Dietary supplements for horses are products added to a horse's diet to provide additional nutrients that may not be sufficiently available in their regular feed. These supplements can include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbal compounds. They are used to address specific nutritional needs, support general health, or enhance performance and recovery. Common types of supplements include those targeting joint health, digestive support, and hoof condition. The efficacy and safety of these supplements can vary, and their use often requires careful consideration of the horse's overall diet and health status. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the composition, usage, and impact of dietary supplements on equine nutrition and health.
St Blanc MP, Chapman AM, Keowen ML, Garza F, Liu CC, Gray L, Andrews FM.Supplements containing Cannabidiol (CBD) are available for horses, however, few studies have been published on their effects on behavior and health parameters. The purpose of this study was to determine if a daily oral supplement containing CBD would cause sedation, ataxia or alterations in other health parameters during administration for 56 days. Twenty clinically healthy adult Thoroughbred horses were housed in stalls. Before treatment was initiated, a complete physical examination, complete blood count (CBC) and biochemical panel were evaluated. In addition, horses were examined for sedati...
Suagee-Bedore JK, Hebrock S, Sundin O, Lengi AJ, Corl BA, Worth M.LinPro™ (LP) is a commercial dietary supplement marketed to increase hoof growth and quality. Ten mature (5-15 years) non-pregnant Quarter Horse mares without existing hoof quality issues were used to test the hypothesis that 32 weeks of daily supplementation with 113 g of LP would increase hoof growth rates as compared to non-supplemented controls. Hooves were trimmed at the start of the study and every 8 weeks thereafter. A mark was applied on the hoof wall surface at 2.5 cm below the junction of the hoof wall and coronary band. At each trimming, the distance between the mark and coronary ...
Cota LO, Júnior OS, Oliveira APL, Paz CFR, Maróstica TP, Duarte PC, Leme FOP, Faleiros RR.Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a common condition in horses with gastrointestinal disorders. If not prevented or controlled, SIRS promotes multiple organ dysfunctions that may culminate in serious disabilities or even death. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Lithothamnion supplementation on systemic inflammatory response and organ function variables in horses undergoing oligofructose overload (OFO) intake. Twelve healthy horses were randomly divided into control and treated groups. The treated group received Lithothamnion (100 mg/kg bw PO BID) for 7 ...
Maxfield M, Celaya R, Andrade E, Rodrigues MAM, Santos AS, Ferreira LMM.The assessment of feed intake in stabled horses is a difficult task to accomplish. Faecal markers, namely n-alkanes, have been used successfully for the estimation of this important nutritional parameter. This usually involves the dosing of synthetic n-alkanes via different matrices, a laborious task that may also influence the animal normal foraging behaviour. An experiment was conducted to evaluate a relative simple methodology to quantify feed intake in horses, based on the provision of measured amounts of a concentrate supplement labelled with beeswax and the utilisation of n-alkanes as fa...
Alvarado TD, Elghandour MMMY, Ekanem NJ, Alcala-Canto Y, Velázquez AE, Pacheco EBF, Purba RAP, Salem AZM.The present study was conducted to investigate the aqueous extracts of Azadirachta indica (AZN), Cnidoscolus angustidens (CNA), and their combination (MIX) at dosages of 0-, 0.6-, 1.2-, and 1.8- mL for their ability to reduce greenhouse gases and fermentation profiles in an in vitro study using horse feces and a nutrient-dense diet (as substrate). The quantity of greenhouse gas and fermentation profiles were determined in in vitro incubation for 48 h. Extracts of AZN, CNA, and MIX reduced total gas production of the incubated and degraded substrates in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manne...
Lucassen A, Hankel J, Finkler-Schade C, Osbelt L, Strowig T, Visscher C, Schuberth HJ.Feed supplements such as fermentation products (SCFP) alter immune responses in horses. The purpose of this study was to analyze whether a prebiotic activity of the SCFP alters the gut microbiome in horses. Racehorses were fed either SCFP (Olimond BB, OLI, = 6) or placebo pellets (PLA, = 5) for 43 days. Fecal microbiota analysis was performed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The numbers and function of circulating immune cell subpopulations were analyzed by flow cytometry. SCFP supplementation resulted in non-consistent differences in fecal microbiota between the PLA and OLI during the feedi...
Berreta A, Kopper J.Probiotics are live microorganisms that when consumed in adequate amounts confer a health benefit to the host. The objective of this review is to critically evaluate the definition of probiotics with reference to their use as supplements in horses, research regarding quality control, and propose areas for future focus. Several studies, performed over a 19-year period, have consistently identified deficiencies when comparing actual contents to label claims. Furthermore, basic information such as expiration dates and storage instructions are often missing from the labels. Finally, the authors wi...
