getting all the vitamins and antioxidants they need. Many types of forage contain adequate amounts of vitamin E for a normal horse. Hay grown in a dry climate where it can be cut and dried quickly is often higher in vitamins and other nutrients than hay grown in a wet climate where it takes longer to dry before bailing. Most mixed feeds have some added vitamins that are balanced for the horse's average requirements. But if the horse is undergoing stress or high-intensity competition, they might need higher levels.

Yet you don't want to over feed supplements, or you could create an unbalanced diet. Some nutrients interact with others, and if you upset the balance, what you are feeding might become more detrimental than beneficial.

"Probably the biggest problem we have with antioxidants is using synthetic forms and hoping they are absorbed," says Kathleen Crandle, PhD, nutrition consultant for Kentucky Equine Research. "Vitamin E has been well tested, and natural forms are found to be better absorbed than synthetic forms. How does the average horse owner know which product is the right form to use? There are many products on the market, so this is the hard part for the horse owner - making the choices."

In periods of stress, adding vitamins E and C to the diet might be beneficial. Even if a horse is getting plenty of vitamin E, it might be poorly utilized in some situations. For example, any debility or illness that interferes with intestinal function (such as damage by parasites or diarrhea) can limit the amount of vitamin E absorbed through the gut lining. If you feed a vitamin E supplement, it should always be given with a meal; it must be mixed with fat molecules in the small intestine in order to be absorbed.

Carey Williams, PhD, equine extension specialist and assistant professor of animal science at Rutgers University, says timing is crucial when giving supplements. "With vitamin E, for instance it won't give any benefit if you wait until the day before competition to give the supplement. Being fat-soluble, vitamin E is stored by the horse, and you need to build up their stores over at least a three-week period before the stress of a long trip or competition event," she says. "It's not the same for vitamin C because it's water-soluble."

The biggest single change in the 1989 National Research Council (NRC) recommendations for horses was to increase vitamin E requirements for growth and exercise from 15 International Units (IU) per kilogram of feed (165 IU/day for an 11-kg diet) to 80IU per kilogram of feed (880 IU for an 11kg diet), a five fold increase over the 1978 recommendations.

The general consensus among equine nutritionists today is that actual requirements for optimal health might be at least 720 IU daily for mares in late gestation, 950 IU for lactation and 1000 IU for horses doing intense work or at many competitions. These values could still be too low, and ongoing research will help us all to determine what is best for our horses. There is another West Nile Vaccine now that has been approved for horses and most Vets now have it in stock. Don't forget to get your booster shot for this year.