TheHorse.com logo
Sign In or Create a Login
for access to 15,300+ articles
News and veterinarian-approved articles on
equine health care from The Horse magazine.



Go to Article #:
 
Adoptable Horse
Sponsored By Exclusively Equine


Get a DVM
Article Library

Please Note: We have put articles into topic categories only when they are focused on those topics, not just if they mention the topic once. If you are having trouble finding something, please use the search box above.

Skip Navigation LinksAll Horse Topics > Nutrition/Supplements > Deficiencies


Articles ( * = TheHorse.com members only )Date Posted
Cutting Costs: Ditch Supplements That Are Unnecessary  *
In efforts to save money around the barn, researchers recommend horse owners carefully consider the supplements they're adding to their horses' feed. The researchers behind the 2008 study, "Feeding management practices and supplement use in top-level event horses," said many supplements are not needed, and giving too many can be a waste of money at ... Read full story
 4/13/2009
Survey Finds Eventers Nutritionally Sound, but Oversupplemented   *
In a survey of leading three-day event riders, researchers found that the majority of riders fed their horses based on research-driven recommendations, but the number of supplements used per horse did raise some eyebrows. During the Jersey Fresh 2006 and 2007 Three-Day Events, researchers interviewed 69 riders, asking such questions as where they ... Read full story
 12/28/2008
Safety of Nutritional Supplements for Horses Unknown, Researchers Say
Just because a supplement comes in fancy packaging with a tamper-resistant foil seal and promises of efficacy does not necessarily mean that it is safe for your horse. According to the Committee on Examining the Safety of Dietary Supplements for Horses, Dogs, and Cats, sponsored by the Center for Veterinary Medicine of the Food and Drug Administration ... Read full story
 9/14/2008
Excerpt from Revised Understanding Equine Nutrition: Vitamin Function
Here's a primer on the function of each of the vitamins important to the horse, beginning with the fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin A Function: Vitamin A, also called retinol, is important for the maintenance of good vision, particularly at night. It is also an important factor in bone and muscle growth of young horses, in reproduction, and in healthy ... Read full story
 6/21/2008
PowerPoint Lecture 'Soil Minerals: The Basis of Nutrition' Available   *
Authored and narrated by Kathryn Watts, BS, a Power Point lecture on CD entitled "Soil Minerals: The Basis of Nutrition" is now available for horse owners interested in equine health and hoof care. The science behind mineral nutrition in grass and hay is presented in an hour-long lecture, using plain language and simple analogies. The CD provides ... Read full story
 10/16/2007
Imported Hay Could Hold Hidden Health Dangers   *
As if hay scarcity and high prices aren’t enough, experts are warning horse owners that imported hay could also hide horse health dangers including seriously low amounts of essential vitamins such as A and E, excessive amounts of selenium, and even life-threatening insect infestations. "It all depends upon where the hay is coming from," said Peggy ... Read full story
 9/23/2007
Excerpt from Revised Understanding Equine Nutrition: Vitamins  *
Equine Nutrition What are the nutritional needs of your horse? Misconceptions abound about how much food horses actually require to remain healthy and perform their designated jobs. Understanding Equine Nutrition (Revised Edition) helps horse owners sift through all the ingredients and decide on the best nutritional plan for their horse. The ... Read full story
 5/14/2007
AAEP Convention 2006: Medicine  *
Uplifting Applications for UC Davis Large Animal Lift John Madigan, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, professor of medicine and epidemiology and section chief of equine medicine at the University of California, Davis, developed the UC Davis Large Animal Lift (LAL) with colleagues over the last several years. He reported on the lift's applications and success ... Read full story
 3/1/2007
New Developments in Stallion Nutrition  *
Name a part of your horse you'd like to enhance--anything from his coat or hooves to his stamina--and there's likely a supplement for it. Marketed alongside the products that improve joint function and breathing ability, there are supplements advertised to help improve stallion breeding performance. According to Steven Brinsko, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ... Read full story
 2/1/2007
Alltech Announces $10 Million Title Sponsorship for 2010 WEG  *
Alltech, a Kentucky-based biotechnology company, announced its title sponsorship yesterday (June 19)for the 2010 FEI games to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. This marks the first time in FEI history that the World Equestrian Games, now called the Alltech FEI Games Kentucky 2010, will have a title sponsor. "Dr. Pierce Lyons and the ... Read full story
 6/20/2006
Analyzing Forages   *
We all know a horse's primary food is pasture grass and/or hay (forage). The quality of the forage is, thus, a major factor affecting his health. Do you know if your horse's forage meets his needs? Truly, most of us don't--but we should. Forage analysis can tell you whether your forage alone will provide the nutrition your horse needs, or whether ... Read full story
 10/1/2005
The Underweight Horse  *
Editor's Note: This is from Understanding Equine Preventive Medicine by author and veterinarian Bradford G. Bentz, VMD. The book is available from www.ExclusivelyEquine.com. Managing and caring for a persistently underweight horse can be difficult and frustrating for the owner and/or caretaker. A number of factors can be involved or contribute ... Read full story
 9/6/2005
Vitamin E for Better Health  *
Nonenzymatic antioxidants, such as vitamin E, are critically important to protect horses from tissue damage and disease, and they might enhance immunity during these processes. However, the form of vitamin E your horse obtains determines the benefit he will receive, and whether or not you are spending your money wisely. The best utilized source of ... Read full story
 11/22/2004
Building Blocks?   *
