Download Basic Equine Nutrition

Brian Lamb - Feeds Presentation
Basic Equine
Nutrition
Topics of Discussion
•6
Classes of Nutrients
• Equine Digestive System
Presented by:
• Feeding your horse
• Supplements
Brian Lamb
Every Day Equine Supply Service
6 Classes of Nutrients
•
•
•
•
•
•
Water
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Vitamins
Minerals
Fats
Water
Where does water exist in the
horse’s body?
5% In the blood vessels (intravascular space)
15% around cells (extra cellular space)
50% inside the cells (intracellular space)
30% in the gut
February 4, 2017
Water
How much water does a stabled
horse require in 1 day?
5-10 gallons/day
More in hot weather
Lactating mares will drink more
Horses in heavy work e.g.: Eventing, racing,
endurance, trail riding
Water
What ‘s a 15% loss of water from a
horse’s body called if it’s not replaced?
Dehydration
How do you tell if your horse is
dehydrated?
The skin on his neck when pinched
takes longer than 5 seconds to return to
normal.
1
Brian Lamb - Feeds Presentation
Carbohydrates
What are carbohydrates?
Nutrients that are made up of sugars,
starches, and cellulose
What foods contain them?
Forage and grains
Pound for pound, which has a
higher concentration?
Grain
Carbohydrates
How would a horse look or act if it were
fed excessive carbohydrates?
Overweight
Spooky
Lethargic, tire quickly
Thick necked
Fat deposits
Growth or soundness issues
Proteins
What are proteins made up of?
Amino acids
What are the two types of amino acids?
Essential
How many are essential?
10 amino acids
Non-essential
How many are non-essential?
12 amino acids
February 4, 2017
Carbohydrates
How would a horse look or act if he were
deficient in carbohydrates?
Underweight
Lethargic
Lack of energy
Tired
Carbohydrates
Rank the following from highest to lowest
in carbohydrates:
oats, barley, corn, alfalfa, grass hay, beet pulp
corn
barley
oats
beet pulp
alfalfa
grass hay
Proteins
What are essential amino acids?
Amino acids the body does not produce
What are non-essential amino acids?
Amino acids the body produces
What determines protein quality?
The “balance” of essential amino acids
How are amino acids like chain links?
They’re only as strong as the weakest link
2
Brian Lamb - Feeds Presentation
Essential Amino Acids
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lysine- Muscle development and bone growth plus stimulates gastric juices.
Methionine- Hair and coat growth, prevents deposits and adhesion of fat in
liver, selenium absorption, antioxidant and anti-arthritic.
Threonine- Enhances growth and food efficiency, produces adrenaline, and is
a precursor to thyroid hormones.
Arginine- Releases insulin and growth hormone, nutritional aid in cancer
therapy, fights tumor growth, and boosts T-cell production.
Histidine- Maintains plasma, hematocrit and serum albumin, releases
histamine, controls pain, anti-arthritic. Also stimulates stomach acid secretion
and improves appetite.
Phenylalanine- Produces epinephrine and norepinephrine and acts as an
antidepressant.
Tryptophan- Component of serotonin so acts as a mood stabilizer. Precursor
to niacin, and may aid in blood clotting .
Valine- Regulates protein turnover and energy metabolism with leucine and
isoleucine. Is vital for muscle coordination .
Leucine- Keeps muscle protein from degrading.
Isoleucine- Forms hemoglobin and fights nervous system degeneration.
Proteins
What might you expect a horse to look or
act like if he were deficient in protein?
Proteins
What are proteins used for?
To make: blood proteins (albumin, antibodies, etc.)
Hair, hooves, and muscle
organs (such as heart/lungs, kidney, liver, etc.) &
skin
Essential for milk production in lactating mares
Enzymes, cell walls –almost everything in the
horse’s body.
Proteins
What feeds or feed ingredients contain
proteins?
Poor topline
Poor hair coat
Poor hooves
Lack of energy
Grains or concentrates
Oats 8-12%
Corn 6-8%
Soy Bean Meal 44-48%
Forages
Grass Hay 7-9%
Alfalfa Hay 12-22%
Pasture 2.5-3.5%
Vitamins
VITAMINS
Which vitamins are fat soluble?
What are the two types of vitamins?
Fat soluble
Water soluble
Difference between Fat & Water Soluble?
Fat soluble are stored in body
can be toxic if overfed
Water soluble can be fed daily
excess is excreted
February 4, 2017
A – For eyes, hair, skin, hooves, and nerves
D – Helps use Ca for developing strong bones
E – Helps utilize Se, production of red blood
cells, and their ability to carry oxygen
K – Essential for blood clotting
Which vitamins are water soluble?
