Vitamin E is probably the vitamin most talked about when it comes to horse nutrition. But why is vitamin E so important and are there differences in quality between different types of vitamin E. We’d like to explain:

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, this means that it is absorbed along with the fat fraction of the feed and can also be stored in fat tissue. Vitamin E has many different functions in the body, the most well known is as an antioxidant. Vitamin E is built into cell membranes and goes to protect them from so-called free radicals. Free radicals are substances that arise during exercise, illness, stress, … and can damage cells and tissues. With heavier efforts, more free radicals are created, which means that sport horses also have an increased need for vitamin E. This is certainly important to keep the muscles supple and healthy. Besides an effect on muscles, vitamin E as an antioxidant also plays a role in fertility, general resistance, a healthy nervous system,…

Horses get vitamin E from grass, hay, concentrates and any supplements. Fresh grass contains plenty of vitamin E; however, when grass (as hay) is stored, the vitamin E content deteriorates rapidly. Vitamin E deficiencies are therefore more frequently observed in winter when horses are fed little or no fresh grass and especially hay (or haylage). Horses require a minimum of 500 mg of vitamin E daily, and in sport horses the requirement can rise sharply to 1000 to 2000 mg daily. In some situations, supplementing the ration with vitamin E is therefore necessary.

Here it is important to also keep in mind that different forms of vitamin E are used. Natural vitamin (RRR-alpha-tocopherol) is better absorbed by the body and also works more efficiently after absorption than synthetic vitamin E (all-rac-alpha-tocopherol). Thus, for horses with vitamin E deficiency or horses with increased requirements, it is definitely recommended to work with natural vitamin E.

All VitaMinalia products contain natural vitamin E, supplemented by other antioxidants such as (organic) selenium and certain plant polyphenols.