Copper Mare

When we were thinking of purchasing my then 3 y.o. mare Lea at the sport horse auction in Northern Alberta, we identified her as the “copper mare”. She was beautiful, with an almost luminescent, shiny, chestnut coat. Fast forward 20 years, and Lea is still gorgeous, but her health has suffered in the last couple of years from PPID (Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction or “Cushings”). PPID compromises the immune system in horses and makes them more susceptible to skin conditions and infections. As Lea was shedding out her winter coat this year, she had a crusty line of scabs and hair tufts along her topline that were reminiscent of rain rot, and her coat, albeit fluffy and fine, was dull. I chalked up her coat condition to her PPID, but at the time I was also reassessing her diet, and had the opportunity to use nutrition to better support Lea from the inside out.

There are several nutrients required by the horse that have a direct effect on coat and skin quality. Zinc and copper are two trace minerals required in a 3:1 ratio within the equine diet responsible for coat and hoof growth and repair. They are also key in immune system support, which is important for PPID horses. A deficiency of copper in a horse’s diet can actually cause the horse’s coat and/or hair to fade or the mane and tail to have a bleached-out look. Amino acids (protein), such as threonine and lysine, aid in collagen and tissue growth and repair, while methionine is a sulphur-containing amino acid important in keratin synthesis for strong hair and hooves. Fatty acids (fats) are also impactful on the horse’s coat quality, and deficiencies in Omega-3 & 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids can result in a scaly or dull coat and even hair loss. Lastly, iodine regulates skin and hair follicle activity and is important for metabolic processes in the horse. It makes sense that a balanced diet with essential nutrients will be reflected in the horse by a shiny and healthy coat.

With my reassessment of Lea’s diet, we determined that I had been underfeeding her ration balancer (generally, a vitamin/mineral pelleted mix) and that Lea’s levels of iron and manganese were very high relative to her intake of copper and zinc. Both iron and manganese need to be at proper balance in the equine diet and may interfere with zinc and copper absorption if too high. Lea was also deficient in vitamin A, an antioxidant, which is important for horses that are immune compromised like Lea. Her levels of iodine in her original diet were also too low. We not only increased the feeding rate of the ration balancer, but completely changed it to one that put iron, manganese, copper and zinc in the correct balance, and addressed the other vitamin and mineral deficiencies. We increased her source of Omega-3 fatty acids (ground flaxeed), and placed her on a better amino acid protein source. She has been on the new diet for a few months now and I was pleased to notice today how she’s really looking like a copper penny again and the scabs/lesion on her topline are gone. I also supported her coat and skin with regular application of fly spray (the flies were aggravating the areas of bare skin), a good bath, and application of a skin lotion to heal the lesions.