Management and Feeding in Horse
Hariom and Sonu
Hariom
Department of Veterinary Gynaecology and Obstetrics,
LUVAS, Hisar, Haryana, India
Sonu
Department of Veterinary Medicine,
LUVAS, Hisar, Haryana, India
General management practices
• Horse owners must be well acquainted with the nature and habits of their equines for better care and safety.
• Keep the sick horse separate away from the healthy stock.
• Follow the vaccination and deforming schedule to prevent the horses from various
diseases.
• Always keep the newly purchased horses in quarantine for a period of 30-45 days before mixing with the existing stock.
• Avoid the barbed wire or thorny bushes boundary of grazing pasture or stables.
• Never wrap a lead rope around your hand. Never tie a horse with a rope around his neck.
• If he pulls back he could strangle himself. Tie the rings at shoulder height to the horses.
• Try to groom the horses daily both before and after being ridden. Daily grooming a
chance to detect and monitor any injuring or other health problems such as cuts, skin
infection, allergic reaction, thrush, etc.
• Grooming also helps in increasing the blood circulation and keeping the hair clean.
• Regular exercise is must to keep the horses healthy. Warm up exercise is must to improve performance and also to reduce the risk of injury.
The Five Classes of nutrients
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
- Proteins
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Carbohydrates & Fats:
- • Energy, the fuel for various body processes, must be digestible and provided efficiently in the forms of carbohydrates and fats. Energy is measured as Digestible Energy (DE) which is expressed in calories (or Mega Calories -1,000 calories) and represents the amount of energy actually available to the horse in a digestible form.
• Energy intake above the amount needed to fuel the body for maintenance, production and growth will be deposited as fat. Horses in good body condition receiving insufficient daily energy intake will burn that stored energy.
• Horses in poor body condition receiving insufficient daily energy intake, however, can
quickly develop serious health problems which may lead to death. - Protein:
- • Proteins are essential to all life. Proteins form the greater part of the muscles, internal organs, cartilage, connective tissues, outer tissues (skin, hair, hoofs, etc.) and the nervous system.
• Proteins are made up of amino acids, including lysine, the most important amino acid for growth in young horses.
• Diets for growing horses must include lysine levels of .6 -.7 percent of the total diet. Commercial feeds containing urea, a non-protein nitrogen source, should not be fed to horses, as they cannot utilize non-protein nitrogen as effectively as cattle.
• Excess protein (the amount fed above the requirement) is broken down into energy and a nitrogen by-product called urea, which is excreted in the urine causing increases in both urination and water intake. - Amino Acids in Horse Feed
- Horses of all ages require adequate amounts of protein for maintenance, growth, reproduction and work in addition to structural health.
• Protein is made up of amino acids, similar to a link in a chain
• Total protein is important, but horses actually require essential amino acids.
• Essential amino acids must be supplied in the diet since horses cannot produce them on their own.
• Crude protein indicates the total amount of amino acids in the feed, both essential and non-essential
• Guaranteed levels of amino acids indicate that quality protein levels are available for absorption. - Essential vs. Non-Essential:
- Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and indicate the quality of the protein sources in a feed. Horses cannot synthesize all of the amino acids required for development and maintenance. Those that must be provided in the diet via feed and hay
or pasture are called “essential” amino acids, while those that the horse can synthesize on their own are called “non-essential”.
Limiting Amino Acids
Lysine, methionine and threonine are the first limiting amino acids. They are “limiting”
because if they are deficient, the horse cannot make full use of the protein for hair coat, hoof
growth and muscle development. This means that if a horse runs out of lysine, it can’t use any
additional methionine. Additionally, if it has enough lysine, but runs out of methionine, it can’t
use the next amino acid in line, and so on.
How the Horse Uses Amino Acids
Growth and Reproduction
• Building blocks for body cells
• Growth can be impaired if protein intake is inadequate
• Required for fetal development
Maintenance
• Preserves muscle mass in older horses
• Work
• Physical activity, endurance and condition are all affected by amino acid intake
• Effects of too much protein
• Wasted feed costs
• Sweating
• Water & Electrolyte Losses
• Heat Exhaustion
• Increased Urine Volume
• Fatigue
Lowering crude protein while meeting essential amino acid levels allows horse owners to reduce the amount of ammonia produced, reduce the risk of dehydration and improve stall air quality.
Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids for Horses
There are several potential health benefits of providing omega-3 fatty and -6 fatty acids in equine diets.
Omega-3 fatty acids:
• Shown to reduce inflammation.
• Anti-inflammatory properties can have positive effects on your horse’s joint health.
• Omega-6 fatty acids:
• Naturally occurring fatty acids that help bolster the immune system
• Can also increase inflammation if not in proper balance with the Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet
The Role of Omega Fatty Acids in Inflammatory Response
Specifically, omega-6 fatty acids are used by the body to make pro-inflammatory
mediators for the immune system, while omega-3 fatty acids are converted to less
inflammatory products.
