Horses as Athletes, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products
We all know our horses are powerful, but what some of us may not have known is that horses are the biggest athlete on earth. Learn more:
Photo courtesy of Kentucky Performance Products
Horses are the biggest athlete on the planet. They have 700 different skeletal muscles. In fact, 60% of a horse’s body weight is muscle.
During exercise, muscle metabolism produces free radicals. When these free radicals are allowed to accumulate, they can cause cell damage that limits performance by causing horses to become stiff and sore.
Antioxidants neutralize these free radicals before they do any harm. Natural vitamin E is one of the most bioactive antioxidants utilized by the horse. Hardworking horses must have an adequate amount of readily available vitamin E in their system in order to neutralize the free radicals produced during training and competition. What is adequate? Horses should have a serum vitamin E level between 2 ug/mL to 5 ug/mL. Supplemental vitamin E is recommended daily at levels between 2,000 IU and 5,000 IU of d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E) per day to support optimal performance.
Natural vitamin E is an essential nutrient and must be provided in the diet. Grass is the best source of vitamin E for horses, but they must graze for at least 17 hours per day on good pasture to meet minimum requirements. Hardworking performance horses will most likely need additional supplementation. Hay is a poor source of natural vitamin E, because once grass is cut for hay, vitamin E is lost very quickly.
To maintain optimal antioxidant levels in your performance horses, supplement with Elevate® natural vitamin E.
About Kentucky Performance Products, LLC:
The daily multivitamin your easy keeper needs.
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