Vitamins and Minerals for your Horse

Vitamins and Minerals are essential in your horses diet. The better that you understand the horses needs, the better you can identify deficiencies, and avoid toxicities. There are two kinds of vitamins, fat soluble and water soluble. Basically, the fat soluble vitamins A,D, E, and K, are absorbed into the horses fat, while others like Vitamins B, C, Riboflavin,  are water soluble and cannot cause toxicities. Your horse needs the following vitamins, which can be found from the following sources. I have also included a description of what to look for if the horse has a vitamin deficiency.

Mineral	Function	Deficiency
Calcium	Muscle and heart contractions, blood clotting, nerve function, 35% of bone structure	Metabolic bone diseases
Phosphorus	Energy utilization, metabolism of phospholipids, nucleic acids and phosphoproteins	Bone disorders, with the severity based on age of horse
Potassium	Muscle activity, especially cardiac	Lack of food ingestion, muscle weakness, lethargy, diarrhea, weight loss, and death
Sodium Chloride	Maintains proper PH, removes waste from cells, necessary for fat and carbohydrate digestion.	Puffy skin, decrease in water consumption, licking wood, metal, plastic, slowed eating, rough coat, decreased utilization of energy sources, protein utilization, and growth. Can also be acute salt deficiency, incoordinated muscular contractions, irregular chewing, unsteady gait, decrease of sodium chloride, increase potassium concentrations
Magnesium	Essential for bones and teeth, activates enzyme related activities	Nervousness, muscle tremors, damage to heart and muscle tissue, increase in dept and rate of respiratory movememtns, collapse, convulsive, paddling of the limbs, death
Sulfur	Component of many compounds required by the body	None reported
Cobalt	Component of Vitamin B12	None reported
Copper	Formation of hemoglobin, cartilage, bone, elastin, and pigmentation of hair, helps utilize iron	Hypocuremia, causing the cortex of the bone to become thin and brittle. Anemia, lack of pigment in hair, faded coat, uterine artery rupture, diarrhea.
Flourine	Essential for tooth and bone formation, and toothcare	Not commonly found
Iodine	Thyroid hormone thyroxine	A goiter will develop an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland.
Iron	Component of hemoglobin	Microcytic and hypochromic anemia
Manganese	Helps use carbs and fats, synthesize chondroitin sulfate, needed for bone development, foms enzymes involved in growth, reproduction, and lactation	Very rare, can cause deafness and misshapen joints and limbs in foals.
Selenium	Component of antioxidant enzyme, conserve vitamin E, constituent of cystine and methionine, amino acids that function as antioxidants and aid the immune system	In foals can cause impaired movement, weakness, hair loss, dark urine, respiratory distress, as well as difficulty nursing and swallowing.
Zinc	Component of many enzymes and hormones, plays role in metabolism of proteins, fats and carbs, immune system function, healthy skin and hair	Hoof lesions, hair loss and dry skin. Also lack of appetite, and decreased growth rate.

Fat Soluble Vitamin	Deficiency	Feed Source
A	Nightblindness, prolonged shedding, weakness, sensitivity to light, tearing, impaired intestinal absorption, rough, dry coat, anorexia, diarrhea, decreased growth, salivary gland abscess, infections in reproductive tract, increased respiratory infections	High quality hay, supplemented via carotene from feedstuffs, or injected. Feed hay prior to six months after being cut for maximum carotene content
D	Not likely, but during experimental conditions, horses experienced stunted growth, bone weakness, failure of bone calcification, lameness and loss of appetite. The body does not absorb calcium which is needed for growth and bone strength.	D2 can be found in plants, while and D3 can be found in fish oils, irradiated milk, and in the skin after sun exposure. Best method is through sunlight and sun-cured hay.
E	Swelling of joints, fragmentation of muscle fiber, loss of muscular coordination (ataxia), muscle degeneration, or white muscle disease, linked to wobbler’s syndrome, which affects the spinal cord and column.	Green growing forages, good quality hay, cereal grails and wheat germ oil. In particular, forages that contain more leaves and less bulky fibrous stem. Alfalfa and clover are better sources than Bermuda and ryegrass.
K	Although not common, horses would demonstrate an increased clotting time and lower thrombonin levels and will hemorrhage more easily.	Green leafy plants, hidgut, during fermentation, supplements of Menaquinone or menadione (k3)
Water Soluble Vitamins	Deficiency	Sources
Thiamine (B1)	Although not common, symptoms include, localized muscular contractions visible under the skin, abnormal slowing of the heart (bradycardia), ataxia, muscular coordination, hypothermia of the extremities, missing heartbeats, appetite loss, and weight loss.	Typically enough thiamine can be found in pasture forage, and high quality green, leafy hay. It is also synthesized by microflora in the intestine. Cereal grains that have not been heated or cooked. Horses that participate in strenuous activity, like racing, those with poor appetites,  or that consume certain antithiamine should be given supplements.
Riboflavin (B2)	Rough hair coat, atrophy of skin and hair, skin inflammation, conjunctivitis, photophobia, lacrimation (tearing).	Leafy, green hay and good pasture forage. It is also synthesized by microflora in the intestines.
Niacin	A niacin deficiency has not been documented in horses, as the intestine produces a sufficient amount.  However, nicacin is essential in cellular respiration and metabolism, and any deficiency would likely impact those area.	Niacin is synthesized by the bacteria in the hindgut. Tryptophan and vitamin B6 must be present for this synthesis to occur.
Pantothenic Acid (B3)	Deficiencies are extremely rare.	Microfloral synthesis of pantothenic acid in the intestines meets the horses requirements, however, calcium salt can be added to the horses diet.
Pyridoxine (B6)	Deficiencies nor toxicities have been documented in equines.	B6 can be found in a wide variety of high quality grains and forages. Additionally, it is also synthesized by microflora in the cecum and the colon.
Choline	Choline deficiencies have not been documented in the equine, however, in other species, it has caused accumulation of fat on the liver, poor body condition, lack of muscle coordination, a decrease in reproduction, and death of young at birth.	The intestines synthesize enough choline for the hourse, however, if a supplement is needed, it can be purchased in liquid and solid forms.
Biotin	Biotin deficiency is very rare, because it is synthesized by intestinal microflora. However, mold in the feed will tie up biotin, possibly affecting hair and hooves.	Biotin is synthesized by the intestines, however, there are several biotin supplements that can be included in feed, although evidence does not support claims that it will strengthen hooves, as it may relate more to moisture than supplementation.
Folacine (Vitamin M)	Deficiencies can lead to anemia.	Microorganisms in the cecum and large intestine synthesize folacin.  Green leafy hay or pasture can also add folacin to the horses diet. Supplements are available and are recommended for stabled horses.
Cyanocobalamin, Cobalamin (B12)	Non-equines with B12 deficiencies have experienced poor growth, anemia, hindquarter incoordination, poor appetite, weight loss, rough coat, and nuerological problems.	B12 is synthesized by micrflora in the cecum and colon, and by cobalt, a mineral obtained from forages. Additional supplementation has been advocated by many horsemen of 4 to 10 micrograms per pound of the total diet. Horses in poor condition, anemic, or severely parasitized seem to respond positively to vitamin b12. It is also helpful for very active horses and those with poor quality forage.
Vitamin C Ascorbic Acid	Deficiencies have not been reported.	Vitamin C is synthesized by the liver and other body cells in adequate quantities.