Horse vitamins ought to always be a part of your horse's diet plan. Here are a few tips to get you going regarding the appropriate nutrition for your horse. Most commercially formulated grain mixtures and pelleted feeds are well balanced for nutrients, vitamins and minerals, so supplementing is unneeded, but constantly feed a high-quality, well-known manufacturer. You get exactly what you pay for. Vitamin supplements may be necessary if the horse has decreased feed intake because of sickness or old age. Even high quality feedstuffs don't provide the necessary amount of salt in your horse's diet. Horses require a minimum of 0.25% of their diet in salt and most feeds only provide 0.1%. Supplement this by giving your horse a free choice salt block. High temperature and exercise increases his need for salt, also.
In a perfect world, the pasture and hay will be grown in fertile organic soil, but this really is seldom true. So if the soil is dry, semidepleted or swamped with chemical fertilizers, the crops will be lacking and so will the animals. That is why most horses need supplements. Many horses are lacking in the crucial nutrients such as the Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin E and selenium, and quite often magnesium as well as copper.
Feeds are most commonly classified as either a forage, an energy feed or a protein supplement. Feeds having fiber content higher than 18% crude fiber are viewed as a forage and will include feeds like all types of hay (including dairy-quality alfalfa or meal made from alfalfa), soy bean hulls, almond hulls as well as ground corn cobs. Feeds that contain less than 18% raw fiber and fewer than 20% crude protein are classified as an energy feed and include all cereal grains, wheat as well as rice bran, fats and also molasses. Feeds which contain lower than 18% raw fiber and more that 20% raw protein are categorized as a protein supplement and include feeds like meals based on soybean, linseed or cottonseed, brewers yeast, fish meal, sunflower seeds and dehydrated dairy.
Brans in general are very high in phosphorous, and rice bran is no exception, even though it is not as phosphorous rich as wheat bran. If you're giving a high-calcium diet, rice bran can be a good option for adding phosphorous and magnesium to stabilize the calcium. However, many of the rice bran goods available for horses have calcium added to balance the high phosphorous in the bran. Rice bran is also typically quite high in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), averaging between 17 and 25%, and it is therefore not advised for horses having insulin resistance issues, laminitis, or even Cushing's disease. Still, it is reduced in NSC than wheat bran, which averages 22 to 29%, making it a better choice unless your main goal is to really increase phosphorous.
Horse vitamins should always be a part of your horse's diet. For horses, the best way to supply energy is through fiber. A horse's digestive system is made to process small amounts of feed continuously. Without adequate dietary fiber, this enzymatic system cannot function properly, placing your horse in danger of colic, stomach ulceration, laminitis, dehydration, bad performance, and behavioral concerns such as wood-chewing, weaving, cribbing, etc.
In a perfect world, the pasture and hay will be grown in fertile organic soil, but this really is seldom true. So if the soil is dry, semidepleted or swamped with chemical fertilizers, the crops will be lacking and so will the animals. That is why most horses need supplements. Many horses are lacking in the crucial nutrients such as the Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin E and selenium, and quite often magnesium as well as copper.
Feeds are most commonly classified as either a forage, an energy feed or a protein supplement. Feeds having fiber content higher than 18% crude fiber are viewed as a forage and will include feeds like all types of hay (including dairy-quality alfalfa or meal made from alfalfa), soy bean hulls, almond hulls as well as ground corn cobs. Feeds that contain less than 18% raw fiber and fewer than 20% crude protein are classified as an energy feed and include all cereal grains, wheat as well as rice bran, fats and also molasses. Feeds which contain lower than 18% raw fiber and more that 20% raw protein are categorized as a protein supplement and include feeds like meals based on soybean, linseed or cottonseed, brewers yeast, fish meal, sunflower seeds and dehydrated dairy.
Brans in general are very high in phosphorous, and rice bran is no exception, even though it is not as phosphorous rich as wheat bran. If you're giving a high-calcium diet, rice bran can be a good option for adding phosphorous and magnesium to stabilize the calcium. However, many of the rice bran goods available for horses have calcium added to balance the high phosphorous in the bran. Rice bran is also typically quite high in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), averaging between 17 and 25%, and it is therefore not advised for horses having insulin resistance issues, laminitis, or even Cushing's disease. Still, it is reduced in NSC than wheat bran, which averages 22 to 29%, making it a better choice unless your main goal is to really increase phosphorous.
Horse vitamins should always be a part of your horse's diet. For horses, the best way to supply energy is through fiber. A horse's digestive system is made to process small amounts of feed continuously. Without adequate dietary fiber, this enzymatic system cannot function properly, placing your horse in danger of colic, stomach ulceration, laminitis, dehydration, bad performance, and behavioral concerns such as wood-chewing, weaving, cribbing, etc.
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