Taking care of your horse requires a lot of time and attention, so it’s important to make sure you’re giving them the right vitamins and minerals. Some of the most common ones are vitamin K and calcium. These two vitamins are essential for the health of your horse, so they should be taken in plenty of quantities. The good news is that they aren’t too difficult to find in your horse’s food.
Vitamin E
Using vitamin E is one of the best things you can do to support your horse’s health. It is a powerful antioxidant and has been shown to help improve neurological function and muscle soreness in performance horses.
Vitamin E is a group of eight naturally occurring compounds. These compounds are called tocopherols. The most bioavailable form is alpha-tocopherol.
Vitamin E has been shown to be important in a number of ways, but it is most commonly associated with neuromuscular function. It is also a powerful antioxidant that can help protect the cells in the body from free radicals. This can help prevent oxidative damage and cell membrane damage. It may also help to improve the immune system.
In addition to its antioxidant properties, vitamin E also maintains several important body functions. It helps to stabilize plasma membranes and inhibits platelet aggregation. It also helps to modulate gene expression.
Some horses are more at risk for developing a vitamin E deficiency than others. Horses in training and whose forage is primarily hay are at higher risk. It is also important to consider a horse’s full diet when deciding on supplementation.
The recommended dosage of vitamin E for horses is about 5000 to 10,000 IU daily. The most effective form of vitamin E is the natural form, which is absorbed quickly and is retained in the tissues for two times longer than the synthetic form.
The most important function of vitamin E is the antioxidant one. It helps to prevent the cyclic oxidation of lipids, which can cause damage to cells, nerves and muscles.
Vitamin E is also used to support muscle soreness and joint health. Adding fortified feed to your horse’s diet can help to increase the amount of this vitamin in your horse’s diet.
B-complex vitamins
Adding supplemental B-complex vitamins to your horse’s diet can improve their performance, behavior, and digestion. These vitamins support the immune system and energy metabolism, which are crucial to a horse’s ability to perform.
The horse’s hind gut microbes produce most of the B-vitamins that the horse needs. However, when the horse’s diet changes, or the environment changes, the vitamin production can be reduced.
B-complex vitamins include thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), cobalamin (B12), and folacin (B-1). These vitamins help with the utilization of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. They are water soluble and are excreted by the urine.
The National Research Council recommends that horses consume two B-complex vitamins daily. However, this may not be necessary for all horses. Some horses can manufacture their own B-complex vitamins.
B-vitamins can help settle a horse’s stomach if it’s been stressed or injured. This can help a horse get back to its regular routine.
B-complex vitamins are also essential for growth and reproduction. They assist in the utilization of fats and protein, and they serve as catalysts for the metabolism of carbohydrate. They also have a role in red blood cell formation and recovery from parasites.
Many horses get their B-complex vitamins from high quality forage. However, some hay is soaked to remove sugars, which leaches out the vitamins. Adding hay supplements can help replenish these vitamins.
Adding supplemental B-complex vitamins can also help a horse perform at its best. Depending on the situation, horses can be given one or two ounces of B-Plex daily. This supplement is highly palatable, which makes it easy for horses to eat.
Adding B-complex vitamins to your horse’s daily diet may also benefit a horse that is undergoing surgery or antibiotic treatment. The bacteria in the hind gut can be compromised by antibiotics or other medications.
Lysine
Providing a high-quality diet to your horses is a must. Protein plays an important role in building tissue, and maintaining healthy immune systems. It is also necessary for proper communication and transport of nutrients in the blood. Inadequate protein intake can affect the growth of young animals, as well as the health of the hair, skin, and hooves.
Amino acids are the “building blocks” of protein. They are small units that can be used by the horse to make thousands of proteins. Having all of the essential amino acids is important for protein synthesis, which is necessary for muscle growth and repair. However, some amino acids can’t be made by the horse and must be supplied by the diet.
Lysine is the first limiting amino acid in the equine diet. Without it, assembly of protein will stop. Providing an adequate lysine intake is important for young horses, particularly those in work, and for breeding.
The horse’s body manufactures twelve essential amino acids. These are methionine, threonine, leucine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, alanine, aspartic acid, glutamine, cysteine, valine, and arginine.
Lysine is a key ingredient in keratin protein. This protein is used for hoof development, and is also important for bone matrix formation. A deficiency in lysine can cause poor hoof growth and brittle hooves.
Researchers are trying to find out how to better determine the lysine and essential k for horses required by a growing horse. To do this, they will study six horses at six different lysine intake levels. They will be fed a hay and concentrate mix for 7 days to allow their bodies to adapt.
Conclusion
A daily blood sample will be taken to measure the concentrations of amino acids. These results will be analyzed and a manuscript written for a journal. This project will provide valuable information on the role of amino acids in the horse’s diet, and it will be the first step in redefining the amino acid requirements for horses.
