Vitamin Requirements in the Horse

Vitamins may be required in minute amounts by the body, but they are undeniably necessary for normal metabolic and physiological processes. The discovery of vitamins and an improved understanding of their functions are among the most important achievements of this century. Most vitamin deficiency diseases are rarely seen today except in developing countries. What exactly are vitamins? The nature of vitamins is as varied as any group of nutrients. In general, vitamins are organic compounds which cannot be produced in adequate quantities in the body and must be obtained from food or the environment. More specifically, vitamins serve the similar purpose of maintaining normal body function. Vitamins are necessary for optimal growth, health, feed conversion and reproduction. To further complicate this, vitamins are also necessary for proper physical performance in horses. The target tissues of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K are skin, bones, muscles and blood. B vitamins serve as catalysts in the conversion of nutrients to tissues and the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and protein to the final oxidation end products of CO 2 and H 2 O (via the citrate cycle).