An Overview of Vitamin Requirements of the Domestic Horse

Abstract

Vitamins are small organic compounds that are needed in relatively small amounts in the diet of the domestic horse (Equus caballus) to ensure its overall health and normal body function. The objective of this review article is to provide readers with a basic understanding of vitamins, the important role they play in a horse's health and well-being, knowledge of common feeds where each vitamin is abundant, and the consequences of inadequate or excessive dietary levels of a particular vitamin in a horse's diet. Management considerations, such as forage testing and feeding of vitamin supplements, to ensure an adequate amount of each of the four most important vitamins in a horse's diet (vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and biotin) are also discussed.