Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Hello everyone,

 

It was suggested to me that some of you may be interested in an online nutrition course I started this year, so after clearing this "announcement" with Steph and John I'll give some information.

 

The course is called NRC Plus, and is based on the 2007 National Research Council Nutrient Requirements of Horses. The first run of the course began in January, next starts mid-March. Each week's materials run 15 to 20 pages on the average. There is a private Yahoo group for each run of the course, for questions and discussions. This is a no pressure course. There's no required attendance, you can read the materials when it is convenient for you, post questions or make comments on any section of the course at any time. There will be a certificate of completion. The material is also somewhat flexible in that the emphasis in each section's discussions can be tailored to match the course participant's interests. There are several endurance rider in the currently running course and we've had some interesting discussions! The course runs 10 weeks. Fee is $200.

 

The starting point for this course is the 2007 National Research Council recommendations for feeding horses. However, that's all they are – a starting point. They are a tool you will use in evaluating every diet, but I want this to be more than just a nuts and bolts number game. We'll cover individual nutrients, what they do, why they are essential and how they interact. Feeding a horse properly isn't like building a house or putting together a puzzle. It's more like baking a cake. If you leave the baking powder out of a cake recipe, the results are catastrophic and you end up with a cracker instead of a cake. This is the equivalent of a full blown nutritional deficiency. However, adding too much or too little also has negative effects. To get the perfect cake, all ingredients need to be balanced. This dynamic approach, focusing just as much on balance as on intake of individual nutrients, is what I have seen to be the most effective – and also efficient – way to build a sound diet.

The material for each section of the course will be e-mailed to you weekly. It will include the material I want to cover, links for further reading, and a series of review questions that will emphasize the most important points. When you receive the next week's material, the answers to the questions from the week before will be at the front.

I'll open the Yahoo Groups discussion group in advance of the course starting. This will be a group exclusively for course enrollees. When you join, I'd like you to post a brief introduction about yourself in a file that will be called "Members Info", and a description of what you are currently feeding in a file called "Members Diets". This is an international group so I will use that information to make sure course material and links to resources are useful for all of you. In the diets section, also list any health or performance problems you are having.

The 1989 version of the NRC Requirements is available, full text, online at:

http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309039894

Your course materials will include updated information from the 2007 NRC in each section, but if you wish to purchase the 2007 NRC you can order it here:

http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11653

Week One – Physiology of Digestion and Nutrient Utilization

I – The digestive tract.

II – Active and passive absorption of minerals.

III – Absorption and metabolism of fats.

IV – Absorption and metabolism of protein.

V – Absorption and metabolism of carbohydrates.

VI – Vitamins.

Week Two – Tools for Determining Intake

I – Soil analysis

II – Hair analysis

III – Blood and tissue analysis

IV – Diet analysis

Week Three – Energy Sources, Energy Requirements

I – Beyond NRC

II – Carbohydrates, fats and protein as calories; role of the B vitamins

III – Requirements for growth

IV – Requirements for pregnancy and lactation

V – Requirements for adult maintenance

VI – Fine tuning

Week Four – Protein Requirements

I – Beyond NRC

II – Crude protein vs digestible protein

III – Amino acid requirements

IV – Requirements for growth

V – Requirements for pregnancy and lactation

VI – Requirements for adult maintenance and exercise

VI – Conditions requiring special protein considerations

Week Five – The Major Minerals

I – Beyond NRC

II – Calcium

III – Magnesium

IV – Phosphorus

V – Sulfur

Week Six – Understanding Electrolytes and Hydration

I – Definition of electrolytes

II – Sodium

III – Potassium

IV – Chloride

V – Bicarbonate

VI – Physiology of water balance

VII – Balancing to sweat losses

Week Seven – The Trace Minerals

I – Beyond NRC

II – Copper

III – Zinc

IV – Manganese

V – Selenium

VI – Iodine

VII – Other

Week Eight – Building a Diet

I – Determine energy requirements

II – Selecting appropriate energy sources

III – Calculating minerals

IV – Balancing minerals

V - Vitamins

VI – Food versus supplement sources

Week Nine – The exercising horse - Basics

I – Matching energy sources to need

II – Protein considerations

III – Minerals and electrolytes

IV - Vitamins

Week Ten – Hands On

I – Sample insulin resistance diet

II – Sample pregnancy/lactation/weanling diet

III – Endurance

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Eleanor M. Kellon, V.M.D.
Equine Nutritional Solutions
58 Maple Farm Road
Ephrata, PA 17522