Vitamins are organic compounds that are essential in small amounts for various physiological functions in horses. They are involved in processes such as metabolism, immune function, and tissue maintenance. Horses obtain vitamins through their diet, with some vitamins being synthesized by gut microbes. Common vitamins relevant to equine health include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and the B vitamins. These vitamins support functions ranging from vision and bone health to energy metabolism and blood cell formation. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the sources, roles, and effects of vitamins in equine nutrition and health.
Baird JD, Arroyo LG, Lumsden JH.The objective of this study was to determine the effect of either oral supplementation of sodium selenite and alpha-tocopherol or intramuscular administration of a commercial preparation of selenium (Se) and vitamin E to Standardbred broodmares with low (21.0 ± 18.1 IU/g Hb) whole blood glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity. Ten mares received 3 weekly intramuscular (IM) doses, whereas 9 mares were orally supplemented daily for 10 wk. Blood samples were collected jugular venipuncture and the whole blood GPx activity was measured at each sampling time for the 32-week period. Both oral and int...
Mańkowska A, Dobraczyńska BM, Szewczak J, Chodup Z, Radzanowski B, Matychyn I, Witkowska D.Cultivated carrot ( subsp. ) is a valuable component of equine diets due to its high β-carotene content (a precursor of vitamin A) and desirable sensory properties. However, its use may be limited by short shelf life, susceptibility to spoilage, and firm texture, which can be challenging for horses with dental problems. This study aimed to evaluate horses' preferences for different physical forms of carrots. Twenty-one leisure horses aged 3-22 years were individually evaluated in a free-choice test. Each horse was simultaneously offered equal portions (150 g) of five carrot forms: raw, grated...
Aboelmaaty AM, El-Seadawy IE, Kotp MS, Mohamed AA, El-Debaky HA, El-Badry DA, Anwer AM, Tsvetkov T, Daneva T, Elgabry MA.Alpha-tocopherol is one of the non-enzymatic lipophilic antioxidants. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is a synthetic analog with similar modes of action in protecting the cryopreserved sperms. Objective: This study hypothesized that a certain concentration of any antioxidant is suitable for improving the post-thaw semen quality of stallions. Methods: To determine the optimum BHT concentration, a synthetic antioxidant similar to vitamin E in potency and scavenging oxidative stress power in concentrations of 0.0, 0.25, 0.50, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mM/ml were added to semen extender. The post-thaw sper...
Finno CJ.Nutrigenomics defines the interaction between the nutrients in our food and the genes in our body. Examples from human medicine of diseases and associated genes include lactose intolerance (genetic variants in LCT lactase), hypercholesteremia (low density lipoprotein receptor, LDLR) and caffeine sensitivity (adenosine A2A receptor, ADORA2A). In horses, examples include Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP), where clinical signs of disease are managed through maintaining a diet low in potassium and Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy Type 1 (PSSM1), where low starch and high fat diets are recommen...
Primo ALM, Assis DM, Santos VGS, de Melo LRB, da Nóbrega LD, Medeiros Dantas AF, Maciel TA.Cerebellar abiotrophy is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, resulting in premature neuronal death. In horses, its occurrence has been reported mainly in the Arabian breed as a congenital mutation inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. The objective of this study was to describe the case of cerebellar abiotrophy in a Quarter Horse foal. An 8-day-old foal was treated after presenting signs of ataxia, hypermetria, difficulty maintaining a standing position, and decreased menace response. The foal was hospitalized for 26 days, received treatment wit...
Palmisano MG, Colmer SF, Saw YL, Xu X, Stefanovski D, Murphy L, Johnson AL.To determine the prevalence of vitamin E deficiency in horses at admission and at the time of discharge. The hypothesis was that vitamin E concentrations would decrease during hospitalization. Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed of client-owned horses admitted as patients or companions through the emergency service at a tertiary referral center. Exclusion criteria included vitamin E supplementation. Whole blood was collected into an additive-free tube at the time of admission for all horses and at discharge if the horse was hospitalized for a minimum of 5 days. Serum vitamin E co...
Helbig H, Berghaus LJ, Venner M, Berghaus R, Hart KA.Adequate vitamin availability is vital for cellular and immune function and for normal growth. Available data on age-related changes in serum concentrations of vitamins in foals are limited. In addition, associations between circulating vitamin concentrations and the development of bronchopneumonia in foals are not described. Objective: (1) To quantify circulating concentrations of vitamins C, D and E from birth to weaning in foals; (2) to determine associations between vitamin concentrations and the development of bronchopneumonia during this period. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Methods...
