Selenium in the equine diet

While providing a balanced diet that meets nutritional requirements should be the main aim for horse owners, there are certain nutrients that have been discussed more by the equine community in recent years. Most significantly for New Zealand horses, selenium.

Selenium has a number of roles in the body, most importantly that of a powerful antioxidant that helps to counteract oxidative stress and prevent cell damage. Before being identified as an essential nutrient, selenium was known for its toxicity – high levels causing alkali disease and seleniosis. For this reason, horse owners are wary of providing excessive amounts. So, what is the optimum amount to provide daily? National Research Council states minimum selenium requirements of 1mg per day for an average 500kg horse in work (Anonymous 2007), however Kentucky Equine Research have established an optimum requirement of between 2 and 3mg per day. New Zealand soils have long since been identified as deficient in selenium and because of this, horse owners have been advised to supplement accordingly. Perhaps due to the wellknown soil deficiency, selenium is one of the most scrutinised nutrients in blood tests for New Zealand horses. Blood selenium levels are a routine test, or when the horse is displaying a variety of symptoms, many of which aren’t linked to selenium deficiencies or toxicity. A New Zealand study from 2016 showed that a group of

| Consider all forages, feeds and supplements to ensure a balanced equine diet. un-supplemented horses grazing pasture in the Manawatu had blood selenium levels below the healthy range. Dr Erica Gee measured selenium monthly for one year and found that all horses in the group had average blood selenium levels of 5 – 10 times lower than normal, however all horses in the study appeared healthy throughout. While the horses in Dr Gee’s study showed low selenium levels when on pasture alone, there have been incidences of higher readings in leisure and sport horses receiving feeds and supplements which contain selenium. Observations have found that many of the horses returning high test results weren’t receiving more than 3mg of selenium per day through dietary additions. Further research is required around selenium levels in New Zealand forages, selenium blood levels of leisure and performance horses and the current blood reference ranges used to establish the reasoning behind these observations. NRM and McMillan equine formulations are constantly evolving to compliment New Zealand environments and ensure horses are being provided with correct nutrition. Horse owners are advised to consider all forages, feeds and supplements provided to their horse and consult with a qualified nutritionist to ensure a balanced diet is provided daily.

Article supplied by Luisa Wood, Equine Nutritionist

*Anonymous. (2007). ‘Nutrient Requirements of Horses.’ Washington DC: National Academy Press. *Gee, E.K., Rogers, C.W. and Bolwell, C.F. 2016. ‘Selenium status of unsupplemented adult horses at pasture in the Manawatu region, New Zealand: Preliminary results’. Proceedings of the Australasian Equine Science Symposium, Volume 6.

| Fathen at ideal time to spray

Meal time – the best time of the day

Located on the outskirts of Christchurch, Perry and Jackie McConnachie lease their farm from The Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust. It’s their fourth season on-farm and with only 160 cows on the property, there’s a big focus on optimum production.

The herd are all brought in. The McConnachies don’t breed replacements, instead using beef bulls and focusing on getting cows in calf early for more days in milk before selling the calves to the beef calf rearing market. Perry started feeding NRM Dairy Meal 3 seasons ago after meeting with NRM Nutrition Specialist Megan Hardy. In their first season of feeding, Perry and Jackie were producing 480kgMS per cow, with a target of getting to 550. With some changes on farm and targeted nutrition and advice from Megan, they’ve managed to supersede the 550MS goal and are on target to do 600MS this season. Environmental impact is important for Perry and Jackie as they’re on a farm close to the city. Access to water is limited, making them focus

| The cows really love their meal. | NRM Nutrition Specialist Megan Hardy (left) and Jackie and Perry McConnachie focus on optimum production.

on pasture quality. They don’t use straight urea and are working on cutting out synthetic fertilisers, employing controlled effluent spreading and only targeting paddocks that require it. Condition of the cows, their health and having happy animals is a top priority. With a low stocking rate of 2.5 cows per/ha, the focus is on feeding their cows well, having spent the past 4 years re-grassing the whole farm. The farm has an in-shed feeding system, giving the comfort of being able to feed their cows no matter the weather. The aim is to keep in-shed meals to 2kgs of NRM Dairy Meal per cow, per day with the option to increase that if pasture is short. NRM Dairy Meal delivers all the vitamins, trace elements, magnesium, calcium and salt required, with NRM able to customise the meal during the season when extra is required. Jackie and Perry find the knowledge and support their Nutrition Specialist gives them is incredibly valuable. They’ve learnt a lot from Megan over the past 3 years from her on-farm visits and they’re always able to contact her to discuss any issues they have. Before NRM, Perry and Jackie had tried other feed companies but were frustrated to find that not all the cows would eat the meal. When they changed to NRM the product was fresh and the cows loved it. “They now march to the shed each day to get milked and really love their meal,” Perry says. The McConnachies trust the quality of the feed and that reflects in the cow’s production. “Megan is always working ahead, planning what’s needed and suggesting changes to tweak our low-cost system to get the best out of our cows. “We trust the technical advice from Megan and see huge value in what she can add on-farm, so it’s not only a quality product but quality advice to go with it,” Jackie says.

For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

FARMLANDS APPAREL ESSENTIALS SUMMER

NEW THOMAS COOK MEN’S SHORT SLEEVE POLO

$89.95 JACK: S-4XL | Grey Marle/Tan | 1045801 JETSON: S-4XL | Navy Marle/Red | 1045819

NEW THOMAS COOK MEN’S BARTLEY SHORT SLEEVE SHIRT

$94.95 S-4XL | Blue/Red | 1045754

NEW LEGEND MEN’S SHORT

$99.95 84-112 | Graphite/Steel, Khaki | 1046069

NEW STONEY CREEK KIDS’ RURAL LITTLE FARMER TEE

$24.95 2-14 | Light Pink | 1025488

MASSIVE AG DEALS Exclusive to Farmlands shareholders

Radial Ag Tyres

24" FROM $687.70 280/85R24

34" FROM $1595.05 420/85R34 28" FROM $841.80 320/85R28

38" FROM $1348.95 340/85R38 30" FROM $1316.75 380/85R30

Plus, great deals for your other daily driver

BUY 1 GET 1 HALF PRICE* BUY 1 GET 1 HALF PRICE* BUY 3 GET 1 FREE* BUY 1 GET 1 HALF PRICE* BUY 1 GET 1 HALF PRICE*

All terrain 4x4/SUV Mud terrain 4x4/SUV Highway terrain 4x4/SUV Fuel-efficient car tyres

0800 80 20 80 bridgestonetyres.co.nz/farmlands

AG pricing is tyre only including GST. Buy 1 Get 1 Half Price and Buy 3 Get 1 Free offer on selected products only and must be fitted in-store at the time of purchase. For full terms and conditions and offer end date refer to www.bridgestonetyres.co.nz/farmlands or see in store. Offers are available strictly while stocks last.

Performance car tyres