Horse facts as told by a Shetland pony.
Gypsy, the Equine Encyclopedia, tells why horses need VITAMIN D.
Vitamin D is essential for mineral utilization and helps horses absorb calcium and phosphorous. It is fat-soluble and is known as the “Sunshine Vitamin.”
In horses, Vitamin D toxicity is a cumulative effect and causes abnormally high absorption of calcium, sensitivity of leg tendons, increased heart rate and many other ill effects.
Horses obtain Vitamin D from ultraviolet sunlight and sun-cured cut hay (not from grass or pasture; sun-curing hay increases the Vitamin D content).