Blanco-Doval A, Barron LJR, Bustamante MÁ, Aldai N.Mare milk has often been considered a food product with potential functional properties. However, the bioactive compound composition of mare milk, including vitamins and other minor bioactive compounds, as well as factors affecting this composition have scarcely been studied. Therefore, the present study aimed to characterize the changes during lactation in the content of water- and fat-soluble vitamins and total polyphenols, and the total antioxidant capacity of mare milk from semi-extensive farms. A total of 310 individual milk samples from 18 mares belonging to three commercial farms and 12...
Garhwal R, Bhardwaj A, Sangwan K, Mehra R, Pal Y, Nayan V, Iquebal MA, Jaiswal S, Kumar H.This current research set out to characterize Halari donkey milk by investigating its nutritional constituents, including its proximate analysis, water activity, titratable acidity, energy, and microbiological analysis. A comprehensive profiling of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids was also carried out. It was found that the composition of Halari donkey milk was consistent with previously published donkey milk literature and was comparable to that of human milk. Halari donkey milk has low 0.86 ± 0.04% fat content, 2.03 ± 0.03% protein content, 0.51 ± 0.05% ash content, and high 5.75 ± 0....
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...
Breuil MF, Joseph M, Petry S.The gold standard method to isolate and identify Taylorella equigenitalis, the contagious agent of equine metritis, is the culture method according to the World Organisation for Animal Health Terrestrial Manual. No selective T. equigenitalis chocolate agar medium has been developed since the 1980s and the existing media show limited performances due to the fastidious nature of T. equigenitalis and the presence of interfering bacteria in the genital tract of equines. Here, the growth rates of 6 T. equigenitalis strains and 7 non-T. equigenitalis strains were compared on Timoney's selective medi...
Richards N, Nielsen BD, Finno CJ.Many forage types are available, typically divided into cool or warm season grasses and legumes, which can be fed as fresh pasture or after preservation. Testing for nutrient content confirms what should be supplemented to make up shortfalls. Although testing is recommended, it is not always practical. Typical values for the forage type are available; however, they cannot be relied on for actual content. Non-nutritional aspects must also be taken into account. The provision of complementary feeds to ensure adequate vitamin and mineral intake is recommended. Additional supplementary high-qualit...
Bazzano M, Laus F, Spaterna A, Marchegiani A.Nutritional supplements are widely used in the equine industry with the aim of improving horse health, sports or reproductive performances. Over the years, a number of studies have focused on investigating the effects of several dietary compounds on the quality and preservation of stallion semen. This paper reviews the literature available on the use of nutritional supplementation for the improvement of reproductive performance and semen quality in equine species, critically appraising the benefits and negative effects of several compounds found in complementary feeds such as PUFAs from differ...
Dockalova H, Zeman L, Horky P.Veterinarians can recommend milk thistle for the treatment of equine liver disease and laminitis. Milk thistle seed cakes were fed in the range of normal feed doses in this study. The milk thistle seed cakes were fed (twice a day) to the experimental group of the horses ( = 5) and biochemical blood markers (TP, Albumin, ALT (alanine transaminase), AST (aspartate transaminase), ALP (alkaline phosphatase), GGT (gamma-glutamyltransferase), Bilirubin, Cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein), LDL (low-density lipoprotein), TAG (triacylglycerol), BHB (beta-hydroxybutyric acid), NEFA (non-esterif...
Siard-Altman MH, Harris PA, Moffett-Krotky AD, Ireland JL, Betancourt A, Barker VD, McMurry KE, Reedy SE, Adams AA.Similarly to aged humans, senior horses (≥20 years) exhibit chronic low-grade inflammation systemically, known as inflamm-aging. Inflamm-aging in the senior horse has been characterized by increased circulating inflammatory cytokines as well as increased inflammatory cytokine production by lymphocytes and monocytes in response to a mitogen. Little is currently known regarding underlying causes of inflamm-aging. However, senior horses are also known to present with muscle wasting and often the endocrinopathy pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Despite the concurrence of these phenom...
