Sport horses, regardless of breed or discipline, require focused attention, care, and nutrition. This responsibility rests with those who train, own, ride and care for them. They are an athlete and thus exposed to more extreme conditions, durations, and overall expectations. As we expect more from our animals, we must expect more from the feed fueling their performance. We must not only look at the nutrients available to our sport horses, but also the feed safety and long-term health outlook. By feeding organic, a higher standard is placed on ingredient inputs for a safer, higher-end nutritional output. Organic feed has a number of benefits over conventional feed. From superior nutrient availability and overall animal health, to feed safety and being herbicide free; the benefits to your sport horse add up very quickly.
As we know with horses and nutrition, what you put in… is what you get out. When you eat high-quality food, you receive high-quality nutrition. Organic feeds have protein that is more digestible and available to the animal. Nutritional components typically score higher in organic feeds than in conventional. Vitamins contained in organic ingredients are more readily absorbed by the horse, and in many cases are naturally chelated for better utilization. Iron, copper, zinc, and manganese naturally occurring in organic ingredients are critical for breakdown of nutrients, immunity, health, and reproductive functions. Supplementing with inorganic minerals (oxides and sulfates) can affect health and performance due to deficiencies. With heightened nutrient availability in organic, overall animal health is improved.
A common concern in equine feed safety today is the use of herbicides (targeting plants) on crops. Herbicides, specifically glyphosate (commonly known as Roundup) have been gaining more and more attention over recent years. Conventional and Non-GMO (genetically modified organism) crops grown with the use of glyphosate or in glyphosate contaminated fields can have issues with mineral absorption resulting in deficient nutrient values.
Richard J. Holliday, DVM states, “Evidence supports that glyphosate contamination can cause lowered disease resistance, neurological effects, reproductive failures, lowered growth and production, mycotoxins in the feed and more allergic reactions. Glyphosate is a powerful chelator and its main effect is to tie up minerals and make them less digestible. The use of glyphosate crops not only damages the health of plants and soil microbes but also results in feed crops that are toxic as well as nutritionally deficient.”
Organic feed ingredients, and therefore organic feed, must be free from herbicides/pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, ionophores, GMOs, flow agents, and other additives or foreign substances that are not part of the ingredient’s natural nutrition. In order to be certified, organic crops go through a strenuous approval process. The ingredients are monitored and audited at each step of the supply chain; from the field, to truck, to processing, to the finished bag of feed. This ensures the organic certified feeds for your sport horse are safe and pure.
The benefit of organic feed for your sport horse is evident: feed safety, overall animal health, and organic feed efficiency driven by nutrient availability and quality. With organic, we see improved immune response, quality energy, and better maintenance of weight and muscle with less total feed. Provide your high-end animal with a safe, high-end organic diet that delivers nutrient availability, a balanced ration, and hindgut health.
Pink Rose Organix Equine Boost & Balance is a USDA Certified Organic feed for an optimized digestive system and healthy hindgut. A delicious, prescriptive blend of organic proteins, oils, and fiber that works with your pasture or hay to boost digestive efficiency and balance the diet. Boost & Balance focuses on hindgut function; driving animal health, attitude, and positive, cool energy!
https://www.pinkroseorganix.com/