Question
My nine-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Heyheyhey has been cribbing since he left the track. I treated him for ulcers. He improved considerably, but he has reverted back to cribbing after treatment ended and may even be worse than before treatment. Could a selenium deficiency be causing this? He consumes 4 quarts of a low-starch feed, 2 quarts of unmolassed, soaked beet pulp, and a quart of soaked alfalfa cubes each day (split into two meals) with as much mid-quality forage as he chooses to eat. He is thin with a rough coat and poor hooves, and he gets worked up under tack. Can you provide any insight?
Answer
Heyheyhey’s current diet is not providing sufficient trace minerals, such as selenium, copper, and zinc, all of which have an impact on overall health and wellness.
To correct this, increase the amount of feed to 6-7 lb (2.7-3.1 kg) per day. This is suitable for him, as you indicate Heyheyhey could benefit from the additional calories for weight gain. Other ways of increasing caloric density of his ration include adding fat (stabilized rice bran or vegetable oil, preferably canola or soy) and switching to a premium-quality forage. All changes to the gelding’s diet should be done slowly, ideally over the course of several days to allow his gastrointestinal tract to adapt little by little.
If you don’t want to increase the amount of feed, I suggest, at minimum, adding a vitamin and trace mineral supplement, like Micro-Max (Gold Pellet or Perform in Australia), to provide the additional nutrients needed to meet Heyheyhey’s micronutrient requirements and to prevent long-term deficiencies.
The recent research about the potential role of selenium and oxidative stress in horses that crib highlights the importance of providing a complete and balanced diet. Cribbing has also been associated with digestive discomfort and disorders such as gastric ulcers.
Because you saw an improvement with the ulcer treatment and Heyheyhey’s tendency to become anxious when exercising, I recommend adding a daily digestive supplement in addition to making sure his diet is providing optimal nutrition. Kentucky Equine Research has developed a unique digestive buffer, RiteTrac, which can help alleviate discomfort associated with excess acid in the gastrointestinal tract. RiteTrac may help reduce the incidence of cribbing in some horses, as it provides a coating agent for the stomach as well as fast-acting antacids.
Increasing the amount of alfalfa fed offers several benefits. Because it is a highly digestible, energy-dense fiber source, it could help with weight gain. Further, alfalfa has a natural gastric-buffering effect. Offering a small amount of alfalfa prior to exercise is a useful management practice for horses prone to digestive disorders.
Once your horse’s nutrient needs are met, you can offer supplemental antioxidants such as vitamin E to help reduce oxidative stress. Vitamin E supplementation is important in horses with limited access to green grass. Equine nutritionists have spent a lot of time researching what vitamin E is most beneficial to horses; in the end, a natural-source, water-soluble product with a nanodispersion delivery system, such as Nano-E, proved most efficient.
Increasing the level of micronutrients in Heyheyhey’s diet should help improve his hoof condition over time; however, you may want to consider including a targeted hoof and coat supplement, like Bio-Bloom PS (Bio-Bloom in Australia) to promote improved hoof quality and growth. Bio-Bloom PS provides high-quality sources of key nutrients, such as biotin, methionine, zinc, and iodine, plus essential omega-6 fatty acids, for skin and coat health.