Sampaio BFB, Nogueira BG, Souza MIL, Silva EVDCE, Zúccari CESN.The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of adding ascorbic acid 2-glucoside (AA2G), a water-soluble antioxidant and stable derivative of ascorbate, to the semen extender and compare it to the addition of vitamin C (Vit. C) and the fat-soluble antioxidant α-tocopherol (α-Toh), both individually and in combination, on the seminal variables of equine sperm submitted to cooling for 72 h. We used two ejaculates from 10 stallions and evaluated them for motility, membrane integrity, chromatin fragmentation, mitochondrial activity and lipid peroxidation. In the analysis of lipid pero...
Schaafstra FJWC, van Doorn DA, Schonewille JT, Roelfsema E, Westermann CM, Dansen O, Jacobs M, Lee JY, Spronck EA, Blok MC, Hendriks WH.Exercise and physical training are known to affect gastrointestinal function and digestibility in horses and can lead to inaccurate estimates of nutrient and energy digestibility when markers are used. The effect of exercise on apparent nutrient digestibility and faecal recoveries of ADL and TiO2 was studied in six Welsh pony geldings subjected to either a low- (LI) or high-intensity (HI) exercise regime according to a cross-over design. Ponies performing LI exercise were walked once per day for 45 min in a horse walker (5 km/h) for 47 consecutive days. Ponies submitted to HI exercise were gra...
Smith AD, Panickar KS, Urban JF, Dawson HD.Vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) play an important role in regulating and shaping an immune response. Deficiencies generally result in inadequate or dysregulated cellular activity and cytokine expression, thereby affecting the immune response. Decreased levels of natural killer, granulocyte, and phagocytic cell activity and T and B cell proliferation and trafficking are associated with inadequate levels of micronutrients, as well as increased susceptibility to various adverse health conditions, including inflammatory disorders, infection, and altered vaccine efficacy. In addition, most s...
Hillyer LL, Ridd Z, Fenwick S, Hincks P, Paine SW.While cobalt is an essential micronutrient for vitamin B synthesis in the horse, at supraphysiological concentrations, it has been shown to enhance performance in human subjects and rats, and there is evidence that its administration in high doses to horses poses a welfare threat. Animal sport regulators currently control cobalt abuse via international race day thresholds, but this work was initiated to explore means of potentially adding to application of those thresholds since cobalt may be present in physiological concentrations. Objective: To devise a scientific basis for differentiation b...
McGorum BC, Jago RC, Cillan-Garcia E, Pirie RS, Keen JA, Reardon RJM, Saffu PY, Miller NJ.The aetiology of equine grass sickness (EGS) is currently unknown. We hypothesised that an acute deficiency of niacin (vitamin B3), which plays a key role in neural homeostasis, may contribute to neurodegeneration in EGS. Niacin deficiency can potentially result from ingestion of niacin antagonists produced by pasture mycotoxigenic fungi. Objective: To compare the niacin status of EGS and control grazing horses. A secondary objective was to compare blood concentrations of vitamins B1, B2 and B6 in EGS and control grazing horses to determine if the status of these vitamins was altered in EGS. M...
Karlíková R, Široká J, Jahn P, Friedecký D, Gardlo A, Janečková H, Hrdinová F, Drábková Z, Adam T.Atypical myopathy (AM) is a potentially fatal disease of grazing horses. It is reportedly caused by the ingestion of sycamore seeds containing toxic hypoglycin A. In order to study metabolic changes, serum and urine samples from nine horses with atypical myopathy and 12 control samples from clinically healthy horses were collected and then analysed using a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry; serum metabolic profiles as the disease progressed were also studied. Metabolic data were evaluated using unsupervised and supervised multivariate analyses. Signif...
Huff NK, Auer AD, Garza F, Keowen ML, Kearney MT, McMullin RB, Andrews FM.Sea buckthorn berries (Hippophae rhamnoides) are rich in vitamin C and E, carotenoids, flavonoids, fatty acids, plant sterols, lignans, and minerals. A feed supplement containing sea buckthorn berries might have efficacy in treatment and prevention of gastric ulcers in horses. Objective: To test the efficacy of a commercially available formulation of sea buckthorn berries and pulp (SeaBuck SBT Gastro-Plus) for treatment and prevention of gastric ulcers in stall-confined horses. Methods: Eight Thoroughbred and Thoroughbred-cross horses (3-10 years of age, 5 geldings and 3 mares, 380-600 kg body...
