Thehorse.com - Full Article
By Sharon Biggs Waller
Jun 04, 2014
Depending on his lifestyle and location, your horse might be at risk for suffering subtle but serious vitamin and mineral imbalances
For the most part, horse owners have little to fear when it comes to nutrient deficiencies in their horses' diets. Nowadays many horses consume commercially prepared feed balanced for their energy, protein, vitamin, and mineral needs.
Kathleen Crandell, PhD, equine nutritionist at Kentucky Equine Research, explains that most horse owners in the United States have access to good-quality forages, and North American horses live fairly healthy lives. However, we shouldn't take these things for granted. "Nutrient deficiencies in the U.S. tend to be subclinical rather than clinical," she says. "Clinical means there are obvious signs. Subclinical means symptoms are vague. If the horse is not taking in enough nutrients, the problems may show in subtle ways. For example, a front-end lameness could be the result of an imbalance of calcium and phosphorus in the diet. We might put the blame on exercise or an accident, and not relate it to nutrient deficiencies."...
Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/31995/common-nutrient-deficiencies-in-horses?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=nutrition&utm_campaign=06-09-2014
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