Pollard CL, Gibb Z, Clulow J, Ruiz A, Sheridan A, Bahrami M, Swegen A, Grupen CG.A deficiency in NAD has previously been linked with increased occurrences of congenital abnormalities and embryonic death in humans and mice. Early embryonic death is a major factor involved in pregnancy loss in mares, and very little is known regarding the NAD requirements for optimum reproductive function in horses. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of supplementing the diet of mares with nicotinic acid (NA) on the composition of NAD metabolites in the blood and follicular fluid. Vehicle alone or NA (3 g per os) were administered to seven mares over a minimum of 3 consecutive...
Stachurska A, Tkaczyk E, Różańska-Boczula M, Janicka W, Janczarek I.The commercial horse feed industry uses palatants to mask undesirable tastes of feeds and enhance product acceptance. However, an unknown odour or taste may also hinder feed intake, due to, inter alia, novelty. The objective of the study was to assess the horses' response to novel diet: five different herbs added alternately to dry, wet or wet-sweetened oats. Twenty adult horses were given different diet combinations of a feed presentation and a herb: field mint, common yarrow, common chamomile, common sage and common nettle, consecutively, once daily. The response to novelty was assessed rega...
Acosta JAD, Elghandour MMMY, Mariezcurrena-Berasain MD, Adegbeye MJ, Fajemisin AN, Pliego AB, Salem AZM.This study aimed to evaluate the dietary administration of the Caesalpinia coriaria (CC) extract for 30 days on in vitro fecal greenhouse gases production. Fecal samples, as inoculums, were collected from horses given daily 0- (Fecal 0), 60- (Fecal 60) and 120- (Fecal 60) mL CC aqueous extract per animal. The extract dose was mixed with the morning feeding diet at 6:00 h for each horse. During incubation, 0-, 0.6-, 1.2- and 1.8-mL CC extracts were added to the basal diet which was fed to horses (as subtract) and evaluated with each fecal type. Feces from the horses given no CC extract produc...
Raspa F, Vervuert I, Capucchio MT, Colombino E, Bergero D, Forte C, Greppi M, Cavallarin L, Giribaldi M, Antoniazzi S, Cavallini D, Valvassori E....Horses are often fed high amounts of starch in their diets despite the well-established benefits of a fibre-based diet to promote gut health and animal welfare. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of two different diets - one based on high amounts of starch (HS) vs. one base on high amounts of fibre (HF) - on specific parameters of the gut environment across different intestinal compartments of the horse digestive tract. To this end differences in the gastrointestinal environment between HS vs. HF fed horses were assessed in terms of dry matter, organic matter and ash conte...
Deng L, Yang Y, Li Z, Li J, Zhu Y, Meng Q, Liu J, Wang X.Despite mare's milk being highly nutritious and beneficial to human health, the effects of different dietary regimens on the lipid profile of mare's milk remain to be completely understood. Herein we employed targeted multiple reaction monitoring-based lipidomics with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry to compare the milk lipid profiles of mares fed: pasture grass (P), corn stover and concentrate (H), or cornsilage and concentrate (S). Overall, 461 lipids belonging to 17 subclasses were identified; 261 significantly different lipids were id...
Soroko M, Górniak W, Zielińska P, Górniak A, Śniegucka K, Nawrot K, Korczyński M.Shiitake mushrooms have been highly regarded as possessing enormous nutritive and medicinal values. No clinical studies have yet investigated the effect of shitake supplementation on the health of horses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of shiitake mushroom supplementation on the morphological and biochemical blood properties in horses. A total of 17 adult horses were divided into two groups: supplemented and control. The supplemented group was fed 60 g of shiitake mushrooms per day for 5 months. Blood samples were collected in five sessions. Blood morphological analysis showe...
Baakhtari M, Imaizumi N, Kida T, Yanagita T, Ramah A, Ahmadi P, Takebe N, Iwamoto Y, Korosue K, Tsuzuki N, Yasuda M.High-intensity exercise and competition are associated with depressed immune function. Young horses, which participate in high-intensity exercise and competitions, are at increased risk for the development of infectious disease due to depression of immune function. The effects of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation on the immune status of young racing horses were evaluated, determining whether BCAA might help to avoid or reduce immune suppression during exercise and competitions. Twenty horses (10 male and 10 female) were treated with BCAA supplementation; another twenty untreated...
