Protein rich feeds and exercise are known to have a muscle building effect by stimulating the release of hormones concerned with the uptake of amino acids by the cells. The more amino acids taken up, the more protein produced. The more protein produced, the more muscle that can be laid down. However if the amino acids in the diet are inadequate for protein building to occur then maximum muscle building cannot take place. The nearer the dietary protein approaches the body protein in amino acid composition, the higher will be the proportion of protein that can be utilised. The addition of Ranvet 500 Plus Power Formula or Pro-Mix to the ration will ensure that the horse can get the maximum effect from the process occurring in its body.

Stress and the Horse in Work

Its Effect on Protein Metabolism.

All horses in work are under some degrees of stress. Stress has been shown to significantly increase the breakdown of protein in the body, which leads to an increase in the requirement for protein. Therefore provision of adequate good quality protein in the diet is extremely important if the horse is to maintain I condition while in work and perform at its best.

Minerals

The horse requires at least 16 different minerals in its diet. Some of these are required in the diet in relatively large amounts, such as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride and sulphur. These are called macro minerals. Their requirement is expressed as grams per day, or grams per kilogram of feed, or as a percentage of the diet.

The other minerals are required in the diet in very small quantities. These are called trace minerals, such as iron, zinc, manganese, copper, cobalt, selenium, molybdenum, fluorine and iodine. Their requirement in the diet is expressed as milligrams per kilogram of diet or parts per million (ppm). Although essential in the diet of a horse, some of these trace minerals can be toxic when supplied in amounts slightly exceeding their requirement, e.g. selenium.

The table (on page 6) shows the importance of the various minerals to the horse. The actual requirement for various minerals is dependent on a number of factors including diet, the work the horse is involved in, and the age of the horse.

Supplementation of a horse diet with minerals

A much more complex than simply knowing that horses require certain minerals. It is not just a matter of adding minerals to the diet. It is more complicated than that as the requirements and the absorption of many minerals are interrelated. For example calcium - the levels of calcium in a horse's diet will affect how much phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and copper are absorbed from that same diet. Conversely, the levels of phosphorus, magnesium or iron in the diet can influence absorption of calcium. Other interactions include: high copper and zinc can increase selenium requirements; high zinc levels can increase copper requirements; high copper levels can increase iron requirements, to mention a few. Because of these very complex mineral interactions, we have carefully formulated a mineral supplement for the horse in work, Folactin Blue, containing levels of macro minerals and trace minerals which will meet the requirements while not greatly exceeding requirements so that adverse interactions are avoided.

The Importance of a Mineral Supplement in the diet of a horse in work.

The horse evolved as a forage eating species. Most forages (good quality hay or pasture) tend to have higher levels of many of the minerals than do the grains and therefore mature horses, at pasture or fed hay performing no work, can usually survive on virtually no mineral supplementation. The situation for the horse in work is totally different.

Because grains contain less essential minerals than do hays (and the availability of many is questionable) once a horse is put onto a grain diet, supplementation is required immediately.

Added to this, many of the minerals are involved in energy metabolism, bone strength, acid-base balance and are lost in sweat. The young horse in work (up to 3.y.o.) which is still growing has an even higher requirement for minerals. Therefore supplementation is vital. The minerals that should be added to the ration are calcium, magnesium, sodium, chloride, potassium, some phosphorus, zinc, copper and in certain situations, iron.

Many frustrating conditions such as stiff joints, splints, soreness, shifting lameness, chronic bone disorders and fractures are often the direct result of severe mineral imbalances and deficiencies in the horse's diet.

One of the most common imbalances involves calcium and phosphorus. The calcium to phosphorous ratio should preferably lie between 1.1 to 1 and 2 to 1, although mature horses can tolerate ratios of up to 6 to 1. They cannot tolerate ratios of less than 1 to 1 as are found in the grains, protein meals and ' grain by-products (bran and pollard).