They come in various colors and sizes. Some weigh 50 pounds, others a pound or less. But how do we know which salt and/or mineral block to place before our animals? Should we offer all of them and let the horses choose? Can a horse actually get enough salt and minerals from a rock-hard block to meet his needs? Shouldn't we simply buy feed that already ... Read full story
 5/1/2004
The Grass is Not Always Greener   *
The word "horse" conjures up images of graceful, powerful animals roaming across miles of rolling hills, periodically stopping to graze on lush, green grass. In reality, such scenes are rare; these days, many horses live without grazing at all. Equine nutritionist and veterinarian Susan Garlinghouse, DVM, MSc, of Wellington, Colo., says ... Read full story
 3/1/2004
No Grass, No Horse  *
Research published in Nature shows that climate changes and the highly specialized digestive system of the wild horse Equus ferus might have contributed to its extinction in North America. COURTESY MARIE GILBERTINSTITUTE OF ARCTIC BIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS Guthrie's findings were based on measurements and radiocarbon dating ... Read full story
 1/1/2004
Folic Acid Supplementation   *
Sulphadiazine and pyrimethamine are used in combination to treat equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). These drugs interfere with folic acid (folate) metabolism, a vitamin essential for survival of the causative protozoon Sarcocystis neurona. In human patients, these drugs can cause folate deficiency. Signs of deficiency include bone marrow suppression ... Read full story
 11/1/2003
AAEP 2002: Recent Developments in Equine Nutrition  *
A lot has happened in the field of equine research in the last five years. Ginger Rich, PhD, of Rich Equine Nutritional Consulting in Eads, Tenn.; and Leslie Breuer, PhD, of LH Breuer and Associates, updated veterinarians and others who attended the Current Concepts in Equine Nutrition in-depth session at the 2002 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ ... Read full story
 2/4/2003
Letter: Copper Sulfate and Ergot  *
The following letter from a reader was run in the June 8th Issue of The Blood-Horse, a sister publication to The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care. The subsequent response is from Dr Jimmy C. Henning, Extension Professor of Agronomy at the University of Kentucky, and gives some insight on ergot. Ergot Warning I am writing this letter as a warning ... Read full story
 6/21/2002
Studies on Vitamin E  *
Researchers at Oregon State University and elsewhere are continuing to examine the role of vitamin E in horse health, including disease prevention and therapy. In particular, vitamin E deficiencies and/or supplementation could be important factors in equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy, equine motor neuron disease, and equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. ... Read full story
 10/9/2001
Amazing Minerals  *
Of all the ingredients of a horse's diet, minerals are unique. They contain no carbon, which makes them inorganic molecules. In fact, essentially, they’re rocks--and it can be difficult to imagine their being digested by a horse. But minerals are an essential part of the diet, despite the fact that, like vitamins, they contribute no energy whatsoever. ... Read full story
 10/4/2001
Vitamin E and Equine Motor Neuron Disease  *
Thomas J. Divers, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVECC, reported at the Cornell at Saratoga Symposium on Equine Health Care that many of the questions about equine motor neuron disease (EMND) have been answered. EMND was first reported in 1990 by the late John Cummings, DVM, PhD. It is an acquired neurodegenerative disease of adult horses that is similar to amyotrophic ... Read full story
 11/1/2000
When Should You Supplement?  *
Look around any barn and you'll see the evidence. Do you know a feed room that doesn't have a collection of jugs and buckets, pails and little plastic scoops, pellets and powders in a rainbow of colors? The ingredients range from high-tech chemical formulas, to "all natural" mixtures of herbs. And their presence next to the bags of grain and bales ... Read full story
 2/1/1999
Vitamins: Diet Fundamentals
Vitamins: tiny organic compounds that have a huge impact on the health and well-being of your horse. Sometimes gleaned from the diet, sometimes manufactured within the digestive tract, vitamins have the power to promote and regulate virtually all of the body's normal functions, and they need be present only in minute amounts. There is still ... Read full story
 2/1/1998
The Power of Protein  *
Of all the components of your horse's diet, protein is probably the most misunderstood. Long assumed to be an energy source, protein actually has quite a different function--it provides amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of bones, muscles, and virtually all of the body's soft tissues, for growth and repair. This makes protein an essential ... Read full story
 11/1/1997
Bone Cysts  *
The first thing to address in this story is that most "bone cysts" are not typically "cysts," by strict definition. The medical dictionary definition of a "cyst" is, "a structure lined with epithelium (a special cell type) and generally filled with fluid." The key part is that there is a lining of cells that secrete the fluid. With respect to a "bone ... Read full story
 11/1/1997
Jaundice  *
Each year a small percentage of foals are born to mares whose immune systems, in an odd twist of nature, are prepared to battle their own foals. Antibodies from the mare, delivered to the foal in the colostrum it drinks soon after birth, attack the foal's red blood cells. The condition that results is neonatal isoerythrolysis, more commonly known ... Read full story
 1/1/1996




AAEP Media Partner AAEVT Partner WEVA
Seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian before proceeding with any diagnosis, treatment, or therapy.

Facebook | Twitter | RSS | Site Map | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2009 BLOOD-HORSE PUBLICATIONS. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without written permission of BLOOD-HORSE PUBLICATIONS is prohibited. THE HORSE, THE HORSE logo, THEHORSE.COM and THEHORSE.COM logo are trademarks of BLOOD-HORSE PUBLICATIONS.