Atyabi N, Yasini SP, Jalali SM, Shaygan H.Nitrite intoxication occurs frequently in ruminants and equines. The most common treatment of this disorder is administration of 1% methylene blue, although the use of some antioxidant agents e.g. vitamins and complementary treatment may also be useful. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antioxidative effects of some vitamins on methemoglobinemia induced by sodium nitrite. For this purpose the blood sample of a healthy dairy cattle was pre-incubated with three different concentrations (5, 10, 20 mmol L(-1)) of each vitamin (E, C, B1, A and a combination of vitamin E and vitamin...
Terachi T, Inoue Y, Ashihara N, Kobayashi M, Ando K, Matsui T.The effect of several vitamin K homologs on plasma vitamin K concentration was determined to assess their potential as a vitamin K supplement for adult horses. Sixteen Thoroughbred horses consisting of 8 mares and 8 geldings, aged 8.4 ± 3.6 yr and weighing 520.8 ± 36.1 kg, were allocated to 4 groups (n = 4). Each group was given phylloquinone, menaquinone-4, or menadione at 58 µmol/d, or no vitamin K supplement for 7 d. Plasma samples were collected before feeding, and 2, 4, and 8 h after feeding on d 7, and plasma concentrations of phylloquinone and menaquinone-4 were determined. Plasma ph...
van den Boom R, Driessen F, Streumer SJ, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is most often caused by Culicoides spp., although other insect species are also thought to play a role in causing this disease. The disease has been reported to occur in most countries, with a prevalence of up to 28% in some countries in some breeds. The only truly effective therapy currently available is to prevent horses from coming into contact with Culicoides midges, which can be achieved by stabling horses during certain times of the day or by covering them with insect blankets. The effect of a new dietary supplement containing vitamins, polypeptides, an...
Piccione G, Assenza A, Grasso F, Caola G.BACKGROUND: Many physiological processes of mammalian species exhibit daily rhythmicity. An intrinsic relationship exists between fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) and several body functions. Few investigations on the rhythmic pattern of vitamins in domestic animals have been carried out. The present study evaluated the circadian rhythmicity of fat soluble vitamins in the horse. METHODS: Blood samples from 5 Thoroughbred mares were collected at four-hour intervals over a 48-hour period (starting at 8:00 hours on day 1 and finishing at 4:00 on day 2) via an intravenous cannula inserted into ...
Kronfeld DS, Holland JL, Rich GA, Meacham TN, Fontenot JP, Sklan DJ, Harris PA.The digestibility of ether extract varies greatly from forages to grains and further to added fats consisting mainly of triglycerides. This variation has been attributed to two main factors, the presence of nonhydrolyzable substances in the ether extract, especially in leafy foods, and the dilution of endogenous fecal fat. A compilation of results from 188 equine digestion balance observations on five basal feeds and 18 test feeds with added fats demonstrated a true digestibility of fat approaching 100% and an endogenous fecal fat of 0.22 g x d(-1) x kg BW(-1). The results revealed that nonhyd...
Smith AD, Panickar KS, Urban JF, Dawson HD.Vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) play an important role in regulating and shaping an immune response. Deficiencies generally result in inadequate or dysregulated cellular activity and cytokine expression, thereby affecting the immune response. Decreased levels of natural killer, granulocyte, and phagocytic cell activity and T and B cell proliferation and trafficking are associated with inadequate levels of micronutrients, as well as increased susceptibility to various adverse health conditions, including inflammatory disorders, infection, and altered vaccine efficacy. In addition, most s...
Hintz HF, Cymbaluk NF.The horse was domesticated around 2500 BC and has been used for work, pleasure, and companionship since that time. However, the percentage of time devoted to these endeavors has changed greatly. The number of horses in the US peaked at more than 26 million in 1918. Thereafter, the increasing use of the internal combustion engine caused a steady decline in the number of horses. By 1960, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated that there were only about 3 million horses in the US. In the 1960s, however, the number of...
Baker H, DeAngelis B, Frank O.Many cell culture media use different sera to enhance growth. We assayed vitamins and some related metabolites in different sera and identified the concentration of: thiamin, biotin, folates, riboflavin, pantothenates, nicotinates, vitamins B6, B12, A, E, C, and carotenes and some related metabolites: biopterins, free inositol, free and total choline, total carnitines in chicken, horse, rabbit, goat, pig, calf, newborn calf, fetal calf and human sera. Results indicate that vitamin and metabolite content of different sera vary. Such variations could produce fluctuant effects on cell culturings ...
