Nutritional Minutes |
 The Scoop on Electrolytes and Hydration |
Imagine you are riding your horse on a hot summer day. If you do more than walk, you both begin to sweat. After a good workout your horse’s coat is soaked and in some places even frothy. As you remove your helmet, the sweat runs down your face and you taste the saltiness on your lips. That salty flavor is from the electrolytes that, along with water, make up sweat. Electrolytes serve multiple functions in your horse’s body. The primary electrolytes we are concerned with in equine nutrition are sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca),potassium (K), and chloride (Cl). Electrolytes in the correct ratios play a significant role in hydration (thirst response), muscle function, and the cellular water balance within your horse’s body. When your horse’s electrolytes are out of balance, problems occur.
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| Havoc in the Hindgut |
The digestive tract of your horse is home to millions of microorganisms that aid in the digestion of feedstuffs. The sheer size of the microbial population shows their importance to your horse’s health. Leading equine nutritionist David Frape once
wrote “…the bacteria cells in the digestive tract of the horse number more than ten times all the tissues cells in the body.” Think about it: There are more microbes in the gut of your horse than all the individual tissue cells that make up your horse’s body! The microbial population is incredibly vast, but also very sensitive; therefore, they must be carefully maintained to protect against changes that can lead to digestive upset, colic and laminitis.
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| Laminitis: What's Grain Overload Got to Do with It? |
Laminitis occurs when the tissues that connect the coffin bone to the hoof wall, called the laminae, become inflamed and the blood supply is compromised. Laminitis varies in severity depending on the amount of damage inflicted on the laminae. Mild cases usually result in very little permanent damage to the laminae, while the more severe cases can result in founder, or the sinking of the coffin bone. There are several factors that can lead to laminitis; one is over-feeding your horse large amounts of grain (also known as “grain overload”).
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| Vitamin E and Equine Motor Neuron Disease |
What is Equine Motor Neuron Disease?
Equine Motor Neuron Disease (EMND) is a degenerative disease of the motor neurons located in the spinal column and brain stem. Motor neurons are the nerves responsible for signaling muscles to contract and move. The motor neurons of horses with EMND become damaged. The damaged neurons send incorrect signals to the muscles and affect the musculature of the horse.
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| Clarifying Carbohydrates Part III |
In Clarifying Carbohydrates Part I & II, we reviewed simple carbohydrates and rapidly fermentable carbohydrates.This Nutritional Minute describes slowly fermentable carbohydrates (fiber) and discusses the concerns associated with all carbohydrates in the equine diet.
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| Clarifying Carbohydrates Part II |
There are many types of carbohydrates in equine diets, including simple carbohydrates,rapidly fermentable carbohydrates, and complex, slowly fermentable carbohydrates. Your horse digests each type of carbohydrate differently. Some types of carbs are better for your horse than others. In the last Nutritional Minute we looked at simple carbs. This time we will review rapidly fermentable carbs.
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| Clarifying Carbohydrates Part I |
There are three different types of carbohydrates utilized by horses: simple sugars and starches, rapidly fermentable carbohydrates, and structural carbohydrates. This part of our series will deal with simple sugars and starches.
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| The trouble with fructans |
Healthy horses have little problem adjusting to changing fructan levels. The individuals most at risk are cresty-necked easy-keepers suffering from metabolic syndrome or those at risk for laminitis from other health issues.
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| Put the bloom back in your horse's coat |
Does your horse struggle with dull, flaky hair coat? Are his mane and tail dry and brittle? The quality of your horse’s hair is based in part on his genetic makeup, but nutrition can also play a role.
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| Omega fatty acid balance is essential to good health |
Equine nutritionists and veterinarians agree that providing high-quality omega-3 fatty acids in a horse’s diet helps to maintain a healthy balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
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| Myths and Facts about Protein |
Myths and Facts about Protein
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| Protein Demystified |
As we strive to provide a balanced diet for our horses, the requirement we are working to fulfill is for amino acids, not proteins. A good quality protein will provide the necessary amino acids in the correct ratios to meet the horse’s needs.
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| More Mighty Minerals |
In a previous Nutritional Minute, “Mighty Minerals,”we reviewed the macrominerals calcium and phosphorus. We learned that mineral levels can influence the absorption, metabolism, and excretion of other nutrients; therefore, not only is the quantity of mineral itself important but also the ratio of one mineral to another. There are five additional macrominerals that the National Research Council (NRC) lists as required for horses. Each plays a supporting role in different areas of your horse’s body.
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| Mighty Minerals |
Minerals are inorganic compounds that serve both as components in body tissue and as catalysts for various body processes. Calcium and phosphorus are perhaps the most recognizable macrominerals. As with all minerals, they are vital to your horse’s well-being.
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| Does your horse need extra vitamins? Maybe... |
Vitamins are organic compounds, which, when provided in the proper amounts, play a major role in the well-being of your horse. They are vital to the promotion and regulation of virtually all of the body's normal functions. When deciding if vitamin supplementation is right for your horse, take the time to carefully review his or her diet and lifestyle. Modern management practices often lead to the need for supplementation.
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| Part 2 Selenium: how much is in your horse’s diet? |
The selenium in your horse’s diet can come from multiple sources, such as pasture, hay, grain, or commercial feeds and supplements. Your challenge is to figure out exactly how many milligrams of selenium your diet is providing daily.
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| Part 1 Selenium: an essential mineral |
Selenium is an essential trace mineral. It is necessary to maintain good health but is needed only in small amounts.
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| The skinny on fat |
Fat is an effective energy source for horses. Pound for pound, fats provide 2.25 times more energy than carbohydrates. In a natural state, horses consume only small amounts of fats, but they digest and absorb them well. Fats are broken down into fatty acids in the small intestine and stored as triglycerides in the adipose tissue of the body. Fat is utilized to fuel long-term, slow work.
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| Managing Your Horse’s Bugs |
The demands made on today’s horses often make it hard for us to mimic this natural state in our management programs. Confinement, high-energy demands, abrupt feed changes, shipping, illnesses, and other stressful situations can throw the delicately balanced system out of whack and make your horse sick. Keeping the good bugs happy and healthy is one of the major challenges facing today’s horse owners.
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| The Vitamin E Controversy |
One human study showed that high doses of vitamin E might be risky; does this mean our horses are also at risk?
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