The proper balance of vitamins and minerals in the body is critical for growth, health, and longevity of the horse. Well-balanced nutrition is extremely important in managing all types of horses, but supplying optimal nutrient intake without providing excess calories to those with low energy needs, particularly those with metabolic issues, can be especially challenging. Equine diets are commonly found to be lacking in trace minerals, including selenium, as well as vitamin E.

Kentucky Equine Research has conducted hundreds of digestibility trials to evaluate how well various nutrients are absorbed from different types of feeds and feed ingredients.

For each trial, a standardized experimental design was used to measure digestibility. Horses were fed different diets for three weeks followed by a five-day complete fecal collection period. Samples of feed and feces were analyzed for nutrient content. By comparing the analyses, digestibility of each nutrient was calculated. When you choose a KER vitamin and mineral supplement, you can be sure it was formulated based on the findings of these trials.

Resources

• Nutrient Digestibility in Horses Using Numerous Diets
• Factors Affecting Mineral Digestibility in Horses
• Chelated Minerals Enhance Nutrient Bioavailability
• Horse Diets: Getting the Most from Lower Quality Forage
• Look to Exercise for Equine Weight Loss
• Ration Balancers for Horses: Just the Basics