click the link here
This was an interesting article on supplements with the Endurance horse strictly in mind. I did find it interesting that they recommend supplemental chromium to reduce lactic acid build-up. Phebes and I have nothing to lose at this point, so I may look into a supplementing her with a product called Tie-by put out by Animed, it has all the supplements mentioned in the article, and isn't terribly cost prohibitive. We already supplement E, Selenium, Magnesium, this would add DMG, Vitamin C, and Chromium. I have yet to figure out what DMG is yet, but I will.
It's a beautiful day today so I'm off to catch me a mare for some slow riding. ~E.G.
An interesting article.
ReplyDeleteMy "librarian super-senses" were tingling, though, so I verified my initial suspicion: the article was written by staff at KER. According to the website's finer print, "Kentucky Equine Research (KER) is an international equine nutrition, research and consultation company serving both the horse producer and the feed industry. Its goal is to advance the industry's knowledge of equine nutrition and exercise physiology and apply this knowledge to produce healthier, more athletic horses."
In other words, it's a company that sells horse feed and supplements.
Therefore I would be very surprised if their research proved that horses DIDN'T need supplements.
That doesn't mean their conclusions are wrong...I just want to make sure that people consider the source when reading research.
That's fair!
ReplyDeleteBut in their defense these were some of the recommendations of the performance vet, and also she specified Animed as her recommended source of supplements. Since we are more or less out of commission as things stand, and we have no other recommendations to help us...I figure "it can't hurt" to try it. At worse case, we would be no worse off than we currently are.
DMG is dimethylglycine (a derivative of Glycine... an amino acid). I've been giving it to my Standardbred mare for about a year. Started it after she tied up in a fifty. She's never tied up since, but she's only attempted one fifty since then, so it's no proof of anything. You can buy it separately, and it's relatively cheap as these things go since the scoop is rather tiny and a container goes a long way. There is not a lot of proof that it works in the scientific literature. But I do know a few racehorse trainers who swear by the stuff... for what that's worth. I also found that BCAAs seemed to help the mare with longer/tougher rides. She's big, and black, and in the heat we do have weird metabolic issues sometimes. Also switched to an electrolyte with more calcium...
ReplyDeleteI noticed you haven't mentioned selenium with regards to part of your supplementation program with Phebes. From the research I have done in the nutrition department, and the discussions I have had with my vets, they beleive that this trace mineral plays a key role in reducing the risk of tye-up. In the region I am in , we are selenium deficient and I have to supplement for it. Just wanted to throw this at you , might be something to look at??
ReplyDeleteShe is currently supplemented with Vitamin E, Magnesium, and Selenium when she's in work. This stuff will add the other two elements. Currently she is on a high fiber , high fat (plant fats) ONLY diet. ~E.G.
ReplyDeletePrincess Irolita: What are BCAAs?
ReplyDeleteBacterial cultures? What? ~E.G.
Branch Chain Amino Acids? ~E.G.
ReplyDelete