When talking about sport performance horse requirements Thiamine is a water soluble vitamin essentials for horse health. Thiamine is Vitamin B-1 and is important in the body's metabolic cycle for breaking down glucose and carbohydrates to create energy. It has other functions too of course like facilitating digestion of fats and proteins. It has the same function in horses and dogs as it does for humans. It supports a healthy nervous system which includes brain, muscle and heart function. It is valuable for its calming effect on the horse. Also helpful to assist the immune system and improve the body's ability to withstand stressful conditions such as competition and endurance runs.
A deficiency of Vitamin B-1 while rare, can show up a loss of appetite, general weakness and overall lethargy. Loss of energy, mental impairment and wasting muscles can also be a sign of this deficiency. Thiamine is susceptible to damage or degeneration by being subjected to heat. Care should be taken with regard to storing and buying feed that you are told contains thiamine because it can be destroyed through processing or poor storage. In which case
supplementation is recommended. Be sure when supplementing with Thiamine you are getting the best quality products from a company that stands behind its name.
