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Balanced Equine Carol Layton – 23-06-2017 Maren’s notes: Digestive system: Stomach 2-4 hours Small intestine 0.5 – 1.5 hours Hindgut (incl caecum) 35-50 hours
The stomach is divided into a pH neutral top half and an increasingly acidic lower half (bottom part pH 1-2) The top half starts off microbial fermentation of food. Bottom half has glandular release of acid which is released continuously.
Magnesium Magnesium Chloride: Highly irritant if not diluted In people said to be highly bio-available, no evidence in regards to horses Magnesium Oxide, Magnesium Sulfate, Magnesium Carbonate All three have been proven in horses, uptake up to 60% ? Cause for enteroliths in equines? Magnesium Oxide dissolves in acid and therefore is turned into magnesium ions inside the stomach. Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) can cause scours if fed in large amounts. In general minerals are absorbed throughout the whole GI tract with the exception of Calcium which is taken up in small intestine.
50% of energy comes from hindgut fermentation of fibre. Changing feed, new feeds should be introduced over 7-10 days, this includes changing paddocks. Grass Best type of fibre followed by hay/chaff Some nutrients available in grass are lost during hay making. High fibre feeds If grass and hay not sufficient for energy needs high fibre feeds like the following are the next step. Beet pulp - high in iron so needs to be rinsed-soaked-rinsed, this reduces iron significantly Soybean hulls - not full fat soy bean meal as there can be some intolerance Lupin hulls Oats For high energy needs, e.g. sports horses, up to 1:1 fibre : oats Safest grain Fed whole, no preparation needed In combination with high fibre feeds, oats provide a good balance of energy. Best to feed immediately after work.
Minerals and Salt Salt – 45g - 50g per day Vit E and Selenium – antioxidant Grass a rich source of Vitamin E, horses on grass should have sufficient intake. Horses on feeds/hay only will need supplementation of natural Vit E Vit E is fat soluble, when fed dry, oil needs to be added directly with Vit E as it otherwise may not be close enough to a fat molecule and will not be taken up in the gut. Vit E capsules good source and easy to feed once horse is used to it. 1000 IU as a simple/safe number
Benefits of fibre Microbial fermentation – symbiotic relationship with microbes, fibre feeds microbes, microbes produce and release nutrients, e.g Vit Bs Fibre relaxes the stomach and reduces acidity. Constant flow of material through GI tract for normal motility. High fibre in mares results in higher fertility. Best way to put condition on is high fibre (soluble). (Maxisoy, speedibeet, Hygain zero/fibre essential, Prides BasiSport, Easy fibre). Hygain fibre essential is a mix of beet, soy and lupin. Older horses – Not able to grind down grass/hay/chaff enough to free nutrients. Feed a good high fibre wet feed with minerals, e.g: - beet pulp (high in Calcium) - wheat bran (high in Phosphorus) - minerals - salt
! http://nrc88.nas.edu/nrh - nutrient requirements of the horse, free of charge for individual horse Protein Enzymes split proteins into individual amino acids which then make new proteins. Copra – poor quality protein Lucerne – good quality protein
Oil Makes horses fat with little nutritional value. Fat will feed energy at walking pace, higher energy work needs glucose from fibre and protein. High fat diet reduces number of mitochondria and reduces activity of energy conversion. ! Fat that reaches the hindgut can negatively affect hindgut microbial health:
Horses on grass - most likely no need to add flaxseed, but if on hay then yes. Chia seeds also high in Omega 3, but $$
Electrolytes Salt – Sodium Chloride, 2 Tbsp/day – increase if high use, e.g. exercise or hot days. Potassium – easily excreted through kidneys into urine
High loss of electrolytes due to sweating, horses need:
Most common deficiencies:
Unlikely:
Ratios are important
Greasy heel, rain scald – signs of a compromised immune system. Causes can be low minerals, stress, exercise, moving place. Polycopper – polysaccharide coated copper, meant to be more bio-available. Copper Sulfate ok to feed as is. Forage test – Hills Lab, test several areas of grazing, doesn’t matter what time of the year when testing for minerals. When testing hay, samples from as many bales as possible.
Dietary laminitis Most common form is insulin resistance IR Other cause is rich carbohydrate spill over into hindgut
NSCs is sugar + starch = carbohydrates The more insulin resistant the more likely the horse is also leptin resistant. Leptins are messengers that result in the feeling of ‘being full’. Magnesium 20% - 25% of total intake is not beneficial (not sure what this was in context to) Safest time for horses to be on grass is between 3am – 10am! Cushings horses:
NRCPlus www.drkellen.com Newsletter ‘The Horses’s Mouth’
Biotin acts as ‘insulin signaller’ which means it can move nutrients into cells without insulin being involved. Measurements: ppm = mg/kg Major minerals are in g Trace minerals in mg
Feeding myths Iron – highly unlikely deficient, more likely Cu deficiency.
Chelated minerals – In horses no difference in absorption and retention of Cu, manganese, Zn when fed:
Selenium – preferably organic
Founderguard – coated calcium carbonate which prevents acidity in hindgut – not effective in IR Equisure – antibiotic, again not effective in IR
Sulfur shouldn’t be fed to horses, it needs to be bound to an amino acid. MSM - anti-inflammatory, other claims not supported by evidence
Vit K – uptake usually sufficient through good diet, studies showing feeding Vit K is beneficial don’t show if horses were deficient before adding Vit K to diet for study.
