By Bill Brewster
Cowboy’s Digest Field Editor
Nationally recognized equine nutrition experts and veterinarians from Copper Spring Ranch’s highly regarded CSR Equine clinic presented information on nutrition and its impact on horse health during the recent Symposium on Equine Health and Nutrition. Held at the ranch’s indoor arena, the speakers provided tips to over one hundred horse owners about the role of proper feeds and how they function to provide proper nutrition for both brood mares, young horses and animals in the performance arena.
Dr. Gary Pusillo, the featured speaker and one of a dozen certified equine nutritionists in the United States, said minerals and other feed ingredients must have a bioavailability that can by utilized by the animal to fulfill the functions for which the mineral element is needed. Factors influencing bioavailability include the digestibility of the food that supplies the nutrient, the chemical form or combination of the element, the particle size, the interaction with other nutrients, chelation, effects of processing, the instantaneous body need for the nutrients and the age of the animal. The horse’s gastrointestinal tract has evolved to have fast passage of low fat, slowly digesting feeds that are high in fiber.
He suggested that horsemen closely read the tags to avoid too much or too little. He said the form of the ingredients is more important than the amount. Pusillo suggested that horsemen maximize fiber intake and indigestion while also maximizing antioxidant intake. He said to minimize overtraining and oxidative bursts.
Ideally, Pusillo said, to increase fiber and not starch while making fiber digestible. Pusillo said ingredient stability is another key factor. The stability depends on manufacturing procedures, interactions, antagonists, heat particle size and physical damage. Handling and exposure to chemical and environmental factors after manufacture also affect the stability. Examples of ingredient interactions
noted were the impact of Niacin on calcium panthothenate which is less stable under acidic conditions and the impact of peroxides from added fats which decrease vitamin A & D stability via oxidation. He said air decreases vitamin C stability via oxidation as well. Physiological functions in the animal body that are influenced by vitamins include growth, bone structure, respiration, vision, skin, reproduction, the nervous system, muscles, resistance to disease and the gastrointestinal system.
The nutritionist said commercial feeds should be selected to meet the specific needs of the animal, the reputation of the manufacturer, the quality of the ingredients, the cost per unit of bioavailable ingredients, feed manufacturer services and the net returns. Common problems found in horse feed include improper formulation, errors in calculations, poor ingredients, improper mixing, improper storage, bioavailability, molds and mycotoxins, distressed ingredients, incorrect nutrient rations, unstable ingredients, no margin of safety, incorrect feeding directions and inconsistency.
Pusillo was introduced by Alan Woodbury of Woody’s Performance Horse Feeds. Woody’s premium feeds are used by many of this country’s leading trainers and owners of both race and performance horses. Woody’s feed are used and trusted because the company uses the finest ingredients when preparing rations for the specific needs of brood mares, growing foals and performing horses. The feeds are fed to highly regarded futurity, performance and ranch horses raised at the Copper Spring Ranch.
Other speakers included Dr. Farstvedt, CSR’s board certified equine surgeon, Dr. Joan Torrent, a nutritional expert that works with Pusillo, and Dr. Lisa S. Baller, D.V.M., of CSR Equine. Baller, a certified equine acupuncturist and expert horsewoman, provided a detailed presentation on the use of acupuncture during her program.
During his talk, Dr. Farstvedt noted the significant role that nutrition plays in the development and maintenance of horses from conception to performance as adults. Developmental orthopedic disease is impacted by multifactorial processes that include nutritional issues such as mineral balance, growth rate and energy intake, he said. Other contributing factors include hormones biomechanics and genetics he
noted.
Farstvedt, a board certified surgeon, showed examples of angular deformity/OCD, Subchondral bone cyst, and ossification problems. He said surgical treatments include arthroscopy and transphyseal bridging.
CSR Equine is a state-of-the-art clinic that is located west of the Four Corners area of Bozeman. The clinic, open to the public, also functions as a referral hospital that provides a broad range of reproductive services, surgical options and emergency medical treatments. One of the objectives of the ranch is to sponsor educational programs that help to foster the development of a trendsetting equine industry in Montana.