Dietary effects on acid base metabolism in horses and clinical implications for skeletal development

摘要

Few activities rival the thrill of equine competitions, whether it be a down to the wire stretch drive between Thoroughbreds, a Quarter Horse out maneuvering a cow in a cutting competition, an Arabian endurance horse completing a 100 mile ride with seemingly little effort, or a European Warmblood completing a grueling cross country eventing course. The horse's capacity for work is truly amazing. We are just beginning to understand the fundamental mechanisms of these highly developed and complex systems required to perform such feats. While training and genetics are major contributors to performance, nutrition from conception to competition has received wide recognition in the past five to ten years as a determining factor in the success or failureof equine athletes.