Vitamin D Supplementation in Horses: Research Collaboration

Kentucky Equine Research collaborated with researchers in England and Hong Kong to better define the vitamin D requirements of racehorses kept in different management situations.

In a paper recently published in Animals, researchers hypothesized that the management of stabled, nongrazing racehorses is a risk factor for low vitamin D status.

To test the hypothesis, the vitamin D status of nongrazing Thoroughbred racehorses in Hong Kong and grazing Thoroughbred racehorses in the United Kingdom was compared.

The researchers concluded that “stabled, nongrazing Thoroughbred racehorses should receive vitamin D supplementation to maintain an adequate vitamin D status, because management and occupational factors predispose them to low serum concentrations of 25OHD2 and total 25OHD,” which are used as indicators of vitamin D status in horses.

More research is required to determine the optimal dose and form of vitamin D supplementation for racehorses, according to the researchers.

Read the paper: Thoroughbred Racehorses in Hong Kong Require Vitamin D Supplementation to Mitigate the Risk of Low Vitamin D Status. Joe Pagan, Ph.D., the founder and president of Kentucky Equine Research, is listed among the authors.