Nagae M, Nishio T, Ohnuki K, Shimizu K.Placenta extract is used as an ingredient in ointments for treating dermatological diseases, skin dryness, and for skin beautification. However, the clinical effects of the equine placenta on humans and the underlying mechanism of action are unclear. This randomized, controlled, double-blind study aimed to clinically evaluate the effect of oral intake of equine placental extract on human skin quality. Methods: Healthy women volunteers between the ages of 30 and 59 years (n = 29) were randomly assigned to receive 220 mg of equine placental extract-placebo orally, once daily for 4 weeks....
Lawrence L.The National Research Council (NRC) published the Recommended Nutrient Allowances for Horses in 1949. The subsequent publication was renamed the Nutrient Requirements of Horses and the 6th revised edition was published in 2007. The document has increased in size and scope from the initial publication in 1949 that contained 29 pages to the most recent version with 341 pages. Several formats for expressing requirements (dietary concentrations or daily amounts) have been utilized. In addition, a variety of methods have been employed to determine the nutrient requirements of horses since 1949. Man...
Catandi GD, LiPuma L, Obeidat YM, Maclellan LJ, Broeckling CD, Chen T, Chicco AJ, Carnevale EM.Dietary supplementation is the most feasible method to improve oocyte function and developmental potential . During three experiments, oocytes were collected from maturing, dominant follicles of older mares to determine whether short-term dietary supplements can alter oocyte metabolic function, lipid composition, and developmental potential. Over approximately 8 weeks, control mares were fed hay (CON) or hay and grain products (COB). Treated mares received supplements designed for equine wellness and gastrointestinal health, flaxseed oil, and a proprietary blend of fatty acid and antioxidant s...
Garcia EIC, Elghandour MMMY, Khusro A, Alcala-Canto Y, Tirado-González DN, Barbabosa-Pliego A, Salem AZM.Oxidative stress is the excess generation of free radicals and/or a decrease in the response of the antioxidant system. It is known to cause damage to the equine health by unbalancing the stable molecules. The dietary supplementation of vitamins E, C, and β-carotene cause beneficial effect on horses' health. These supplements could transform free radicals into the stable radicals, thereby showing importance in the prevention of diseases associated with oxidative stress. Adding vitamins E, C, and β-carotene to the horses' diets in stressful conditions could decrease the production of free rad...
Saastamoinen M, Särkijärvi S, Suomala H.Six Finnhorse mares were used in a digestibility trial, in which six typical horse diets were compared. The diets were: (A) haylage 100%; (B) hay 100%; (C) hay 70% and oats 30%; (D) hay 70% and soybean meal + oats 30%; (E) hay 70%, rapeseed meal + oats 30% and (F) hay 70 %, linseed meal + oats 30%. The trial was conducted according to an unbalanced 6 × 4 Latin square design with four 3-week experimental periods. The experimental period consisted of 17-day preliminary feeding which was followed by a 4-day total faecal and urine collection periods to evaluate N excretion. The digestibilities of...
Theiner E, Weber C, Müller E, Venner M, Finkler-Schade C, Vervuert I.This study aimed to examine the effects of an oral supplementation on manganese (Mn) concentrations in the blood of lactating warm-blood broodmares. Furthermore, the potential relationship between Mn supply of the lactating mare and its suckling foal was investigated. Methods: During the 90-day trial, lactating mares were divided into 3 groups and daily received a daily dose of either a placebo (n = 11) or a Mn supplement of 560 mg Mn as Mn sulfate (n = 11) or Mn chelate (n = 11) in addition to the Mn intake from the basal ration (hay ad libitum, total mixed ration: Mn intake ~ 1...
Paßlack N, van Bömmel-Wegmann S, Vahjen W, Zentek J.Zinc supplements are often used in equine nutrition to support skin and hoof quality or the immune function. However, no data on the effects of dietary zinc on the intestinal microbiota of horses and ponies are available so far. In the present study, varying dietary zinc concentrations (maintenance (4 mg/kg BW/day), 120 mg/kg dry matter (DM)/day and 240 mg/kg DM/day) were achieved by the supplementation of either zinc chloride hydroxide or zinc methionine (six treatment periods of 4 weeks each). Eight healthy adult ponies and two healthy adult horses were included, and faecal samples were coll...