Mäenpää PH, Koskinen T, Koskinen E.Twenty mares and 15 foals of the Finnhorse breed were used to determine serum levels of vitamins A, E and D during different seasons. Monthly serum samples were analyzed from mares for 22 mo and from foals for 13 mo after birth. The horses were kept on pasture from early June until early October and in stables during the winter months. Seasonal differences (P less than .001) were found in serum retinol, retinol to protein ratio, alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopherol to cholesterol ratio. Values were lowest from February through May and highest from June through August. Serum levels of retinol ...
Garhwal R, Bhardwaj A, Sangwan K, Mehra R, Pal Y, Nayan V, Iquebal MA, Jaiswal S, Kumar H.This current research set out to characterize Halari donkey milk by investigating its nutritional constituents, including its proximate analysis, water activity, titratable acidity, energy, and microbiological analysis. A comprehensive profiling of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids was also carried out. It was found that the composition of Halari donkey milk was consistent with previously published donkey milk literature and was comparable to that of human milk. Halari donkey milk has low 0.86 ± 0.04% fat content, 2.03 ± 0.03% protein content, 0.51 ± 0.05% ash content, and high 5.75 ± 0....
Baker H, Schor SM, Murphy BD, DeAngelis B, Feingold S, Frank O.Blood concentrations of thiamin, biotin, nicotinates, pantothenates, folates, riboflavin, vitamins A, B6, B12, C, E, beta-carotene and choline were analyzed in healthy animals (23 horses, 25 dogs, and 29 cats). B-Complex vitamins and choline also were analyzed in the liver of the dogs and cats. Vitamin concentrations in the blood and livers of dogs were similar; however, blood vitamin A and beta-carotene concentrations were lower in the cat than in the dog. Horses had a higher B12 blood concentration than did the dogs and cats. These data can be useful for detecting overt and hidden vitamin de...
Huff NK, Auer AD, Garza F, Keowen ML, Kearney MT, McMullin RB, Andrews FM.Sea buckthorn berries (Hippophae rhamnoides) are rich in vitamin C and E, carotenoids, flavonoids, fatty acids, plant sterols, lignans, and minerals. A feed supplement containing sea buckthorn berries might have efficacy in treatment and prevention of gastric ulcers in horses. Objective: To test the efficacy of a commercially available formulation of sea buckthorn berries and pulp (SeaBuck SBT Gastro-Plus) for treatment and prevention of gastric ulcers in stall-confined horses. Methods: Eight Thoroughbred and Thoroughbred-cross horses (3-10 years of age, 5 geldings and 3 mares, 380-600 kg body...
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...
Atyabi N, Yasini SP, Jalali SM, Shaygan H.Nitrite intoxication occurs frequently in ruminants and equines. The most common treatment of this disorder is administration of 1% methylene blue, although the use of some antioxidant agents e.g. vitamins and complementary treatment may also be useful. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antioxidative effects of some vitamins on methemoglobinemia induced by sodium nitrite. For this purpose the blood sample of a healthy dairy cattle was pre-incubated with three different concentrations (5, 10, 20 mmol L(-1)) of each vitamin (E, C, B1, A and a combination of vitamin E and vitamin...
Bazzano M, Laus F, Spaterna A, Marchegiani A.Nutritional supplements are widely used in the equine industry with the aim of improving horse health, sports or reproductive performances. Over the years, a number of studies have focused on investigating the effects of several dietary compounds on the quality and preservation of stallion semen. This paper reviews the literature available on the use of nutritional supplementation for the improvement of reproductive performance and semen quality in equine species, critically appraising the benefits and negative effects of several compounds found in complementary feeds such as PUFAs from differ...
Karlíková R, Široká J, Jahn P, Friedecký D, Gardlo A, Janečková H, Hrdinová F, Drábková Z, Adam T.Atypical myopathy (AM) is a potentially fatal disease of grazing horses. It is reportedly caused by the ingestion of sycamore seeds containing toxic hypoglycin A. In order to study metabolic changes, serum and urine samples from nine horses with atypical myopathy and 12 control samples from clinically healthy horses were collected and then analysed using a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry; serum metabolic profiles as the disease progressed were also studied. Metabolic data were evaluated using unsupervised and supervised multivariate analyses. Signif...
