Grazing sweet clover can also lead to a low level of vitamin K, producing signs like internal bleeding, pale mucous membranes, and an irregular heartbeat.Īs grazers, horses naturally meet their vitamin requirement by ingesting grass or hay. Under normal conditions, it’s rare for a horse to develop a deficiency, but intestinal infections that disrupt the bacterial population of the gut can compromise production of vitamin K. Needed for proper blood clotting, vitamin K is manufactured in the horse’s hindgut and is also ingested in hay. Horses appear to be tolerant of high levels of this vitamin. Equine motor neuron disease, or EMND, is caused by a vitamin E deficiency and is characterized by increased recumbency and loss of muscle tone. Horses that don’t get enough vitamin E may show muscle trembling, weakness, and atrophy. This fat-soluble vitamin has important antioxidant qualities and also supports healthy function of the horse’s nervous, immune, and reproductive systems. Alfalfa hay is a better source than grass hay. Like vitamins A and D, vitamin E is present in grass and fresh hay, but levels decline as the hay ages. Too little vitamin D leads to bone deformities, while oversupplementation can cause stiffness of joints and muscles, deposition of calcium in the horse’s internal organs, and even death. It is important for proper skeletal development in young horses and helps to regulate calcium and phosphorus levels in mature animals. It’s also found in hay, but decreases as the hay is stored.
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Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin produced in the skin when horses are exposed to sunlight. There’s little danger of oversupplementing because this vitamin is poorly absorbed from the digestive tract, and excess amounts are excreted in the urine. Older horses and those that have been sick or under stress may benefit from a bit more dietary vitamin C.
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Vitamin C is necessary for proper formation of bones, teeth, and collagen, and is also a powerful antioxidant that protects cell membranes from the damaging action of free radicals. Humans drink citrus juices to obtain vitamin C, but the horse’s liver is able to synthesize this nutrient from glucose. Horses on a normal diet usually have adequate supplies of all the B complex substances, and toxicity has not been reported.Īnother water-soluble nutrient is vitamin C, or ascorbic acid. B vitamins are made in the horse’s body either from organic compounds in other foods, or by the microbes that live in the horse’s gut. This means that new supplies must be added regularly, but toxicity isn’t a problem because excess B compounds are excreted instead of being stored. Because vitamin B is one of the water-soluble vitamins, extra supplies do not build up in the horse’s body. What we refer to as vitamin B is actually a complex of several substances including niacin, thiamine, biotin, cobalamine, folacin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid. Too much vitamin A produces some of the same signs as well as weight loss and neurologic problems. A diet deficient in vitamin A can cause reproductive problems, increased risk of infection, defects in bone and muscle growth, a dull hair coat, and eye problems like tearing and night blindness. Vitamin A is used to support eye function, reproduction, and the health of bones, skin, and muscles.
Any that is not used immediately is stored in the horse’s liver, and this supply is drawn upon during the winter months when pastures are dormant. Horses get vitamin A from eating fresh grass and good-quality hay. It is one of the fat-soluble vitamins, meaning that it is easily stored in the body. Vitamin A and its precursor, beta-carotene, are supplied by ingested material. Most of the well-known commercial horse feeds supply vitamins in the proper quantities, taking the guesswork out of feeding horses. For some vitamins, too much in the horse’s diet is just as bad as too little. The quantities needed are small, but the effects are important. Horses need vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K for optimal health. Not all animals are able to produce the same vitamins, which is one reason feeds designed for one species are not necessarily suitable for another type of animal.
Some vitamins must be provided by food, while others are produced within the body. Ingested in minute quantities, vitamins act as coenzymes and precursors of coenzymes in the regulation of many metabolic processes. Vitamins are defined as organic substances that are necessary for the proper nutrition of plants and animals.
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