Horses that spend part of their day in stalls with hay and concentrated feed at the ready will have little change in their diet between seasons. However, horses that rely on quality pasture for most of their nutrient intake will face some nutritional challenges as they shift to a hay-based diet in winter months, specifically involving ingesting adequate omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and vitamin E.
Quality pasture is often rich in vitamin E and omega fatty acids; however, once the grass is cut for hay, the omega fatty acids and vitamin E will be lost – neither are heat stable. Horses relying on a hay-based diet will be ingesting far less of these nutrients than they do while grazing lush pastures and additional supplementation is often necessary, reports The Horse.
The key to ensuring a horse is receiving an adequate amount of vitamin E and omega 3 fatty acids is to feed him a ration balancer or commercial feed; feeding these at the proper amounts is key. Many horse owners feed far less feed than is recommended for the horse's weight or workload, leading to nutritional deficits.
Additionally, many feeds use synthetic sources for their vitamin E, which is less bioavailable and therefore unlikely to meet the horse's nutritional needs. Vitamin E utilization varies between horses; the only true way to know if the horse has a vitamin E deficiency is to test his serum vitamin E levels. This will advise a horse owner or caretaker on whether the hay-based diet is adequately providing for his nutrient requirements.
Horses that are fed hay year-round can be tested at any time, but it's advisable for competition horses to be tested as their show season gears up. A horse lacking in omega 3s may have a dull hair coat or flaky skin. A horse low in vitamin E may have a poor coat as well, but he may also recover from exertion slowly, have sore muscles or lack a topline. Additional omega 3 fatty acids can be offered by feeding ground stabilized flax or an oil like fish or flax oil.
Read more at The Horse.
The post Hay Now: Horse Owners Often Feed Too Little Concentrated Feeds appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