! Check studies mentioned on products, often don’t back up claims!! 1 Carol Layton notes - Jenny Chelated minerals aren’t evenly distributed to all body tissues and end up in higher organs Ulcers = Aloe Vera juice (DR Eleanor Kellon) Founder Guard = no good for I.R horses but works for carb overload laminitis No lucerne for I.R Don’t feed Rosehips to I.R horses = high in sugar MSM = some people in the equine cushings group aren’t feeding it because sulphur may interfere with insulin function Kellon newsletter has very good info Biotin is an insulin signaller = can move nutrients into cells without insulin being involved Low Vit E = red blood cell fragility Iron is pro-inflammatory and potentially very toxic excess causes a predisposition to infection, secondary zinc/copper deficiency, arthritis, increased tendon/ligament problems, liver disease, altered glucose metabolism including I.R There are digestive microbes in stomach Mg chloride is caustic =not good for horses Mg aspartate = not good for horses Mg oxide is bio-available for horses Enteroliths = more likely to form from lucerne, water and in Arab horses. Not from mg oxide Minerals are absorbed throughout the entire digestive system except calcium which is absorbed in the stomach 50% of energy is from fibre digestion 2 Toxin binder for seasonal problems = staggers etc With feeds, the more processing it has the more iron it has Some horses can react to full fat soya bean meal Rinse – soak – rinse beet pulp to reduce iron Only feed oats to horses in work. Helpful to increase energy if they are getting fatigued near the end of a competition 1 to 1 ratio of oats to beet for most working horses Best time to feed oats is after horse has been worked Check in droppings to see if the inside part of the oat has been digested = husk only thing left There is Vit E and selenium in green grass Hay only fed horses need Vit E capsules = check the caps have oil not water for best absorption. Can pierce capsules or pour warm water over them prior to feeding if horse is fussy Need to feed with fat if using pellet or power form of Vit E Dose = 1000iu per horse High protein in lush grass can cause scouring Old horses = wheat bran (or maybe rice bran) and beet. Can also feed processed (crushed) oats Book = Nutrient Requirements of Horses Copra is poor quality protein = lacks some amino acids 4-6% fat in grass Horses are efficient at fat digestion but should be feed excess fat Feeding too much fat reduces mitochondria. 3 Too much fat may kill gut microbes and reduce fibre digestion Oil can depress mg availability/depress uptake. Can have a negative effect on phosphorus absorption Omega 3 and 6 in grass can range from 4:1 to 20:1 Omega 6 is hard to destroy and never needs supplementation Chia = high in Omega 3 Linseed oil = high in Omega 3 Grind or sprout linseed Potassium = high in everything. Excess is excreted 4% potassium in pasture is high. Could be from misuse of fertilizer 2 hours sweating needs replacement of sodium, potassium and chloride 1.7kgs of hay provides enough potassium for maintenance Copper, zinc, selenium and Vit E are the most common deficiencies Essential fatty acids, omega 3 protein often deficient Sulphur, biotin, folic acid and B6 are less likely to be deficient on a high forage diet Chromium, cobalt, boron don’t need to be added and may be toxic/dangerous. There is enough in grass Kikuyu grass is high in calcium and may need to be balanced by feeding lucerne or clover to avoid/correct bighead and joint problems Nutrient deficient diet can cause immune problems = greasy heel, rain scald OCD = low copper high zinc Move Eze for joint problems Silage = fermented grass doesn’t suit all horses Wait 2 years after fertilising soil before testing or re-testing pasture 4 Fructan laminitis is very rare =horse would have to eat too much to get it New thinking on NSC = looking at starch and sugar as the laminitis trigger now Test all of the following in suspected I.R horses blood sugar, insulin and leptin 20-25gms of mg oxide is the max to feed, more may not be absorbed Jane Myers EquiCentral book for small grazing properties/areas Cushings can begin from 4-5yrs Test for Cushings in the autumn Not all have a long curly coat Not all are I.R Signs can be infections, skin darkening, thickening, scaling, worm burden Balance diet and maybe use Pergolide I.R diet Hay = starch/sugar under 10% Protein = under 4% Minerals 20gm per 100kg linseed Vit E 3.5iu per 100kg Sel 0.4iu per 100kg = if selenium is needed. Do a blood test, best way to check if selenium is needed
Carol Layton Notes - Linda Trained under Eleanor Kellon VMD. See www.drkellon.com She did the NRC Plus course (found at above website) Also see “the horses mouth” at above website Feeding 101:
Nutrient requirement for horses: nrc88.nas.edu/nrh/ Linseed/flaxseed 100g Chia seeds Salt, is easily excreted, potassium is high in all grass/feed. 4% is high Sweat causes loss of sodium, potassium and chloride Deficiencies: copper, zinc, selenium, vit E Omega 3, Protein Sulphur, biotin Harmful: chromium, cobalt, boron Lucerne is very high calcium to phosphorus ratio Big head disease: not enough calcium: lucerne good For good hooves need: nutrition, hoofcare, movement Laminitis: gut disturbance, carbohydrate overload: equine metabolic syndrome, Insulin resistance: glucose cause insulin to rise, need low sugar starch.
The more insulin resistant, the more leptin resistant. Biotin is an insulin signaller. Get sugar, insulin and leptin tested. Cushings: excess cortisol from adrenals, symptom may include insulin resistance Low sugar = less than 10% (speedibeet, easifibre, maxisoy, higain) www.ecirhorse.org for cushings support group and loads of info Best Guess, hoof supplement has copper, zinc and iodine, no iron or manganese Never supplement iron without vet diagnosis, (if low in iron often may be due to an infection)
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