Walking On Volume 5, Issue 10, October 2018 | Page 12
Back to Basics
Movement, companionship and
shelter are vital necessities
Horses need to move and have
the protection of a buddy. Stand-
ing in a small area for hours on
end (even if part of it is outdoors)
takes its toll on your horse’s mental
and physical health. So does being
isolated from buddies. The stress
can be so great that it dramatically
diminishes your horse’s quality and
length of life by compromising his
immune system and hormonal re-
sponses. We see the effect in a vast
variety of health issues:
• Obesity, insulin resistance, loss
of muscle mass, and sluggish
metabolic rate
Don’t let anyone scare you into
thinking that feeding hay free-
choice will damage your horse.
Please read “Equine Digestion – It’s
Decidedly Different” to empower
you with the knowledge needed to
help your horses.[v] Hay testing
and commercially available “slow
feeders” are worthwhile for many
horses.[vi]
Replace what hay is missing
Many horses rely entirely on hay
for their forage needs. Is hay nutri-
tious? Not very. Hay is dead grass;
it no longer contains many of the
vitamins, omega 3s and omega 6s it
once had as living pasture. It does,
however, contain protein, carbohy-
drates, and minerals, and is a signif-
icant source of energy. Consider the
following to fill in the nutritional
gaps:
• Add a comprehensive vitamin/
mineral supplement that offers
what hay is missing – beta car-
otene (or vitamin A), vitamin
12 • Walking On
D, and vitamin E.
• Vitamin C is lost in hay;
however, young horses’ bodies
produce adequate amounts.
As horses age, the liver can
become less efficient at synthe-
sizing this vitamin.
• Add a variety of protein sourc-
es by feeding several types of
forages. When only one type of
hay is fed, the protein quality
of the diet is poor and can pre-
vent your horse from replacing
and repairing tissues through-
out the body.
• Sunlight exposure is needed
for vitamin D production. The
precursor to vitamin D is natu-
rally found in grass, but dimin-
ishes the longer hay is stored.
• Simulate the fatty acid content
of grasses by providing a feed
source that has more omega
3s than omega 6s. Chia seeds
or ground flaxseeds are good
choices.[vii]
• Porous bones and potential
fractures
• Inadequate blood circulation,
reducing the flow of nutrients
and oxygen to the feet, joints,
tendons/ligaments, and hair
follicles
• Potential for digestive disorders
including colic, ulcers, and
diarrhea
• Compensatory behavior, in-
cluding weaving, stall-walking,
pawing, wall-kicking, chewing,
head-bobbing, self-biting, and
even cribbing
• Slowed cartilage and joint de-
velopment in growing horses
• Accelerated aging, increasing
susceptibility to infections,
insect-borne diseases, and al-
lergic responses
• Increased oxidative stress, pro-
moting degenerative diseases
such as arthritis and equine
Cushing’s disease at a younger