NUTRITIONAL SERVICES, INC. has been in business for over 35 years (Equine Products exclusively for the past 25 years)!
The following is a summary of the professional expertise, in-house study procedures and conclusions involved in the development of Northwest Horse Dietary Products:
The Development of Northwest Horse Supplement
In 1975 study facilities were modified to concentrate upon the nutritional characteristics of horse feeds grown in the Pacific Northwest and to determine the dietary modifications that would be of assistance in HELPING PACIFIC NORTHWEST HORSES REACH THEIR FULL GENETIC POTENTIAL.
Chemical analysis of hays, pastures and grains produced all over the Pacific Northwest had already been made and tabulated during the previous 20 years. An accelerated sampling and analysis program was initiated to compliment previous findings and to acquire additional information of importance to the nutritional health of horses. No attempt has been made to accurately estimate the total number of feed samples analyzed and tabulated to date, but several thousand are involved from all forage and grain producing areas of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Western Montana and Northern California. Sampling and analysis, to a lesser degree, was also conducted for horse feeds produced in Alaska, British Columbia and Alberta.
Having confirmed that the hays, pastures and grains produced in all areas of the Pacific Northwest have similar nutritional characteristics, the next step of estimating the metabolize status of the essential trace minerals of these feeds was initiated. Because of the very low levels of Selenium and Zinc, the marginal status of Copper and the very high levels of Iron found in many of these feeds, a nutritional blood evaluation study involving a large number of horses was conducted. This study also included the correlation of blood nutritional chemistry with diets. It became obvious rather early in the studies that Pacific Northwest horses, including those being fed mineral fortified feeds common to the times, were experiencing Selenium, Zinc and Copper deficiencies and that their blood contained large quantities of Iron. Also, all of the horses in the studies that were being fed any one of the several high Iron supplements so common in the horse industry had serum Iron levels of alarming proportions.
In 1976 the blood chemistry studies were expanded to determine the quantities of various trace minerals to be added to commonly used Pacific Northwest horse diets which would produce blood plasma and serum ranges reported by Stowe, 1967, for Selenium; by Harrington, 1973, for Zinc, and by Stowe, 1968, for Copper. Serum Manganese ranges less than those reported by Weisen and Lucas, 1966, were found in over 50% of the horses in spite of an apparent abundance being furnished by the diets. In all cases serum Iron exceeded the ranges reported by Sneter, 1959, and Osbaldiston and Griffith, 1972.
By mid-1977 the studies had provided the basis upon which logical decisions could be made as to the optimum, but safe, additions of Selenium, Zinc and Copper needed to the most commonly fed horse diets of the Pacific Northwest. It was found that the low serum levels of Manganese were not correctable by the addition of Manganese alone but were with the addition of suitable quantities of Manganese and Choline Chloride (a B vitamin) in combination. During the same period Total Iron Binding Capacity studies were incorporated to estimate the maximum levels of supplemental Iron compatible with the high Iron content in Pacific Northwest feeds.
Northwest Horse Supplement, which was the first to provide supplemental Selenium, also contained supplemental Zinc and Copper at much higher levels than other supplements of that time.
The Development of Northwest Mare & Foal Concentrate
In 1980, 1981and 1982 Nutritional Services, Inc. continued its commitment to use its professional expertise and in-house study facilities for the benefit of the Pacific Northwest Horse industry by conducting studies pertaining to the nutrition of Broodmares and Nursing Foals with heavy emphasis on bone and bone connective tissue development in foals.
A large number of registered mares and their foals were purchased, over half of the foals were weaned at 10 days to 3 weeks of age and foals were sampled at 2, 5, 8 and 12 months of age in order to obtain bone samples for chemical analysis from several body sites and to measure each foal's front leg bones' resistance to fracture with uniformly applied hydraulic pressure. Rations fed during this study were high energy with more than sufficient protein to promote rapid growth and heavy milk production. Additions of minerals at low, medium, high and very high levels were compared. All mares and foals were weighed weekly and all foals, including those early weaned, grew very rapidly.
The mares were milked at regular intervals and all milk samples were chemically analyzed. All foals were subjected to a thorough post mortem examination by a veterinarian, and tissue samples from liver and kidney were chemically analyzed from those foals fed very high mineral diets. Additionally, x-rays of study animals were evaluated by consulting veterinarians.
Studies were incorporated within the primary studies to determine the percent of total Calcium, Phosphorus, Manganese, Zinc and Copper actually utilized by both mares and foals.
Bone and Connective Tissue Development in Foals
Improperly developed Bone and Bone Connective Tissue in foals is the most serious problem we have in the horse industry. It is the most expensive and creates the greatest disappointments. Horses with clinical cases - those having obvious symptoms - generally have unexpected veterinary fees, cannot be sold at a reasonable price and cannot be successfully shown. Horses having sub-clinical cases - those without obvious visual symptoms - generally do not create undue expense and disappointment until they enter training. The sub-clinical horses have a low tolerance for the physical stress of training and/or performance, including racing, because they have weak bones and weak bone connective tissue.
Why is the problem so great and so persistent?
Our modern horse industry places heavy emphasis on the young horse. Therefore, we have to grow our foals rapidly and we must keep them at least reasonably fat. Rapid growing foals have much higher nutritional requirements than do more modestly grown foals if they are to have equally strong bones and bone connective tissue. Our in-house studies provided this information: Foals of all ages that were studied demonstrated different degrees of resistance to fracture depending on diet. All foals grew the same (rapidly), had bones of the same size and the same density. Post mortem fracture was induced at 900 psi on those foals (and their dams) being fed low mineralized diets. 1,400 psi was required to break the bones of those foals (and their dams) on low Calcium and Phosphorus, high trace mineral diets. Fracture did not occur until at least 2,400 psi was applied on the bones of those foals (and their dams) being fed high levels of all of the essential minerals.
Foals can be rapidly grown and still have strong bones and bone connective tissue, if they (and their dams) have sufficient metabolize minerals in their diets!
Why are dam's diets so important?
Mares are unique in the way they metabolize nutrients. They were identified and documented in our in-house studies. Mares fortify their milk differently than other tested species such as cattle or sheep. The mare has a very limited ability to draw upon her body stores to ensure that the Calcium and Phosphorus in her milk is compatible with the growth promoting capabilities provided to her foal. An adequate supply of metabolize Calcium and Phosphorus has to be in the mare's diet or her nursing foal will continue to grow rapidly without sufficient Calcium and Phosphorus for the development of strong good bones and bone connective tissue. Whether a mare has similar limitations in furnishing Calcium and Phosphorus from her body stores to her unborn foal has not been documented. There is sufficient evidence to conclude that such is a strong possibility. If so, this circumstance would also be a cause of poorly developed bone and bone connective tissue.
In Conclusion
The success of Northwest Mare & Foal Concentrate in the field has confirmed that the facts obtained from the above outlined studies were of positive, meaningful value. Quoting the manager of a large, long established breeding farm in Western Washington: "We used to have an average of 15 cases of epiphysitis each year. We have been feeding all of our mares and foals Northwest Mare & Foal Concentrate continuously and there has been only one case of epiphysitis since that time. The affected foal was born about a month after the mare arrived on the farm."