Henry ML, Velez-Irizarry D, Pagan JD, Sordillo L, Gandy J, Valberg SJ.Horses have one of the highest skeletal muscle oxidative capacities amongst mammals, which, combined with a high glycolytic capacity, could perturb redox status during maximal exercise. We determined the effect of 30 d of oral coenzyme Q10 and N-acetyl-cysteine supplementation (NACQ) on muscle glutathione (GSH), cysteine, ROS, and coenzyme Q10 concentrations, and the muscle proteome, in seven maximally exercising Thoroughbred horses using a placebo and randomized cross-over design. Gluteal muscle biopsies were obtained the day before and 1 h after maximal exercise. Concentrations of GSH, cyste...
Burns TA.Nutrition plays an important role in equine health, including that of the foot. Deficiencies and excesses of dietary components can affect the growth and function of the foot and have been associated with important podiatric diseases. The recognition, prevention, and treatment of specific notable nutritional diseases of the foot are discussed, as well as information regarding specific ingredients included in supplements meant to improve equine hoof quality. Ensuring provision of a balanced diet, maintaining horses in appropriate body condition, and seeking guidance from an equine nutritionist ...
Martinez RE, Leatherwood JL, Arnold CE, Glass KG, Walter KW, Valigura HC, Norton SA, White-Springer SH.Dietary intervention may be a valuable strategy to optimize the intra-articular environment in young horses to prolong their performance career. To test the hypothesis that dietary supplementation of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product would reduce markers of joint inflammation and increase markers of cartilage metabolism following a single inflammatory insult, Quarter Horse yearlings (mean ± SD; 9 ± 1.0 mo) were balanced by age, sex, body weight (BW), and farm of origin and randomly assigned to the following treatment groups: 1.25% BW/d (dry matter basis) custom-formulated conce...
MacNicol JL, Pearson W. organ culture can provide insight into isolated mucosal responses to particular environmental stimuli. The objective of the present study was to investigate the impact of a prolonged culturing time as well as the addition of acidic gastric fluid into the environment of cultured gastric antral tissue to evaluate how altering the commonly used neutral environment impacted tissue. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate the impact of G's Formula, a dietary supplement for horses, on the secretion of gastrin, interleukin1-beta (IL-1β), and nitric oxide (NO). These biomarkers are of interest due to ...
Pearson G, Goodale M, Wakshlag J, Fortier L.The objective of this study was to determine the effects of an oral, commercially available, marine based omega-3 fatty acid (n3-FA) supplement on fatty acid characteristics in horse whole blood. Fifty healthy, adult horses of various light breeds were assigned to one of two treatment groups: Group 1 receiving 7.5g/day of the test supplement, and Group 2 receiving 15g/day of the test supplement. The supplement contained 0.092g docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 0.148g eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) per gram. Therefore, Group 1 received 1.11g of EPA and 0.69g of DHA daily, while Group 2 received 2.22g...
Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Alberti E, Zucca E, Ferrucci F.Equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) may require prolonged treatments with acid suppressants; therefore, interest in nutraceutical supplements with anti-ulcerogenic properties has increased. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of Trophogast pellet for the treatment of ESGD in endurance horses. Methods: Fifteen endurance horses were included based on their gastroscopic examination and randomly assigned to a treatment group, receiving Trophogast pellet for 30 days together with management changes, or to a control group, only subjected to management modifications. At the end of treatmen...
Lucassen A, Finkler-Schade C, Schuberth HJ. () fermentation products (SCFP) are used in animal husbandry as pre- and postbiotic feed supplements. A variety of immunomodulatory effects are noted in many species. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that horses fed with SCFP containing feed additive Olimond BB display a modulated early immune response after influenza vaccination. Six horses received Olimond BB pellets (OLI) and five horses were fed placebo pellets (PLA) for 56 days. On day 40 all horses were vaccinated with a recombinant influenza A/equi-2 vaccine. At the day of vaccination, the groups did not differ in t...
Busse NI, Gonzalez ML, Krason ML, Johnson SE.Consumption of β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB) alters muscle composition and metabolism leading to strength and agility improvements in human athletes. To determine if HMB affects athletic performance and muscle function in horses, Thoroughbred geldings were fed a control (CON; n = 5) or HMB (n = 6) supplement for 6 wk prior to completing a standardized exercise test (SET). Gluteus medius (GM) muscle biopsies were obtained before the SET for fiber typing. Heart rate, biceps femoris (BF) and semitendinosus (ST) surface electromyograms (EMG), and fore and hind limbs metacarpophalangeal joint ...
