Equestrian Life Magazine September Issue 220 | Page 103

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Reduce the Risk of Your
Horse Being Exposed
to Mycotoxins
Mycotoxin poisoning
is a problem that
many horse owners
are unaware of, and
while not wanting to
cause unnecessary
worry there are
simple steps that
every horse owner can take to
reduce their horses’ exposure.
Invisible to the naked eye,
mycotoxins are toxic chemicals
produced by some types of
mould growth under certain
environmental conditions.
The difficulty facing horse owners
is that not all moulds produce
mycotoxins and the ones that do
can die off leaving no visible trace
of contamination.
Our horses are exposed
to mycotoxins through
contaminated feed and forage.
Mycotoxin poisoning has
the potential to suppress the
immune system and cause a wide
range of conditions, ranging
from sub-clinical symptoms,
such as general lack of form,
hypersensitivity and loss of wellbeing, through to possible liver
damage.
Long term exposure to
mycotoxins can, therefore, prove
debilitating and leave the horse
vulnerable to sickness or disease
High risk groups include those
whose immune system may
already be under pressure,
including youngstock,
broodmares, veterans,
performance horses, poor doers
or sick and convalescing horses.
Horse owners can significantly
reduce their horse’s exposure to
mycotoxins by following these
simple rules:
1. Always use good quality feed
and forage from a reputable
source.
2. Store feed in a cool dry place
that is rodent proof.
3. Check sell-by dates when
buying feed and try and
choose the freshest bag
available and never feed
beyond the sell-by date.

prevalent in mature crops,
so hay is more prone to a
higher level of contamination
than haylage. Be aware of
harvesting conditions and
check that hay is or was fully
dry before baling.
6. Store hay in a dry, well
ventilated environment.
7. Practice good hygiene and
keep feed, water buckets and
feed bins clean.
8. Keep bedding fresh and clean
as bedding is fast becoming
noted as a potentially
significant source of
mycotoxin toxicity, and some
believe that contaminated
straw may cause allergic skin
reactions.

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9. Listen to your horse, if he
suddenly stops eating his
hay or haylage it may be
contaminated, as some horses
are intuitive to the presence of
mycotoxins.
10. Feed a balanced diet with
good levels of antioxidant
vitamins (A, C & E), prebiotics
and yeast cultures to promote
good health and boost the
immune system.
So, the next time you open a bale
of hay with a patch of mould on
it and still use it believing it to be
ok on the basis your horse doesn’t
have a cough or fail to wash out
your feed buckets thoroughly,
you may think twice.
Lifeforce Elite the supplement
from Alltech, the experts in
equine digestive health, contains
a mycotoxin binder, that acts
as a binding agent for up to 37
different mycotoxins helping
to prevent them from being
absorbed into the horse’s gut.

4. Big bales of haylage should
be well wrapped with a least
eight layers of plastic and
open bales should be used
within two to three days.

Alltech are title sponsor of the
Alltech FEI World Equestrian
Games™ 2014 in Normandy,
France. The Lifeforce range is the
cornerstone of the Alltech Equine
Advantage series, developed
to benefit horses at every stage
of life, from breeding stock
to pleasure and performance
animals.

5. Mycotoxins occur in
damp, humid and drought
conditions and are more

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