Aho R.Hairsamples of domestic and laboratory animals suspected of dermatophytosis were examined for the presence of dermatophytes. A nutritionally poor base-medium developed by the author was successfully used in the isolation and identification of dermatophytes. Casein-medium supplemented with vitamins and Sabouraud-liquid medium were used in special cases. Dermatophytes were isolated in 36 of 331 samples (10.9%). The dermatophytes recovered were Microsporum canis: 13 isolates from cat. 4 from dog. 1 from horse; Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. granulare: 3 isolates from dog, 3 from horse, 2 from g...
Siard-Altman MH, Harris PA, Moffett-Krotky AD, Ireland JL, Betancourt A, Barker VD, McMurry KE, Reedy SE, Adams AA.Similarly to aged humans, senior horses (≥20 years) exhibit chronic low-grade inflammation systemically, known as inflamm-aging. Inflamm-aging in the senior horse has been characterized by increased circulating inflammatory cytokines as well as increased inflammatory cytokine production by lymphocytes and monocytes in response to a mitogen. Little is currently known regarding underlying causes of inflamm-aging. However, senior horses are also known to present with muscle wasting and often the endocrinopathy pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Despite the concurrence of these phenom...
Dockalova H, Zeman L, Horky P.Veterinarians can recommend milk thistle for the treatment of equine liver disease and laminitis. Milk thistle seed cakes were fed in the range of normal feed doses in this study. The milk thistle seed cakes were fed (twice a day) to the experimental group of the horses ( = 5) and biochemical blood markers (TP, Albumin, ALT (alanine transaminase), AST (aspartate transaminase), ALP (alkaline phosphatase), GGT (gamma-glutamyltransferase), Bilirubin, Cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein), LDL (low-density lipoprotein), TAG (triacylglycerol), BHB (beta-hydroxybutyric acid), NEFA (non-esterif...
Deaton CM, Marlin DJ, Roberts CA, Smith N, Harris PA, Kelly FJ, Schroter RC.Antioxidants have been implicated in the reduction and prevention of oxidative stress during exercise. We hypothesised that a dietary supplement containing a mixture of natural antioxidants together with vitamins E, C and selenium, given for 4 weeks, would increase the systemic and pulmonary antioxidant capacity leading to a reduction in markers of oxidative damage and an improvement in pulmonary function during exercise. In 6 healthy horses studied, the antioxidant supplement significantly increased plasma concentrations of ascorbic acid (from mean +/- s.d. 16 +/- 7 to 23 +/- 4 micromol/l; P ...
Hintz HF.Recent studies on the digestive physiology of the horse are reviewed. It was suggested that the small intestine is the primary site of digestion and absorption of protein, soluble carbohydrates, most minerals, fats, fat soluble and water soluble vitamins. The large intestine is the primary site of fibre digestion and net water absorption. Significant amounts of phosphorus are also absorbed from the large intestine. Many factors such as rate of passage, processing of feeds, level of intake, work and maturity of plant may influence digestive ability.
van der Holst W.Season was shown to markedly influence semen characteristics of stallions in Holland, including ejaculate volume, sperm motility, total number of spermatozoa/ejaculate and the percentage of spermatozoa showing morphological abnormalities. Maintenance of normal stallions in continuous light during the winter months and administration of a vitamin and mineral supplement to sub-fertile stallions before the start of the breeding season appeared to improve spermatogenesis significantly.
Kronfeld DS, Holland JL, Rich GA, Meacham TN, Fontenot JP, Sklan DJ, Harris PA.The digestibility of ether extract varies greatly from forages to grains and further to added fats consisting mainly of triglycerides. This variation has been attributed to two main factors, the presence of nonhydrolyzable substances in the ether extract, especially in leafy foods, and the dilution of endogenous fecal fat. A compilation of results from 188 equine digestion balance observations on five basal feeds and 18 test feeds with added fats demonstrated a true digestibility of fat approaching 100% and an endogenous fecal fat of 0.22 g x d(-1) x kg BW(-1). The results revealed that nonhyd...
Richards N, Nielsen BD, Finno CJ.Many forage types are available, typically divided into cool or warm season grasses and legumes, which can be fed as fresh pasture or after preservation. Testing for nutrient content confirms what should be supplemented to make up shortfalls. Although testing is recommended, it is not always practical. Typical values for the forage type are available; however, they cannot be relied on for actual content. Non-nutritional aspects must also be taken into account. The provision of complementary feeds to ensure adequate vitamin and mineral intake is recommended. Additional supplementary high-qualit...
