Nutrition Flashcards
Amount of feed per day
2-3 lbs per 100 lbs of body weight
Amount of feed total from roughage
at least 80%
Most important nutrient
water
Temperament feed adjustments
A “hot” horse may need to be fed less grain and more carbohydrates in the form of hay and grasses
Rangy built horse
Require more feed per 100lbs than blocky/chunky horses
Calcium/phosphorus ratio for young horses
1: 1.1 to 3.3
Lactating mares
These mares need the most food of any horse to adequately satisfy their body’s needs in addition to their
foal’s nutritional requirements.
Cellulose
Required for digestion
Proteins
The building blocks of cells, proteins are necessary for growth, repair and maintenance of the body. They are
found in oilseed meals, oats, barley, corn and alfalfa.
Carbohydrates
Starches and sugar create energy
Found in grass, hay and grain
Fatty acids (lipids)
Produce extra energy, especially when carbohydrates are insufficient. Small amounts are used in digestion, particularly of vitamins. These are found in corn oil and wheat-germ oil.
Vitamins
Necessary for vital body functions. These are found in hay, grain, sunlight and vitamin supplements.
Minerals
Build and maintain tissue, especially bones, and act as triggers for body functions. These are found in hay, grain,
salt and mineral supplements
Nonstructural carbohydrates
short, simple chains of sugar, such as starch and sugar, are water soluble in water.
Nonstructural carbohydrates are broken down in the horse’s GI tract to simple sugars such as fructose or glucose and absorbed
Glucose production
Nonstructural carbohydrate digestion
Structure carbohydrates
Longer, complex chains of sugar that make up the cell walls of plants and contribute to the rigidity
of wood. Examples are cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Cellulose has strong cellular bonds and needs help from bacteria to be broken down. Lignin is indigestible, even to bacteria.
Volatile fatty acids, or VFA
formed by the digestion of hay and other roughages.
Diet to improve a horse’s tolerance to exercise in hot weather
High-fat diet
Oil vs grain calories
Oils have 2x the caloric density of grain
A horse’s energy needs - 2 hours of slow walk
12% increase
A horse’s energy needs - 2 hours of fast walk
18% increase
A horse’s energy needs - 2 hours of slow trot
46% increase
A horse’s energy needs - 2 hours of fast trot or slow canter
97% increase
A horse’s energy needs - 2 hours of medium canter
138% increase
Ideal body score
5 on scale of 1 - 9
Concentrates
Grain or concentrates are high in digestible energy and, if managed correctly, should be incorporated in reasonable amounts
in the performance horse’s diet.
Oats
high in fiber and low in digestible energy due to the fibrous hull surrounding each kernel. Oats have nine to 12
percent protein and four to five percent fat.
Corn
corn has the most energy (calories) per pound of any grain. It is approximately nine percent protein and three to four percent fat. To put this into perspective, one-half scoop of corn provides as
much energy as one scoop of oats
Moldy corn can cause
Leukoencephalomalacia and aflatoxicosis
Barley
Similar to oats but has more energy and less fiber.
Beet pulp
Sugar beet pulp or beet pulp is the dried, fibrous byproduct of the sugar beet. It provides horses with a food that is high in
fiber (18 percent), low in sugar and low in protein.
Bran
Bran is the ground up hulls of wheat. Bran is approximately 15 percent protein and three to four percent fat. It has more fiber
than corn, about the same amount as oats and less than hay.
Bran phosphorus
Bran contains a high amount of phosphorous, of which approximately 90 percent is in the form of phytate. Phytate interferes
with calcium absorption and reduces the absorption of copper, zinc and manganese. This excess phosphorus, coupled with a low
amount of calcium may bring on bone problems.
Rice bran
An energy dense food that is useful as a fat supplement, rice bran is 20 percent highly digestible fat
No more than 1 lb/2x per day
Rice bran phosphorus
High in phosphorus so care must be taken in balancing the calcium to phosphorus ratio.
gamma oryzanol
Found in rice bran thought to increase lean muscle mass
Pellets or extruded
Some feeds are ground, mixed together and then heated and formed into small nuggets or pellets.
More digestible and easier for the horse to absorb.
Pelleted and extruded products contain little or no molasses and their shelf life is longer due to processing.
Roughage
A horse should eat approximately one pound of roughage for every 100 pounds of
body weight per day
Two major classes of hay
Grass
Legume
Grass hay
Timothy, brome, orchard grass, ryegrass, prairie hay and coastal Bermuda
Legume hay
Alfafa, clover, lucerne
Grass vs legume content
Legume hay is 20 percent higher in energy, twice as high in protein, three times as high
in calcium and five times higher in vitamin A than good quality grass hay
Hay more likely to be overfed
Legume
Hay moisture content
12 to 18%
Damp hay
> 20%, likely to mold and spoil
May combust
Five things to check for in hay
- Mold
- Dead animals (can cause botulism)
- Blister beetles (S, SW alfafa)
- Weeds
- Trash/foreign objects
Pasture
A horse’s nutritional needs can be met by good quality pasture with free access to salt and water
Supplement
needed substance that is not in the horse’s normal ration
Ergogenic supplement
Performance-enhancing supplements that may or may not work. Much of the research has come from human
studies and may not apply to equines
Joint supplements
Designed to promote joint health. They should contain some combination of glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate,
silicon, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) and hyaluronic acid (HA)
Vitamin A
Fat soluble
Usually found in green hay and particularly in legume hay.
Vit A deficiencies
lead to eye, skin and
reproductive problems
Vit A excess
Excesses lead to bone or tendon disease. Vitamin A is stored in the liver and can be toxic if
overfed.
Vitamin D
Fat soluble. Usually found in quality hay and produced by the horse’s body when exposed to the sun for a few
hours of daylight each day.
Role of Vit D
Vitamin D helps with calcium and phosphorus absorption and metabolism that is critical
to bone, muscle and tendon health.
Vit D excess
Overfeeding vitamin D can lead to bone deposits in places such as the heart,
blood vessels and kidneys. Bones and joints may develop calcium deposits
Vit E
Fat soluble
Usually found in good quality green roughage and summer pastures.
Vitamin E is a useful antioxidant
to stabilize cell membranes
Vitamin B
Water soluble.
Usually found in good quality pasture and produced by the horse in the hindgut when fed adequate roughage.
Helps with energy metabolism and contributes to performance.
Vitamin C
Water soluble. Manufactured in the liver
Mineral
Calcium, phosphorus and selenium are examples of minerals. Mineral imbalances and overdoses can cause serious problems.
Three main functions of electrolytes
- Mediating electrical impulses to stimulate muscle contraction and movement
- Regulating the balance of body water within the various tissue compartments
- Maintaining normal intestinal function, adequate blood circulation, normal heart rhythm and muscular strength and coordination.
Sodium and chloride
Obtained from salt blocks
1-2 ounces a day
Potassium
Contained in hay and grass
