Equine Challenges

Feed Costs & Efficiency

In the current economic climate, we need to do more with less. Feed efficiency should therefore be considered with more significance in the equine industry. As feed constitutes the largest cost factor for any animal, it is especially important that the use of available ingredients is maximized.

Equine Challenges

Mineral Excretion

Legislative bodies throughout the world have campaigned for a reduction of acceptable mineral levels in animal diets due to the risk of water and land pollution from excess minerals in livestock excretion. The equine industry must adopt new methods of feeding in order to meet governmental and nutritional requirements.

The solution is absorption. Recent research indicates that with minerals bound to amino acids and peptides (chelation), less interaction occurs and more mineral is absorbed by the animal. Minerals fed as sulphates or oxides typically are poorly absorbed because, as weakly charged transitional elements, they interact with other minerals flowing through the digestive tract.

The benefits of chelated minerals include increased absorption, reduced quantity of mineral in the diet and reduction of mineral pollution through excretion. The producer achieves the same, if not improved, production levels as previously seen with oxides and sulphates.

Equine Challenges

Gut Integrity

Maintaining intestinal health is important for horses to perform optimally. The intestinal tract has a large surface area for the absorption and digestion of nutrients. An under-nourished or unstable intestinal tract results in poor digestion, increased exposure to toxins and depressed defense systems, which can lead to a reduction in nutrient absorption and increased morbidity rates. ‘Feeding the gut’ plays a critical role in efficient equine health strategies

Equine Challenges

Fiber Digestion

Yeast cultures and probiotics have been proven in university and field trials to improve fiber digestibility and nutrient retention when included in equine diets. Improved digestibility means the horse gets more nutrients without increasing feed costs. Fiber digestibility is also critical to maintaining normal gut function, which is of special importance in working horses fed high energy diets and during times when forage quality is poor.

Equine Challenges

Body Condition

Yeast cultures have been proven to be highly effective in keeping the microbial population in the hindgut of the horse healthy by feeding the microbes. Yeast culture interacts with gut microbes to increase fiber fermentation, protein and phosphorus digestion. Keeping the hind gut healthy is key to maintaining a healthy horse. While there are several types of ‘yeast’, it is important to choose a culture with a good research ‘track record’ in horses.

Exercise increases oxidative metabolism markedly, which results in mobilization of critical vitamins and minerals to meet increased antioxidant demand. Organic forms of minerals have been shown to increase the horse's ability to maintain a more positive mineral balance despite increased demand. This leaves the horse and particularly the equine athlete better able to cope with the effects of maximum aerobic work.

Equine Challenges

Fertility

Many horsemen are concerned that the number of available stallions from many different breeds is declining too quickly. This limited gene pool is significantly decreasing the number of outcrosses that are available. Eventually, the undesirable traits could become part of the entire population rather than the property of an isolated few. One of the first results from these phenomena is the falling reproductive performance among elite equine athletes. Reducing services per conception and improving breeding longevity are key elements in improving the profitability of equine breeding operations all over the world.

Selenium enhancement

Impaired reproductive performance in mares and stallions has been described in horses receiving a selenium-deficient diet. The central advantage of supplying selenium in the organic form is the ability of the animal to store this form. Tissue reserves of selenium are critical during times of increased need, such as immune challenge and reproduction. Benefits of feeding the organic form include improved antioxidant status and sperm quality improvements in stallions. Mares have faster placental expulsion when supplemented with organic selenium, thus avoiding a number of potential problems caused by a retained placenta.

Organic selenium for foals

Selenium is needed for both innate and acquired immune function. In addition to nutrients transferred during gestation, good quality colostrum supplies high levels of selenium to prepare the foal to fight infection while milk provides lower amounts.