A balanced diet is crucial for maintaining a horse’s health and performance. Key nutrients include carbohydrates, protein, fats, minerals, vitamins, and water. While horses can synthesize some vitamins, others must be obtained through their diet to ensure optimal health, growth, and performance.
What are the crucial vitamins for horses?
Known vitamins include fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, and the water-soluble B group of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, choline, biotin, folic acid, and vitamins B_6 and B_12 and vitamin C.
Why is Vitamin A important for horses?
Vitamin A is essential for growth, reproduction, milk production, and maintaining resistance to respiratory infections. Green crops are rich in carotene, which horses convert to vitamin A. When green forages or good pasture are lacking, supplements ensure an adequate supply.
How does Vitamin D benefit horses?
Vitamin D enables horses to use calcium and phosphorus, preventing rickets in young animals. Sunlight exposure helps produce vitamin D. Hay crops cured in the field also develop vitamin D. Horses kept outdoors usually get enough vitamin D, but those housed indoors may need supplements, especially during winter.
Why are B vitamins essential for horses?
The B vitamins are generally synthesized by bacteria in the horse’s rumen, so they are not as critical in the feeding of cattle, sheep, and other ruminants. However, very young calves, and poultry, swine, and other monogastric animals require the B vitamins in their diets. Of these, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, and vitamin B_12 are most likely to be deficient in ordinary feeds; special supplements are needed by pigs, poultry, and laboratory animals. Choline may also be deficient in poultry feeds.
What role does Vitamin E play in a horse’s health?
Vitamin E is needed for the normal hatching of eggs and, along with selenium, helps prevent muscle stiffness and paralysis (dystrophy) in lambs, calves, and chicks under certain conditions.
Do horses need Vitamin C supplements?
Vitamin C, which prevents scurvy in humans and guinea pigs, can be synthesized in the bodies of most other animals and need not be supplied in their food.
Is Vitamin K supplementation necessary for horses?
Vitamin K is synthesized by bacteria in the intestinal tract and can be absorbed, and, if livestock can ingest feces, a dietary supply is usually not important. Today many animals are raised without fecal contact, though, so vitamin K is often added to their diets as a safety factor.
Additional Considerations
- Pasture and Forage: Good quality grass-legume pastures and legume hays supply adequate nutrients, including vitamins, for adult horses at light work and pregnant mares.
- Supplementation: Horses performing medium to heavy work may need supplementation with high-energy sources like grain, especially with lush spring pastures. Late fall and winter pastures may require protein and vitamin A supplements.
- Complete Rations: Horses stabled in cities and suburbs may benefit from complete horse rations tailored to their specific needs, including growth, pregnancy, lactation, or maintenance.
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