Kuhl J, Winterhoff N, Wulf M, Schweigert FJ, Schwendenwein I, Bruckmaier RM, Aurich JE, Kutzer P, Aurich C.Many foals develop diarrhoea within the first two weeks of life which has been suggested to coincide with postpartum oestrus in their dams. To analyse the pathogenesis of this diarrhoea we have determined faecal bacteria in foals and their dams (n=30 each), and serum IGF-1 and γ-globulins for 6 weeks after birth. In addition, effects of β-carotene supplementation to mares (group 1: 1000 mg/day, n=15, group 2: control, n=15) on diarrhoea in foals were studied. Diarrhoea occurred in 92 and 79% of foals in groups 1 and 2, respectively, but was not correlated with oestrus in mares. Beta-carotene...
Destrez A, Grimm P, Julliand V.The bidirectional communication between the central and the enteric nervous system named the gut-brain axis has been widely recognized. The gut microbiota has been implicated in a variety of stress-related conditions including anxiety, depression and irritable bowel syndrome based on rodent studies or correlative analysis in human patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate to what extent changes in behavior during stressful events and in the microbial composition of the colonic ecosystem were associated in horses. The microbiota alterations were induced by a change from a high-f...
Warzecha CM, Coverdale JA, Janecka JE, Leatherwood JL, Pinchak WE, Wickersham TA, McCann JC.The objective of this study was to determine bacterial community profiles of the equine cecum in response to abrupt inclusion of varying levels of dietary starch. Seven cecally cannulated Quarter Horse geldings (497 to 580 kg) were used in a crossover design with two 28-d periods and a 28-d washout between each. Horses were randomly assigned to dietary treatments consisting of a commercial concentrate offered as fed at either 0.6 (low starch [LS]) or 1.2% BW (high starch [HS]) daily that was divided into 2 meals at 12-h intervals. Prior to the start of each period, horses were allowed ad libit...
Bamford NJ, Potter SJ, Baskerville CL, Harris PA, Bailey SR.The importance of including exercise with dietary modification for the management of obese equids is not clearly understood. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a practical low-intensity exercise regimen, in addition to dietary restriction, on indices of insulin sensitivity (SI) and plasma adipokine concentrations in obese equids. Methods: Twenty-four obese (body condition score [BCS] ≥ 7/9) horses and ponies. Methods: Over a 12-week period, animals received either dietary restriction only (DIET) or dietary restriction plus low-intensity exercise (DIET+EX). All animals were provided wit...
Gupta RC, Canerdy TD, Skaggs P, Stocker A, Zyrkowski G, Burke R, Wegford K, Goad JT, Rohde K, Barnett D, DeWees W, Bagchi M, Bagchi D.The present investigation evaluated arthritic pain in horses receiving daily placebo, undenatured type II collagen (UC-II) at 320, 480, or 640 mg (providing 80, 120, and 160 mg active UC-II, respectively), and glucosamine and chondroitin (5.4 and 1.8 g, respectively, bid for the first month, and thereafter once daily) for 150 days. Horses were evaluated for overall pain, pain upon limb manipulation, physical examination, and liver and kidney functions. Evaluation of overall pain was based upon a consistent observation of all subjects during a walk and a trot in the same pattern on the same sur...
Destrez A, Grimm P, Cézilly F, Julliand V.The digestive system of horses is adapted to a high-fiber diet consumed in small amounts over a long time. However, during training, high-starch and low-fiber diets are usually fed which may induce hindgut microbial disturbances and intestinal pain. These diets can be described as alimentary stress. The aim of the present study was to investigate to what extent changes in behavior are associated with alimentary stress and microbial composition changes of the cecal or colonic ecosystem. Six fistulated horses were used. The alimentary stress was a modification of diet from a high-fiber diet (100...
Jouany JP, Medina B, Bertin G, Julliand V.Four cecum and right ventral colon-fistulated horses were assigned in a 4 x 4 Latin square design and fed a high-fiber (HF) or a high-starch (HS) diet with or without 10 g of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC; CBS 493.94) containing 4.5 x 10(9) cfu/g. The HF and HS diets consisted of pelleted feeds and long wheat straw (18.0 and 3.5 g of DM.kg(-1) of BW.d(-1), respectively) given in 2 equal meals to provide an NDF:starch ratio of 3.5 and 1.0, respectively. After a 21-d adaptation period intestinal contents were collected 4 h after the morning meal on d 23 and 25 to determine bacterial and SC concen...
