Minerals and trace elements are an integral part of a racehorse’s diet. In particular, sodium chloride, calcium and magnesium are essential for the racehorse to improve its resistance to fatigue and reduce joint pain. Antioxidants and vitamins C and E Read more…
Horses of all ages and workloads need sufficient amino acids in their diet to support protein synthesis in all cells of their body. There are 21 amino acids that are used to make proteins. Of these, 10 are considered essential Read more…
Abnormally high concentration of potassium in the blood causes muscles to contract more than they should, resulting in cramping and irregular heartbeat. What causes high potassium levels in horses? Elevated potassium can be caused by horses consuming lush grass that Read more…
Treatment. One treatment option is administering intravenous (IV) calcium borogluconate (23%) in a 5-liter bag of isotonic fluids. This calcium-containing fluid will not reduce plasma potassium concentrations, but it can help protect the heart muscle from their negative effects. How Read more…
So, to get rid of a charley horse or prevent one in the future, consider adding essential electrolytes. Potassium: A lack of potassium can interfere with the muscles’ ability to use glycogen, a sugar that is the muscles’ main source Read more…
Vitamin A is stored in the horse’s liver, and supplies are usually sufficient to see the horse through winter months when fresh grass is not available. To be sure of providing enough vitamin A, owners can feed a grain product Read more…
Provide plenty of roughage Horses are meant to eat roughage, and their digestive system is designed to use the nutrition in grassy stalks. A horse should eat one to two percent of their body weight in roughage every day. What Read more…
The toxic level of Vitamin A for an average horse is 200 000 IU per day. How much vitamin A is too much per day? If too much is stored, it can become toxic. The tolerable upper intake of 3,000 Read more…
The requirements of dietary vitamin K are unknown, but horses are assumed to fulfill their requirements through consumption of forage, such as pasture and hay, and intestinal bacterial production. Recognizing that there is more to vitamin K than just its Read more…
Vitamin K. Vitamin K is required for blood clotting, but no requirement has been established for horses. Why is vitamin K important to horses? Vitamin K not only plays an important role in blood-clotting but also in a number of Read more…