B – Complex of B6, B12, & Biotin are essential
for metabolism
C - Anti oxidant, helps stimulate immune
response
3
Brian Lamb - Feeds Presentation
MINERALS
What are the two categories of minerals?
Minerals
Two most common minerals found in the
body?
Macro Minerals
Calcium
Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium,
Potassium, Sodium
Micro (trace) Minerals
Copper, Zinc, Selenium, Manganese,
Iron, Cobalt, Chromium
Phosphorus
What is the ideal Ca:P ratio?
2:1
What does a horse do with excess Ca?
Excreted in the urine
Fats
Mineral Interactions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fats
• One pound of fat has 2.25 times the
calories of one pound of cereal grains
• It takes 21 days for the muscles to learn
how to utilize the energy from fats.
• Use only vegetable or plant sources
Aid in absorption of fat soluble vitamins
Provide energy ( 9 cal/gm of fat)
Store energy
Spare protein being metabolized for energy
Important source of energy in mare’s milk
Increases tastiness of food supplements
Increases stamina in performance horses
Fats
What two essential fatty acids are
important in the horses diet?
Omega 3’s
Omega 6’s
Which one is pro-inflammatory?
Omega 6’s
Which one is anti-inflammatory?
Omega 3’s
February 4, 2017
4
Brian Lamb - Feeds Presentation
Fats
Rice Bran vs. Flaxseed*
*Copied form the Raw Ingredient Compendium
What sources are high in Omega 6’s?
Rice Bran
Flaxseed
Omega -6
3.6 to 4.6 %
4.2 to 5.4 %
Omega-3
.13 to .16 %
14.0 to 16.0 %
Total Fat
13 to 20 %
35 to 40 %
Cereal grains - corn, oats, barley
Fat supplements – rice bran, BOSS, corn oil
What sources are high in Omega 3’s?
Forage - Pasture grass, hay
Fat supplements – Flax seed, fish oil
FORE GUT
THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Begins with chewing and saliva production.
After 4 months of age, the horse has
essentially two different digestive systems
Foregut – location of the stomach and small
intestine
Hindgut – location of the cecum, large
intestine, small intestine, and colon
Enzymatic digestion takes place in the fore gut
ahead of the cecum. This accounts for up to
90% of the crude protein digestion & absorption,
and virtually all soluble carbohydrate digestion
(fiber excluded).
Simple carbohydrate sources such as starch and
sugar from grain are digested and absorbed.
Fats are digested and absorbed here as well.
HIND GUT
Bacterial or microbial fermentation of fibrous sources
such as pasture, hay, soy hulls, beet pulp, oat hulls, are
digested in the cecum and colon. Large quantities of
volatile fatty acids are produced through fermentation
and are subsequently absorbed to be used for energy.
These volatile fatty acids are the primary source of
calories for the horse.
Rectum
Cecum
Small
intestine
Esophagus
Stomach
Small colon
Large
colon
Duodenum
B complex vitamins are also produced as a by-product of
fermentation.
Water is absorbed and fecal balls formed in the large
and small colon.
February 4, 2017
5
Brian Lamb - Feeds Presentation
Digestive Process – Hind Gut Fermentors
Proteins
Fats
Cellulose
Hemicellulose
Starch
MOUTH
amylase
Maltose
STOMACH
proteases
Peptides
amylase
maltase
bile salts
lipases
peptidases
SMALL
INTESTINE
Fatty
acids
Amino
acids
Glucose
LARGE
INTESTINE
VFA’s
= microbial action
VFA’s
= main site of absorption
Feeding Your Horse
DIGESTIVE FACTS
• Horse chews ~1500-2000 times per pound of hay
consumed
• Chewing produces about 8 gallons of saliva per day
• Horse’s stomach produces acid 24 hours per day
• The stomach holds about 8-12 quarts
• The emptying time of the stomach after filling can be as
quick as 12 minutes
• The small intestine is about 70 feet long
• The rate of passage through the small intestine can be
greater than 1 foot per minute
• Food can go from the mouth to the cecum in about 1 ½
hours
Feeding Your Horse
A good nutritional program should allow your
horse to grow & develop or perform at it’s
maximum genetic potential.
It should also eliminate or minimize risk of
inducing nutritionally related diseases, i.e.
DOD, EGUS, Colic, Laminitis, Founder, IR,
EMS, Cushing, EPSM/PSSM, or HYPP
A good nutritional program is more
than just feed…it’s “Management”
Quality forage or hay is the most important feed
in your horses diet.
Quality is determined by the maturity of the plant
when cut.
