Essential Nutrients for Horses, Part 1: Protein
Nutrition is a pivotal issue for all of us, be it personal, about our loved ones, or our beloved four-legged companions. It's also big concern for horse owners who strive to keep their horses' healthy and strong. Whether you have a racehorse, an endurance horse, or a show horse, nutrition will always play a large part in their overall performance.
More than maintaining, though, is the question of improving. How do we help our horses to improve through nutrition? Where do we find the answers? While there is a lot of research and information on the topic, it is sometimes difficult to get through.
At its core, nutrition is about building blocks. Adding the right ones can help your horses succeed, and too much or too little of another could harm them and affect their performance. That is why it is so important to know what nutrients, quantities, and qualities you should focus on.
What Essential Nutrients Does My Horse Need?
Although the quantities may vary by age, performance requirements, and other reasons, there are six essential nutrients every horse needs:
The one we will be talking about today is protein.
What is Protein?
Protein is found in every living being and is mostly made up of amino acid residue held together by peptide bonds.
It fills several important roles in the body. It functions as an antibody, by binding to foreign particles; an enzyme, performing chemical reactions taking place in cells; a messenger, transmitting signals; and as transport, carrying atoms throughout the body.
How much protein does my horse need?
A horse's body is made up of 80% protein. A healthy, mature horse requires about 8-12%. As they eat 15-30 lbs of food a day, it's important that their feed intake is carefully monitored.
Amounts vary, depending on the age, activity, and size of the horse. Always check with your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist before drastically changing your horse's diet.
How do I get protein into my horse’s diet?
There are several good ways to introduce high quality grains into your horse's diet.
Protein is easily found in fresh grass, high quality hay, peas, seeds and more.
If you're using high quality feed, the average 8-10% of digestible protein will be easily achievable. For lower quality feed, the protein quantity can be improved by adding soybean meal or oilseed.
How can I tell the difference between high quality and low quality feed?
High quality feed will have lysine, a good provider of protein. Hay has about 10-16% crude protein, and legumes have 18-22% crude protein. Digestible protein is 2-5% less than the stated crude protein.
Digestible protein is the key goal for nutrition, since that is the amount of protein that is digested and absorbed. This protein is what the body can put to work.
Is it possible to give a horse too much protein?
Too much protein can lead to serious complications for your horse's health. Although there are certain amino acid deficiencies which will reduce the value of the protein and can be improved by increasing their protein rations, most horses don't need that much protein.
Too much protein can lead to an increased fluid loss in sweat and urine. To lessen this side effect, make sure to have a clean source of water available.
Other side effects of too much protein include:
Excess ammonia and urea processed through the kidneys
Increased strain on the kidneys
Increased need for water
Blowing and overheating
The Verdict
Protein is an important part of equine nutrition, but should be used in moderation. Consider the quality and quantity of feed you give your horse and always consult a professional horse nutritionist or your veterinarian if you want to drastically change your horse's diet.
Remember, a healthy horse is a happy horse.
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