Grimm P, Philippeau C, Julliand V.Faeces could be used for evaluating the balance of the equine hindgut microbial ecosystem, which would offer a practical method for assessing gut health and how this relates to disease. However, previous studies concluded that faeces microbial ecosystem was not representative of the proximal hindgut (caecum and ventral colon). This study aimed to evaluate if variations of the faecal microbial ecosystem were similar to those observed in the proximal hindgut. Six horses, fistulated in the caecum and right ventral (RV) colon, were subjected to a gradual change of diet, from a 100% hay (high fibre...
Goodson J, Tyznik WJ, Cline JH, Dehority BA.Microbial numbers, pH, fluid volume, and turnover rate in the pony cecum were measured during an abrupt change from an all-forage to an all-concentrate diet, both fed at maintenance energy levels. Concentrate feeding resulted in increased (P less than 0.01) numbers of total viable anaerobic bacteria. The numbers of organisms growing on selective starch medium increased (P less than 0.01) when concentrate was fed, while numbers on xylan and pectin media decreased (P less than 0.025). Seven days after the diet change to concentrate, the number of bacteria growing on lactate medium increased (P l...
Treiber KH, Boston RC, Kronfeld DS, Staniar WB, Harris PA.Insulin resistance has been suggested to increase the risk of certain diseases, including osteochondrosis and laminitis. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of adaptation to high-glycemic meals on glucose-insulin regulation in healthy Thoroughbred weanlings. Twelve Thoroughbred foals were raised on pasture and supplemented twice daily with a feed high in either sugar and starch (SS; 49% nonstructural carbohydrates, 21% NDF, 3% crude fat on a DM basis) or fat and fiber (FF; 12% nonstructural carbohydrates, 44% NDF, 10% crude fat on a DM basis). As weanlings (age 199 +/- 5 d; BW 274 +/- 5 k...
de Moffarts B, Kirschvink N, Art T, Pincemail J, Lekeux P.The oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium of trained thoroughbred horses (n = 40) was assessed on three occasions during a period of three months under field conditions by blood antioxidant markers analysis, i.e. plasma ascorbic acid (AA), plasma antioxidant capacity of water-soluble components (ACW), whole blood (GSH) and oxidised (GSSG) glutathione, plasma alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene, plasma antioxidant capacity of lipid-soluble components (ACL), red blood cell superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione-peroxidase activity (GPx) and plasma trace-elements, i.e. selenium (Se), copper (Cu), zi...
Contri A, De Amicis I, Molinari A, Faustini M, Gramenzi A, Robbe D, Carluccio A.In this study, the effect of dietary supplementation of organic selenium, vitamin E, and zinc on raw semen characteristics was evaluated. Ten stallions with normal fertility were divided into two groups: a control group (CG), in which standard diet was provided, and a treated group (TG), in which the standard diet was supplemented with 1500 mg of α-tocopherol acetate, 360 mg of zinc, and 2.5 mg of organic selenium on a daily basis. Semen parameters on fresh semen were evaluated three times in all stallions before antioxidant supplementation (T0) and 30 (T1), 60 (T2), and 90 (T3) d after suppl...
Talbot WA, Pinchbeck GL, Knottenbelt DC, Graham H, McKane SA.Feed supplements are commonly used by owners to alleviate headshaking; however, randomised, controlled trials are required to assess their efficacy. Objective: To determine the efficacy of a feed supplement for alleviation of the clinical signs of headshaking using a randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Methods: Using a crossover design, 44 horses previously diagnosed with chronic idiopathic headshaking received both the supplement and a matching placebo per os for 28 days with a washout period between of 14 days. Video recordings were taken at rest and exercise prior to the study an...
Healey K, Lawlor C, Knox MR, Chambers M, Lamb J, Groves P.A series of placebo-controlled trials were conducted in horses, cattle and goats in different seasons and bioclimatic regions of New South Wales and Queensland, Australia, to evaluate the ability of BioWorma®, a feed supplement containing the spores of Duddingtonia flagrans IAH 1297, to reduce the larval development of parasitic gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) and their subsequent migration from faeces onto the surrounding pasture. In each trial, faeces were collected from animals harbouring a burden of nematode parasites following a period of supplementation with a placebo and again after s...
Jouany JP, Gobert J, Medina B, Bertin G, Julliand V.Eight crossbred male horses aged 12 +/- 5 yr and with BW of 305 +/- 18 kg were used in pairs in a 4 x 4 Latin square design with 4 ground and pelleted diets. Each pair included a cecum and right ventral colon-fistulated animal and a cecal-fistulated animal. The 4 horse diets were a high-fiber diet (HF+0) based on dehydrated alfalfa, a high-starch diet based on barley and wheat bran (HS+0), and the HF or HS diets supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) CBS 493.94 (HF+SC and HS+SC). The probiotic preparation contained 4.5 x 10(9) cfu/g of live yeast mixed with the culture medium, and was...
