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Good equine nutrition means feeding your horse a diet that maintains energy and supports metabolism, while providing the correct balance of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
Many of these elements are found in hay and feed, however; just as you might take a multivitamin once a day to guarantee the proper balance of essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients—your horse may benefit from a scientifically formulated daily horse supplement. These supplements provide balanced levels of vitamins and trace minerals to ensure maximum horse health and vitality.
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Vitamins
Biotin (Vitamin H) - helps metabolize fats and proteins and improves skin, coat and hoof health
Choline - B-complex vitamin that helps eliminate poisons from the horse's system through the liver; also helpful in preventing hoof wall diseases
Folic Acid (Vitamin B9) - needed for red blood cell formation and synthesis of DNA and protein
Niacin (Vitamin B3) - helps release energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins to promote nutrient metabolism and proper growth, and also supports good skin and nerves
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) - helps release energy from foods to promote healthy skin, coat, appetite and nerves
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) - helps in the formation of red blood cells to promote natural healing and supports healthy skin, hair and nerves
Thiamin (Vitamin B1) - supports carbohydrate metabolism, energy production and utilization, and normal nervous system functioning
Vitamin A (Retinol) - an antioxidant that supports a healthy immune system and is critical in promoting strong bones and hooves, healthy skin, hair, teeth and gums; also helps build resistance to disease
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) - essential for protein metabolism and nervous system function
Vitamin B12 - helps maintain healthy appetite and nervous system, boosts production of red blood cells, and promotes proper growth
Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) - produced in the horse's body from cholesterol and synthesized by sunlight in the skin, it is essential for bone growth and for maintaining proper bone density
Vitamin E (Tocopherol) - an antioxidant that helps to retard cellular aging, maintain normal red blood cells, fight stress, and to support the immune system, as well as promote healthy muscles, tissues, skin, coat and reproduction; also supplies oxygen to the cells for better endurance and helps fight fatigue
Vitamin K (Menadione) - essential for proper clotting of blood
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Minerals
Calcium - necessary for the formation of bones and teeth, blood clotting and normal heart rhythm; also essential for muscles to work properly and for the normal function of many enzymes in the body
Cobalt - required in the manufacture of red blood cells
Copper - an important trace mineral for the cardiovascular, nervous and skeletal systems
Iodine - necessary for the conversion of fat to energy
Iron - an essential mineral, important for growth and for a healthy immune system. Iron is also an important component of hemoglobin, the component of red blood cells that allows them to carry oxygen to the body
Manganese - essential mineral for cartilage formation; helps prevent birth abnormalities such as twisted legs
Magnesium - essential for bone and teeth development and for normal nerve and muscle function
Phosphate - necessary for formation of bone and teeth and is important in energy metabolism
Potassium - essential for the proper functioning of cells, nerves and muscles
Selenium - an essential mineral that contributes to efficiency of the immune system and also works together with Vitamin E
Sodium - required by all cells in the body to maintain normal fluid balance and is important for normal nerve and muscle function
Zinc - aids in the formation of bone tissue, healthy skin, healing of wounds and growth
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The Role of Omega Fatty Acids
Your horse needs a certain amount of fat in his or her diet, and two of these types of fats include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Horses require these two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids; the major ones are linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid). These fats are termed essential fatty acids (EFA) because your horse's metabolism can't synthesize them; instead, they must be ingested. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have been shown to improve the coat and skin health of horses. |
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ECare Nutritionals™ Liquid Vitamin and Mineral Supplement supplies a balanced level of vitamins and minerals to ensure maximum horse health and vitality. Designed for all classes of horses, this high-quality nutritional supplement provides the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids shown to improve coat and skin health, along with balanced levels of vitamins and minerals. The product also contains a prebiotic that may be used to beneficially alter microbial populations in the intestine.
NOTE: Consult your veterinarian or nutritionist for additional information on the best diet for your horse. Also, different products vary in the amounts of vitamins and minerals. Please see our product labels for more information.
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Additional Reading: Horse Health and Nutrition
"Choosing Equine Feed, Horse Nutrition Information, & Diet Facts for Owners"
Article on equine nutrition from publisher of American Horse Rider & Horses and Horse Information
"Feed and Supplements"
Collection of articles from Equisearch, the publisher of EQUUS, Dressage Today, Horse & Rider, and Practical Horseman
"Horse Nutrition Questions"
Publisher of American Horse Rider & Horses and Horse Information
"Nutrient Requirements and Balancing Rations for Horses"
From the Virginia State University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute Cooperative Extension
"The Basics of Equine Nutrition"
By Carey A. Williams, PhD Extension Specialist in Equine Management, Rutgers University
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