Vitamins and Minerals – Why does my horse need them?
It is essential that your horse receives daily vitamins and minerals for their health and well-being as part of a balanced diet. Although they aren’t required in such large quantities as fibre, protein and carbohydrates, they are still just as important! Many horse owners supplement their horse’s diet with a vitamin and mineral supplement, so they can be confident their horse is receiving the essential nutrients, at the correct rate for their body weight and workload.
Vitamins
Vitamins are provided in forage, but it is likely that your horse won’t be receiving adequate amounts if he is on a forage only diet and especially so over the winter months when the grass quality is poor. For example, Vitamin E levels are highest in fresh forages, so horses that have limited access to green pasture will deplete their vitamin E stored in adipose tissues, liver and skeletal muscle and can therefore greatly benefit from supplementation, especially over the winter months.
Vitamins can be categorised into fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble vitamins (B-complex and C).
Fat-soluble vitamins:
These are typically found in fresh, green forage but usually the levels degrade overtime in stored hay.
Water-soluble vitamins:
B vitamins is an umbrella term for several vitamins that all play vital roles in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and protein. These can also be found in good quality forage, but are also sourced from some cereals, alfalfa and brewer’s yeast which provides a rich source of these vitamins.
Vitamin C is a result of the horse’s liver producing an enzyme that converts glucose to vitamin C. This is an antioxidant that plays a vital role in neutralising free radicals.
|
Vitamin |
Role in the horse’s body |
|
A |
Maintaining good vision, growth in young horses, reproduction and immune response |
|
D |
Aiding the absorption and transport of calcium and phosphorus |
|
E |
An important antioxidant |
|
K |
Important for effective blood clotting |
|
B-complex |
Energy transfer within the body |
|
C |
An antioxidant and helps with the maintenance and repair of connective tissues |
Minerals
Similar to vitamins, minerals are also required by the horse to ensure healthy body function and often aren’t provided in adequate amounts in forage alone.
It is important to understand minerals and how they interact with other minerals. For example, the horse’s body needs to maintain the calcium:phosphorus ratio at 2:1 and balance zinc with copper..
Macro-minerals:
These are minerals required in larger quantities by the horse per day and include: calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, sulphur and chlorine.
Micro-minerals:
Also known as trace minerals and required in very small amounts in the equine diet, these include: iron, copper, zinc, manganese, selenium and cobalt.
|
Mineral |
Role in the horse’s body |
|
Calcium |
Bone development and neuromuscular function |
|
Phosphorus |
Bone growth and energy transfer within the body |
|
Sodium |
Nerve and muscle function and carbohydrate digestion |
|
Magnesium |
Important for muscle contraction |
|
Sulphur |
Vital for healthy hair, skin and hooves |
|
Chlorine |
Nerve and muscle function |
|
Potassium |
Nerve and muscle function |
|
Iron |
Required for the transport of oxygen in red blood cells |
|
Copper |
Key component in the oxygen-carrying part of blood cells and in maintaining healthy connective tissues |
|
Zinc |
Essential for bone, cartilage and hoof formation as well as the health of hair, skin and hooves |
|
Manganese |
Required in the synthesis of chondroitin sulphate as part of bone formation and contributes to carbohydrate and fat metabolism |
|
Selenium |
Part of an antioxidant enzyme that works with Vitamin E |
|
Cobalt |
Synthesis of vitamin B12 |
|
Iodine |
Component of thyroid hormones |
|
Chromium |
Carbohydrate and protein metabolism |
Which one of Feedmark’s range of vitamin and mineral supplements is right for your horse?
Our vitamin and mineral supplements have been carefully formulated to ensure they deliver the essential nutrients at the correct feeding rate for the weight of your horse, so you can be confident your horse is receiving exactly what he needs to balance his diet.
Benevit Advance: Our popular broad-spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement, Benevit Advance provides your horse with 25 different nutrients for optimum health, on a palatable base of micronized linseed as a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids. It is in a concentrated, powdered form and it is suitable for all horses and ponies.
Original Balancer: Ideal for the poor-doer or the horse that needs support in maintaining condition. Original balancer provides 25 different vitamins and minerals, as well as the probiotic Yea-Sacc to support digestion and whey powder to provide concentrated protein to aid condition.
Mare and Youngstock balancer: Suitable for all mares during the last 3 months of pregnancy and for youngsters between weaning and 18 months old. It contains 25 vitamins and minerals as well as natural antioxidants.
SlimAid: Perfect for the good-doer! SlimAid is ideal if your horse is prone to putting weight on easily and therefore doesn’t require additional calories in the diet. SlimAid provides all the essential vitamins and minerals your horse needs but in a condensed pelleted form in a very small feeding rate, so you can feed it on its own from a bucket or even your hand.
Prolamin: This is an effective, low calorie blend of vitamin and mineral pellets with herbs specifically selected for their benefits to circulatory health by helping to support blood supply to the hoof and maintain capillary wall health.
SuperSaver14: Part of our Essentials range, SuperSaver14 provides 14 different vitamins and minerals, excluding iron.