Earing JE, Cassill BD, Hayes SH, Vanzant ES, Lawrence LM.The objective of this study was to determine if in vitro methodologies developed for the Ankom Daisy(II) incubator could produce accurate estimates of in vivo equine DM digestibility (DMD) and NDF digestibility (NDFD) when equine feces were used as the inoculum source. Four mature geldings were utilized in a 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of dietary treatments (timothy hay, alfalfa hay, timothy hay plus oats, and alfalfa hay plus oats), in which the geldings were individually housed and fed. During each 5-d total fecal collection period, feces were co...
Jacob SI, Geor RJ, Weber PSD, Harris PA, McCue ME.Diagnosis of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) remains a challenge as multiple factors (stress, exercise, and time of year) influence ACTH and cortisol concentrations. To assess endocrine status in a study designed to evaluate the effects of age and diet on glucose and insulin dynamics, we performed thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation tests and overnight dexamethasone suppression tests in March, May, August, and October on 16 healthy Thoroughbred and Standardbred mares and geldings. Horses were grouped by age: adult (mean ± SD; 8.8 ± 2.9 yr; n = 8) and aged (20...
Tedesco DEA, Guerrini A.Milk thistle, Silybum marianum, is a medicinal plant grown for its bioactive compounds with well-documented antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties. Milk thistle has a well-established pharmacological reputation for treatments of human liver disease, but it is also used in animals. This review summarizes the experimental evidence of milk thistle's effects on animals when administered as silymarin extract (feed additive) or a feed ingredient, if administered as seed or expeller/cake with the seed residue still containing the bioactive components. The use as a feed additive or feed ingredien...
Swyers KL, Burk AO, Hartsock TG, Ungerfeld EM, Shelton JL.A study was conducted to determine whether direct-fed microbials (DFM) could be used to increase digestibility and minimize the risk of acidosis associated with feeding an increase in the amount of starch fed to horses. Fifteen mature Thoroughbred geldings were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments in a 3 x 3 Latin square design balanced for carryover effects. Within each 26-d period, horses were offered grass hay + low-starch concentrate (LS; 1.2 g of starch x kg of BW(-1) x meal(-1)) from d 1 to 13 and then were abruptly changed to hay + high-starch concentrate (HS; 2.4 g of starch.kg of BW...
Raymond SL, Smith TK, Swamy HV.The feeding of Fusarium mycotoxin-contaminated grains adversely affects the performance of swine and poultry. Very little information is available, however, on adverse effects associated with feeding these mycotoxin-contaminated grains on the performance of horses. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding a blend of grains naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins on feed intake, serum immunoglobulin (Ig) concentrations, serum chemistry, and hematology of horses. A polymeric glucomannan mycotoxin adsorbent (GM polymer) was also tested for efficacy in preventing F...
Faubladier C, Chaucheyras-Durand F, da Veiga L, Julliand V.This study evaluated the effect of transportation on fecal bacterial communities and activities in horses with or without supplementation of live yeast and attempted to link those effects with changes in blood stress markers. Four mature horses were assigned to a crossover design and fed a basal diet (60:40 forage to concentrate; 1.45% BW on a DM basis), with or without supplementation, of 2 × 10(10) cfu/d of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1077. After a 14-d adaptation to dietary treatments, the 5-d experiment started 1 d before transportation (d -1). At d 0, horses were simultaneously trans...
Vineyard KR, Warren LK, Kivipelto J.To determine the effect of different sources of dietary n-3 fatty acids (FA) on plasma and red blood cell (RBC) FA composition and immune response, 18 Quarter Horse yearlings were randomly and equally assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: encapsulated fish oil (n = 6), milled flaxseed (n = 6), or no supplementation (control, n = 6). Fish oil contained 15 g of eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3) and 12.5 g of docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3), and flaxseed contained 61 g of alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) per 100 g of FA. Horses had free access to bahiagrass pasture during the active growing season and wer...
Avellini L, Chiaradia E, Gaiti A.Physical exercise increases both tissue needs for oxygen and cellular respiration and causes an overproduction of free radicals. When free radical generation exceeds the cell's antioxidant capacity tissue-damage develops due to oxidative stress. Therefore, it appears important to increase the scavenger ability of the tissues. Controlled training and dietary supplements may provide ways of doing this. As a model, we used 3-year-old racehorses (Equus caballus) which underwent a series of different physical exercise trials before and after 70 days of daily training and dietary supplements (vitami...
