Horses Diet Requirements

Jonathan Rogers

Describe the nutritional requirements of horses and how their physiology works to break down their natural diet. Select two ailments that result from nutritional deficiencies in horses. When feeding horses, it is important to recognize that there are six basic nutrient categories that must be met: carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and water. Carbohydrates should be the largest part of a horse’s diet. Dietary carbohydrates can be divided into two groups, structural or fiber and non-structural or sugars and starches. Structural carbohydrates can consist of hay and grass as horses’ intestinal tract are specifically designed to digest such vegetation. Their large intestine, or hindgut, contains microorganisms that

Proteins are broken down in the small intestine and they are responsible for the makeup muscles, hair, and the hoofs. In horse feed, lysine is added to increase the quality of protein the horses are getting. Lysine is an amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. There are many advantages to improving protein quality without increasing the total protein amount. Protein is the most difficult energy to convert for usable energy. Growing horses need a higher portion of protein in their diet than a fully mature horse. It also depends on how much activity the horse does to determine how much protein they need in their diet. Horses that are in intense training need more protein in their diet because they are developing more muscle tissue. Feeding horses higher levels of protein than necessary can lead to respiratory problems in stabled horses due to excess ammonia. Horses can tolerate high levels of fat in their diet. Fat is excellent because it is an easily digestible source of energy. In commercial feeds, dietary fat is usually in the form of a type of stabilized oil and these feeds can contain 6 to 12 percent fat. When feeding horses, it is important to make sure there is an appropriate balance by meeting the horses other nutrient requirements and not just the energy requirement from fats. Vitamins are critically important organic compounds in a horse’s diet. They are needed in the body for certain reactions to take place to allow them to live. Vitamins are divided into categories of water soluble and fat soluble. The water soluble group contains B-complex vitamins like vitamin B1 and vitamin B2. The fat soluble group is comprised of vitamins A, E, D, and K. Deficiencies in vitamins can lead to health problems. Excess water-soluble vitamins are generally excreted in the urine. Excess fat-soluble vitamins are stored readily in the animal’s fat tissue. Minerals are extremely critical