There are many
nutritional supplements available on the market today for horses.
Some claim to enhance performance, others suggest improved flexibility
of joints, and even a boosted immune system. There are of course
traditional supplements that we have come to be almost complacent
about, such as vitamin and mineral preparations. How do we know
when a horse needs a supplement in his diet and how do we pick
the one that we need?
A good general rule of thumb is to look at the physiological
status and activity level of your horse. If he is a high performance
horse, he will likely need some help to meet his nutritional
requirements, and even some additives that may help with arthritic
conditions and muscle stiffness. If she is a broodmare, either
pregnant or lactating, vitamin and mineral supplements are virtually
a must. An inactive gelding turned out on quality pasture probably
is okay without any supplementation.
In considering the use of supplements in a feeding program, there
are several questions we need to ask:
1. Do I know the nutrient composition of the diet I am feeding?
2. Do I have any reason to suspect that a nutrient may be deficient?
3. What does my horse really need in its diet?
4. Is my horse (or are my horses) under significant stress?
5. If my horse does need a supplement, which is the most appropriate
one to use?
All too frequently, when a person has perceived problems with
a horse which are possibly dietary in origin, knowledge of the
composition of the diet currently begin fed is lacking. Generally,
it is information on the composition of the forage (hay, pasture,
etc.) which is not available. Many horse owners buy hay in small
quantities several times throughout the year and feel, justifiably,
that it is not worth the effort to have it analyzed. Frequently,
by the time the sample analysis has been obtained from the lab,
another quantity of hay has been purchased. So what is the solution
to this dilemma? In my opinion, there are several. All will require
at least some extra effort so a decision must be made as to the
value of the information to the management of the performance
horse and, therefore, whether the results will be worth the extra
effort.
If a horse's performance level is low (e.g. a mature horse ridden
strictly for pleasure 2-4 times per week) the results will not
be worth the effort. An adequate diet can easily be constructed
by visually assessing the type and quality of the forage, using
text book values for its composition and formulating or purchasing
a very simple concentrate to provide sufficient amounts of the
major nutrients to maintain the horse in good condition. From
a quantitative viewpoint, the greatest nutrient demand of such
a horse will be for energy which is readily supplied by good
quality forage and common grains such as oats, corn or barley.
The inclusion of trace mineralized salt and water, free choice,
will provide a more than adequate diet for such an individual.
On the other hand, if we are demanding much from a horse (e.g.
training or racing, eventing, high level dressage, endurance,
producing top quality foals) then I believe the results will
be well worth the extra effort. Such extra effort may include:
1) locating the source of the hay and sampling a sufficient number
of bales to give a representative analysis; 2) taking a sample
as soon as possible after delivery of the hay and requesting
a fast turn around from the analytical lab; 3) demanding an analysis
of the hay from the supplier when it is delivered; 4) if pasture
is an important part of the diet, taking soil samples from the
pasture areas and representative samples of the pasture forage
for the appropriate analyses.
Since forage usually makes up at least 50 percent of the horse's
diet, I feel it is vital that we know what it contains when we
are feeding the high performance horse. Only if we can adequately
assess what is in the total diet (which of course includes the
forage) can we make any reasonable decision as to the need for
a supplement.
There are many reasons that a horse owner might suspect a nutritional
deficiency; some very obvious and some which may only be visible
to the trained observer. For example, a mature horse that is
otherwise healthy, but is losing weight, would be suspected of
being deficient in energy. Since energy is readily available
in good quality hay and grains, it is a comparatively simple
task to "supplement" its diet with an additional source
of energy (i.e. add more hay, grains, or fat).
The above example deals with rather obvious needs for supplementation.
In general, the use of supplements attempts to deal with situations
where it is more difficult to accurately identify the problem.
For example, our foals show evidence of physitis or other manifestations
of developmental orthopedic disease (DOD); our horse doesn't
finish its competitive event as strongly as we think it should;
we see evidence of tying-up in a horse. There are many instances
such as these where the causes of the problem may be many fold,
but there is often a strong inclination to reach for a "supplement".
Let's take a look at the more common supplements, what they do
and how to use them. There can be no short cuts to performance
success. Combining good genetics, quality nutrition and health
care, along with good environmental influences are the first
steps in achieving goals. It is advisable to consult with your
veterinarian or nutritionist before changing your horse's diet.
GAGs?|MSM?|Herbals?|Vitamins and Minerals?|Electrolytes?|
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