Influences of different dietary contents of macrominerals on the availability of trace elements in horses.

This research article studies the effects of altering the intake of macrominerals on the metabolism of trace elements in horses. The findings suggest that despite a lower intake of macrominerals, trace elements like copper, zinc, and selenium remained unaffected in terms of their digestibility and presence in the horses’ serum.

Study Overview

• The researchers conducted balance studies on three adult pony geldings of weights 405, 348 and 384 kg to understand the effects of varying dietary macromineral levels on trace element metabolism.
• The diet was primarily hay-based with a mineral supplement added in one case and a complementary feed with reduced macromineral content added in another.
• Special attention was given to the trace elements copper, zinc, and selenium in the study.

Methodology

• Horses were fed three times a day with a diet comprising of 5.5 kg of hay per animal, and complementary feeds with different macromineral levels.
• All ponies thus received the same sequence of treatments with the different diets offered one after the other.
• The digestive efficiency and presence of trace elements in the horses’ serum were measured and compared for dietary regimes with a different macromineral content. This approach of comparing trace elements at different macromineral levels helped to understand the metabolic and physiological effects of reduced macromineral intake.

Findings

• Findings indicate there were no statistically significant differences in the apparent digestibility of trace elements copper, zinc, and selenium between diets with and without macromineral supplementation.
• Similarly, serum levels of copper, zinc, and selenium were unaffected by changes in macromineral content of the diet.
• These results suggest that a macromineral supplementation of a hay-based diet for horses undergoing maintenance was not necessary in the context of the three trace elements tested.
• Additionally, the addition of macrominerals showed no adverse effects on the metabolism of the tested trace elements in this study.