fat and protein for horses
Most manufacturers of horse feed/supplements use varying amounts of added protein or fat to convince horse owners to use different preparations for different horses. The more protein the better..right?? Wrong.
In a 2014 study https://ker.com/equinews/protein-fat-horse-diets-studied/ it was found that “protein levels that exceed requirements are linked to increased heat of digestion and metabolism, and the urea and acid from excess dietary protein may lead to earlier fatigue with exercise. Horses consuming excess protein excrete more urea in the urine leading to wet stalls and elevated ammonia levels in the stable. In addition, high protein levels in feed tend to increase the price of the product.”
Of course a good level of the essential amino acids especially lysine and threonine are required for muscle building and repair but generally a level of protein in the forage of 6 to 8% resulted in low urea levels without a negative effect on protein concentrations. The interesting thing about the study was the horses with lower protein and higher fat actually gained less body fat and actually supported muscle mass better. Another study found that increasing fat intake in race horses actually improved stamina. This makes a case for the addition of good fat sources such as traceable source grains and/or Alberta made https://farmersown.ca/ ..high quality cold pressed flax oil.
Here at BioEquine we firmly believe that most metabolic conditions can be directly related to gut function. Our focus is optimizing that gut function by delivering a small amount of nutrients (including lysine, threonine and creatine) into a clean gut, maintaining bacterial populations and allowing the animal to get the full benefit of it’s feeding program. We do NOT believe every horse needs a different supplement..instead an owner can adjust the amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates to suit the horse. Of course the exception is a disease state requiring extra maintenance provided by advice from your specialist.
In a 2014 study https://ker.com/equinews/protein-fat-horse-diets-studied/ it was found that “protein levels that exceed requirements are linked to increased heat of digestion and metabolism, and the urea and acid from excess dietary protein may lead to earlier fatigue with exercise. Horses consuming excess protein excrete more urea in the urine leading to wet stalls and elevated ammonia levels in the stable. In addition, high protein levels in feed tend to increase the price of the product.”
Of course a good level of the essential amino acids especially lysine and threonine are required for muscle building and repair but generally a level of protein in the forage of 6 to 8% resulted in low urea levels without a negative effect on protein concentrations. The interesting thing about the study was the horses with lower protein and higher fat actually gained less body fat and actually supported muscle mass better. Another study found that increasing fat intake in race horses actually improved stamina. This makes a case for the addition of good fat sources such as traceable source grains and/or Alberta made https://farmersown.ca/ ..high quality cold pressed flax oil.
Here at BioEquine we firmly believe that most metabolic conditions can be directly related to gut function. Our focus is optimizing that gut function by delivering a small amount of nutrients (including lysine, threonine and creatine) into a clean gut, maintaining bacterial populations and allowing the animal to get the full benefit of it’s feeding program. We do NOT believe every horse needs a different supplement..instead an owner can adjust the amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates to suit the horse. Of course the exception is a disease state requiring extra maintenance provided by advice from your specialist.
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