Factors Affecting Mineral Digestibility in Horses

Pagan, J.D. 2001. Factors affecting mineral digestibility. In: J.D. Pagan and R.J. Geor (Ed.) Advances in Equine Nutrition II. pp. 13-27. Nottingham University Press. Nottingham, United Kingdom.

Mineral requirements for horses are usually calculated using information about the horse’s body weight, age, weight gain, physiological status (pregnancy, lactation, etc.) and level of activity. Rarely are other factors that affect digestibility taken into consideration. In most cases, other substances in the ration don’t significantly alter mineral utilization, but there are cases where the presence of other minerals or inhibitory compounds should be considered when formulating a horse ration. This paper will review some of the most important factors affecting the digestibility of minerals in horses and will use data from a series of digestion trials conducted by Kentucky Equine Research to illustrate how relevant nutrient interactions are in typical horse rations.

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