Berg EL, Fu CJ, Porter JH, Kerley MS.Short-chain fructooligosaccharides (FOS) were supplemented to the diets of nine quarter horses ranging in age from 489 to 539 d with initial BW averaging 400.6 +/- 21.2 kg. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of dietary FOS on the fecal responses in terms of pH, the microbial population, and VFA concentrations. The horses were used in a 3 x 3 replicated Latin square design, fed according to NRC requirements, and their individual diets were supplemented with no FOS (CON), 8 g of FOS/d (LOW), or 24 g of FOS/d (HIGH) over three 10-d feeding periods. On the last 3 d of each ...
Divers TJ, Cummings JE, de Lahunta A, Hintz HF, Mohammed HO.To determine whether equine motor neuron disease (EMND) could be induced in adult horses fed a diet low in vitamin E and high in copper and iron. Methods: 59 healthy adult horses. Methods: Horses in the experimental group (n = 8) were confined to a dirt lot and fed a concentrate low in vitamin E and high in iron and copper in addition to free-choice grass hay that had been stored for 1 year. Control horses (n = 51) were fed a concentrate containing National Research Council-recommended amounts of copper, iron, and vitamin E. The hay fed to control horses was the same as that fed to experimenta...
White SH, Warren LK.Exercise is associated with increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as metabolism is upregulated to fuel muscle activity. If antioxidant systems become overwhelmed, ROS can negatively affect health and performance. Adaptation to exercise through regular training has been shown to improve defense against oxidative insult. Given selenium's role as an antioxidant, we hypothesized that increased Se intake would further enhance skeletal muscle adaptations to training. Quarter Horse yearlings (18 ± 0.2 mo; 402 ± 10 kg) were randomly assigned to receive either 0.1 or 0.3 mg Se/kg DM a...
Durham AE.Nutritional intolerances manifesting as colic in the horse may be largely explained by divergence from the diet and ingestive behaviors to which the feral ancestors of modern domesticated equids had become accustomed and adapted. High-starch diets and abrupt dietary changes are probably foremost in the risk factors for diet-associated colic in the horse and have their basis in disruption of the stability of microbial populations resident within the equine hindgut. Although some general associations between colic and diet may be inferred from several epidemiologic studies, data derived from stu...
Richardson SM, Siciliano PD, Engle TE, Larson CK, Ward TL.This study was conducted to determine the effect of Se supplementation and source on the Se status of horses. Eighteen 18-mo-old nonexercised horses were randomly assigned within sex to 1 of 3 treatments: 1) control (CTRL, no supplemental Se, 0.15 mg of Se/kg of total diet DM); 2) inorganic Se (INORG, CTRL + 0.45 mg of Se/kg of total diet DM from NaSeO3); or organic Se [ORG, CTRL + 0.45 mg of Se/kg of total diet DM from zinc-L-selenomethionine (Availa Se, Zinpro, Corp., Eden Prairie, MN)]. Horses were acclimated to the CTRL diet (7.1 kg of DM alfalfa hay and 1.2 kg of DM concentrate per horse ...
Stull CL, Spier SJ, Aldridge BM, Blanchard M, Stott JL.Little information exists on the immunological effects of transport or the use of supplements to minimise transport stress. Objective: To establish baseline ranges and evaluate immunophenotypic and functional changes associated with transport and a nutritional 'adaptogen' supplement. Methods: Horses received either supplement (n = 10) or placebos (n = 9) during the 30 day study. After 28 days in stalls, 12 horses (6 supplement; 6 placebo) were transported for 24 h, then unloaded and recovered. Venous blood samples were collected on Days 1, 14 and 28 to establish baselines, and on Days 28, 29 a...
Bourdon B, Contentin R, Cassé F, Maspimby C, Oddoux S, Noël A, Legendre F, Gruchy N, Galéra P.Articular cartilage experiences mechanical constraints leading to chondral defects that inevitably evolve into osteoarthritis (OA), because cartilage has poor intrinsic repair capacity. Although OA is an incurable degenerative disease, several dietary supplements may help improve OA outcomes. In this study, we investigated the effects of Dielen® hydrolyzed fish collagens from skin (Promerim®30 and Promerim®60) and cartilage (Promerim®40) to analyze the phenotype and metabolism of equine articular chondrocytes (eACs) cultured as organoids. Here, our findings demonstrated the absence of cyto...