Because omega-3 fatty acids compete against omega-6 fatty acids to produce
these mediators, higher levels of omega-3 can offset pro-inflammatory responses, and are generally considered to have anti-inflammatory properties.
It is important to remember that inflammation is an important process the body uses to fight infection and mediate tissue repair, therefore a balance between pro-and anti-inflammatory mediators is the goal. Omega-6 fatty acids do not cause inflammation,
rather they provide the substrate needed to mount an inflammatory response if and when it is needed making them a very important part of the diet, along with the omega-3 fatty acid
Vitamins
• Vitamins are necessary for growth, reproduction, lactation and general health. Most
vitamin requirements are supplied by the forages and grains in horse diets, although it is
often standard practice to include a vitamin premix in horse diets.
• A major vitamin of concern in horse rations is vitamin A. While most of the horse’s
maintenance requirements for vitamin A are met by forage consumption, additional
vitamin A many be needed for horses during production and growth.
• Excessive supplementation of certain vitamins can be harmful. Therefore, vitamin
premixes should be fed only at recommended levels on the label, and horse owners
should account for any supplements added to grain mixes before top dressing with
additional vitamin supplements.
Vitamins for Horses
Both fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins support the nutritional requirements of horses for healthy skin, coat and hooves.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins that can be stored in the body, and include vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Vitamin A
• Helps support skin coat and hoof integrity
• Provides antioxidant benefits
• Essential for the absorption and utilization of calcium and phosphorus
Vitamin E
• Helps support healthy skin and coat
• Provides Antioxidant benefits
• Essential for the absorption and utilization of calcium and phosphorus
Vitamin D
• Essential for the utilization of calcium and phosphorus
• Often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin”, as the body created needed amounts when a
horse spends time outdoors in the sun
Water-Soluble Vitamins
Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body, and excess intake is excreted through urine and need to be part of daily nutrition.
Biotin
• Recommended by farriers to improve hoof quality and to treat dry, cracked hooves
• Maintains growth of the hoof horn
• Popularly believed to be the “hoof growth factor”
Vitamin B
• Essential for skin, coat and hoof health
Vitamin C
• Antioxidant benefits
• Conditionally essential
Minerals
• Minerals are present in very small amounts and are absolutely necessary for growth and
the functions of the skeletal system, blood and the body’s soft tissues.
• Calcium and phosphorus are the two most important minerals for skeletal development
and maintenance. The suggested calcium to phosphorus ratio is 1.5 to 2:1. There should
never be more phosphorus than calcium in horse rations.
• Salt aids the body in fluid and temperature regulation. During hot weather, body
temperature is controlled by sweating; therefore, salt and other minerals lost through
perspiration must be replenished. It is vital for horses to have salt available, either as
block, loose, or mixed in the feed in the form of trace mineralized or iodized salt.
• Most grain mixes contain between .5 and 1 percent salt, sufficient amounts for most
horses. However, pastured horses or those which do not receive a concentrate mix
containing salt, must have access to free-choice salt.
Horses are non-ruminants herbivores animal. Therefore, they should be nurtured
carefully, fed correct and balanced nutrition. Horses should fed grain and fodder several
times a day, in many parts. Stallions should be raised according to physical growth and
age.
Minerals in Horse Feed
A balanced mineral program that includes both macro (required in larger amounts) and
trace (required in smaller amounts) minerals is essential in the formation and repair of
structural tissues, and for healthy skin hair and hooves. Excesses or deficiencies of one
mineral can cause imbalances in others, so it is critical to evaluate the overall feeding
program before adding supplements.
Horses need minerals on a daily basis for these functions:
Calcium
• Bone and tooth formation
• Muscle contraction
• Combined with protein, calcium helps produce strong hooves
Phosphorus
• Bone composition
Copper
• Collagen and elastin formation
• Collagen synthesis and maintenance: bone, ligaments and tendons
• Enzyme function: hoof wall
Zinc
• Early bone development
• Cell repair and division: hoof wall
• Epithelial tissue integrity: skin, hair and hooves
• Involved in protein metabolism of the skin, coat and hooves
• Hooves are one of the first sites to show zinc deficiency
Manganese
• Bone and cartilage formation
• Chondroitin formation
Imbalances in key minerals can lead to a variety of issues:
Phosphorus Imbalance:
• Inadequate phosphorus or poor calcium-to-phosphorus ratios can lead to brittle hooves or
tender feet
Copper Imbalance:
• Bone and joint disease
• Tendon and ligament problems
Zinc Imbalance:
• Abnormal skin and hooves
Manganese Imbalance:
• Abnormal bone and joint development
• Abnormalities in skin, hair and hooves
• Impaired ability to make or repair joint cartilage