Hillyer LL, Ridd Z, Fenwick S, Hincks P, Paine SW.While cobalt is an essential micronutrient for vitamin B synthesis in the horse, at supraphysiological concentrations, it has been shown to enhance performance in human subjects and rats, and there is evidence that its administration in high doses to horses poses a welfare threat. Animal sport regulators currently control cobalt abuse via international race day thresholds, but this work was initiated to explore means of potentially adding to application of those thresholds since cobalt may be present in physiological concentrations. Objective: To devise a scientific basis for differentiation b...
Piccione G, Assenza A, Grasso F, Caola G.BACKGROUND: Many physiological processes of mammalian species exhibit daily rhythmicity. An intrinsic relationship exists between fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) and several body functions. Few investigations on the rhythmic pattern of vitamins in domestic animals have been carried out. The present study evaluated the circadian rhythmicity of fat soluble vitamins in the horse. METHODS: Blood samples from 5 Thoroughbred mares were collected at four-hour intervals over a 48-hour period (starting at 8:00 hours on day 1 and finishing at 4:00 on day 2) via an intravenous cannula inserted into ...
Lawrence LM.Substrate depletion and end product accumulation are two important factors in exercise fatigue. Fatigue during long-term exercise results from a depletion of muscle and liver glycogen and coincides with an inability to maintain blood glucose levels. During high intensity exercise, the rapid catabolism of carbohydrate and the resultant production of lactate and hydrogen ions cause a reduction in muscle pH that inhibits maximum force generation. Dietary manipulations that can influence carbohydrate status or lactate accumulation may be beneficial to performance. In human athletes, carbohydrate l...
Schaafstra FJWC, van Doorn DA, Schonewille JT, Roelfsema E, Westermann CM, Dansen O, Jacobs M, Lee JY, Spronck EA, Blok MC, Hendriks WH.Exercise and physical training are known to affect gastrointestinal function and digestibility in horses and can lead to inaccurate estimates of nutrient and energy digestibility when markers are used. The effect of exercise on apparent nutrient digestibility and faecal recoveries of ADL and TiO2 was studied in six Welsh pony geldings subjected to either a low- (LI) or high-intensity (HI) exercise regime according to a cross-over design. Ponies performing LI exercise were walked once per day for 45 min in a horse walker (5 km/h) for 47 consecutive days. Ponies submitted to HI exercise were gra...
Mäenpää PH, Pirhonen A, Koskinen E.The effects of feeding two different vitamin-mineral concentrates on serum levels of vitamins A, E and D and some growth indicators were examined in 30 pregnant mares and 30 foals. One concentrate contained vitamins A and E and the other did not. Both contained vitamin D3. No differences (P greater than .05) in serum levels of retinol and alpha-tocopherol were observed between the feeding groups in the mares, whereas in the weanlings serum levels of dietary vitamins A and E increased (P less than .01) during late winter and early spring. However, the values did not increase to levels found in ...
Mäenpää PH, Lappeteläinen R, Virkkunen J.Serum levels of retinol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D2, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and alpha-tocopherol were determined by high performance liquid chromatography from 142 Standardbred and Finnish Coldblooded Trotters aged three to 15 years. Blood samples were collected during January and July. Serum levels of retinol and alpha-tocopherol were about a third of those in man, with summer values indicating an increase in most horses. The relatively low serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and alpha-tocopherol suggest that during the winter season a deficiency of these vitamins may occur in horses in north...
Terachi T, Inoue Y, Ashihara N, Kobayashi M, Ando K, Matsui T.The effect of several vitamin K homologs on plasma vitamin K concentration was determined to assess their potential as a vitamin K supplement for adult horses. Sixteen Thoroughbred horses consisting of 8 mares and 8 geldings, aged 8.4 ± 3.6 yr and weighing 520.8 ± 36.1 kg, were allocated to 4 groups (n = 4). Each group was given phylloquinone, menaquinone-4, or menadione at 58 µmol/d, or no vitamin K supplement for 7 d. Plasma samples were collected before feeding, and 2, 4, and 8 h after feeding on d 7, and plasma concentrations of phylloquinone and menaquinone-4 were determined. Plasma ph...