Hay should be fed at minimum of 1.5-2% of body
weight.
Hay should be fed ad lib
When selecting hay, think about what your horse
prefers when grazing…short or tall plants
Comparison of Hay Quality to Amount of Grain Needed
1,100# Mature Horse - Light Training
Hay Analysis
Mixed Hay A
Mixed Hay B
%ADF
44.4
31.8
RFV
80.0
150.0
Mcal/lb.
0.82
1.11
Lbs. Hay/Day
25
17
25
23.5
Lbs. Grain/Day
0
8
0
1.5
Total Calories (Mcal)
19.8
25
24.4
25
% of Daily Requirement
78%
100%
98%
100%
February 4, 2017
6
Brian Lamb - Feeds Presentation
Feeding Your Horse
Feeding Your Horse
Protein and Calorie Levels in Forages, Based on
Type and Maturity*
Grass
%
Quality Standard
Prime
Grass/Legume Mixed
%
MCal.
%
Protein
Lysine f
DE/lb. e
Protein
%
Lysine
Legume
MCal.
f
What determines nutritional requirements?
DE/lb. e
%
MCal.
% Protein
Lysine f
DE/lb. e
(Prime)
>11
>.38
>1.05
>16
>.68
>1.10
>21
>1.07
>1.17
1
(Premium)
8-10
.31
.95
13-15
.60
1.03
18-20
.97
1.10
2
(Good)
7-8
.26
.86
11 -13
.51
.93
16-18
.87
1.00
3
(Fair)
5-7
.21
.80
9-11
.43
.86
14-16
.77
.94
4
(Poor)
4-5
.16
.77
7-9
.34
.82
12-14
.66
.89
5
(Reject)
<4
<.14
<.73
<7
<.30
<.78
<12
.56
<.83
Age – yearlings have greater needs than adults
Body Weight - 900lb horse vs 1400lb horse
Activity – idle or inactive vs heavy training
Life Stage – pregnant/lactating mares, breeding stallions
Which requirements increase the most with
increased levels of work?
Calories
Protein
Macro minerals
Feeding Your Horse
How do feed companies determine
nutritional requirements for horses?
NRC – Nutrient Requirements of Horses
What is a “Balanced Nutritional Unit”?
Unit of proteins, vitamins, and minerals
developed by Buckeye Nutrition many years ago.
WHAT IS A SUPPLEMENT?
Something added to complete a thing,
make up for a deficiency, or extend or
strengthen the whole.
Supplements
Most Commercial feeds are formulated with
5 classes of nutrients.
Designed to supplement forage in the diet
Commonly referred to as “Grain”
The highest quality hay/forage will
be deficient in essential amino
acids, vitamins, and minerals
Available as a sweet or texturized, or pelleted form.
Formulated for growing, maintenance, performance,
and senior horses.
Always follow the Manufacturers recommended
feeding rates as directed on the label.
February 4, 2017
7
Brian Lamb - Feeds Presentation
Supplements
Body condition scores range from 1 to
9, a score of 1 being emaciated with
no fat stores and 9 being extremely
fat. A score of 5 is moderate and
where most horses should be.
Most people feed “grain” according to body condition.
Remember…When you increase or decrease the
amount fed according to body condition, you’re also
increasing or decreasing the amount of all other
nutrients in the diet.
Supplements
What are examples of the following
supplements?
Calories
Fiber – hay, beet pulp, soy hulls, alfalfa meal
Cereal Grains – corn, oats, barley
Fats – vegetable oil, flax, rice bran
Protein
Soy Bean meal
Linseed meal
FEEDING YOUR HORSE
After you’ve determined your horses activity level
and desired body condition…
• Have your hay tested or evaluated to estimate quality of
feed value. Hay should be offered free choice.
• If additional calories are needed for desired body
condition. Use high quality fiber sources or vegetable
fats vs cereal grains.
• Easiest way to supplement protein, vitamins, and
minerals is with a quality forage balancer.
• Offer free choice mineral and salt
• Always make sure the horse has access to clean
drinking water
February 4, 2017
REFERENCES
•
Dr. Dan Burke, Director of Nutrition, Tribute Equine Nutrition
•
Don Kapper, Director of Nutrition and Technical Services, Progressive
Nutrition
•
Roger Pulliam, Equine Specialist, Progressive Nutrition
•
Equine Supplements & Nutraceuticals, Dr. Elanor M. Kellon, VMD
•
Nutrient Requirements of Horses, Fifth Revised Edition 1989, National
Research Council
•
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Dr. Bob Wright, Veterinary
Scientist, Equine and Alternative Livestock/OMAF
•
equinenutritionnerd.com
8