Vitamin E in Winter time

The flush pastures of late summer and the brilliant foliages of autumn will soon give way to the frigid air and blowing flurries of wintertime. The change of season often dictates dietary revisions for many horses. The consumption of moist pasture grasses as a forage source will end, only to be replaced by heaps of hay.
Harvesting hay - the cutting, the drying , the raking, and the bailing - takes its toll on the end product, for the dried, well preserved plant is not as nutritious as the living plant. Of particular importance is the depletion of vitamins in dried forages, especially vitamin E.
Check out this comparison: green grass contains 100 to 450 IU vitamin E per kg of dry matter, while average-quality grass or legume hay contains 10 to 60 and cereal grains such as corn and oats 5 to 30.

The majority of horses consume sufficient vitamin E during the growing season, primarily spring, summer, and early fall, but vitamin E may be deficient in hay-based diets, such as those normally fed during the cold of winter. the significance of vitain E in the diet cannot be dismisse quickly.

Because of its role as a biological antioxidant, vitamin E has a place in the diet of all horses, but is especially vital for intensely worked equine athletes, mares and stallions used for breeding purposes, and horses at risk for certain neurological diseases. dificiency results in muscle-related problems and impaired immunity.

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Hints, Tips and How To's:

Are you ever bothered by the densely packed snowballs that form in hooves? For a quick trek over a snow-covered path, a handy remedy may be as near as the kitchen pantry: spray a no-stick cooking spray over the bottom of the hoof including the shoe. If a cooking spray is not available, smear a thick layer of patroleum jely on the underside of the hooves. Only shod hooves need to be treated. If you live in a region in which snowfall is common, you can ask your farrier to apply snow pads to shod hooves to keep snow from gathering in hooves.

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