kt
Grain
Horse feed
The old adage, “hay, oats, and water,” to describe the best way to feed horses is woefully outdated. Today we understand that athletes truly are “what they eat,” and it’s no different for our equine competitors. All required nutrients have to be supplied in the correct amount and ratio on a daily basis in order for basic physiologic processes to occur. If a horse is short on just one nutrient, whatever processes that nutrient drives will be derailed. Over time, a horse may appear fine on the outside if it is getting the right amount of calories each day (and calories are just one of the many nutrients needed by the horse); however, on the inside the horse may be starting down the path to dysfunction due to vitamin, mineral, amino acid, or enzyme deficiencies. Stress is a huge problem for horses. Just being in a stall and fed episodically is enough to be the undoing of many equine athletes. We owe it to our equine friends, many of whom we earn a living from, to help them be as happy as they can under difficult conditions. As such, emotional and physical support through nutrition modalities is becoming more important than ever before.
Additionally, targeted nutrition or specific nutrient supplementation in addition to daily requirements is now being used as a therapeutic tool in preventing and combating physical and emotional disorders.
Nutrient targeting is a form of adjunct nutrition that is being embraced in human, companion animal, and production animals and needs to become the standard in horse nutrition. When you optimize the feeding program for your horse through nutrient targeting, you are streamlining, individualizing, and ultimately economizing because the end product is much better. Invariably, the result is a more precise, health-conscious diet with nutrients that target specific issues. Horses on nutrient-targeted feeding plans are less inclined to become sick, injured, and physically or mentally exhausted. The end goal is a healthier horse that needs fewer injections, drugs and masking agents that simply address the clinical symptom but ignore the source of the problem.
My love and respect for horses has taken me on a journey I never could have imagined. I have always felt a deep, innate sense of what animals are feeling and thinking. About 12 years ago I started to read the clinical studies in multiple species that proved there are certain nutrients that, when added to the diet at a therapeutic dose, will exert a positive physiological effect. At the time I noticed the market was very saturated with supplements, most of which had a lot of ingredients with not enough of any to actually exert a true effect. I began to realize I could offer horses a more personalized prescription diet if I developed nutritional therapies that were specific in what they addressed. With that in mind, I developed formulations that could be used alone or in combination with a forage and feeding program to help prevent and/or overcome metabolic, immune, exercise, growth, and reproductive issues in the modern horse.
The following are several areas of focus of my research and nutrient-targeted therapies:
Bio-available Silicon
A bio-available form of silicon (silicic acid) is clinically proven to increase bone cell and collagen production. The benefits of silicon include:
Increased uptake of calcium and phosphorous into bone (density)
Increased production of collagen, which is responsible for giving bone and soft tissues the ability to “flex”
Used with great success in performance horses to help quickly heal tendon or ligament injuries, sesmoiditis, bucked shins, OCD, fractures and other soft tissue or bone disorders
Used with an Omega 3 fatty acid oil, silicon can be helpful in preventing bleeding in the lungs during exercise
Glutamine
Glutamine is an amino acid produced by the horse and helps prevent "leaky gut" syndrome by keeping the space between intestinal cells tight so that bacteria cannot pass through the wall.
- Glutamine supplementation is helpful for:
- Maintenance of a healthy gut wall and support of intestinal villi
- Prevention of leaky gut leading to bacterial escape into the bloodstream
- Support of the hind-gut function
- Alleviating physical and/or psychological stress
- Compensation for an unbalanced diet or not enough fiber
- Offsetting an oversupply of starches and sugars
- Countering adverse effects of large amounts of antibiotics
Sodium Butyrate
Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid naturally derived from fiber fermentation in the intestine of the horse. Supplemental sodium butyrate has been shown to help prevent, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, and diarrhea. It is also beneficial in the following areas:
Stimulation of digestive enzyme production
Enhanced development of intestinal villi increasing surface area which improves feed utilization
Reduction of acute inflammatory responses
Major energy source for colon cells
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are compounds that are called essential because they are not synthesized by the body and therefore must be obtained from dietary sources. Omega-3 fatty acids help to:
Reduce inflammation in the body, particularly the GI tract, lungs, and joints
Increase immune response
Reduce oxidative damage during exercise
Increase the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood
Improve hormonal balance
Specifically for the horse, omega-3 fatty acids can help:
Prevent colic by reducing gas production and inflammation in the hind gut
Reduce inflammation in the airways thereby reducing bleeding
Improve stride length, which is directly related to oxygen uptake
Reduce joint inflammation
Beta-Glucan
Beta-1, 3/1, 6 D-glucan (also known as Beta-Glucan) from purified yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is clinically proven to activate the immune system by stimulating production and activation of macrophages, the natural pathogen scavenger in the horse. Beta-Glucan is effective for helping to reduce the frequency or severity of:
Respiratory infections
Fungal infections
Skin and hoof infections
Any type of chronic infection that is unresponsive to traditional treatments.
Today’s performance horses endure a lot of physical and emotional stress starting at early ages. As a result, many developmental, metabolic, immune, and exercise-related disorders have evolved. By incorporating nutrient-targeted therapies developed to aid and promote structural soundness, optimum exercise performance, strong immunity, enhanced digestive function, and balanced metabolism into the equine diet, horses will hopefully remain healthy, pain-free, and productive long into their senior years.
About Amy Gill
Dr. Amy M. Gill completed high school in Chappaqua, New York, and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from the University of Maryland. Following that, she conducted her graduate studies at the University of Kentucky, receiving a Master of Science degree in Equine Nutrition and a Doctorate in Equine Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. Prior to completing the requirements for her doctoral degree, Dr. Gill spent many years breaking and galloping racehorses and working on the racetrack as an equine physical therapist. Dr. Gill was also the owner/manager of Amber Lane Farm, Inc., in Versailles Kentucky. The farm services included breeding, foaling, breaking, sales preparation, and representation and rehabilitation. Contact Dr. Gill at [email protected].