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Better fertility of mares and healthy foals thanks to vitamin E

Vitamin E plays an important role in improving fertility in mares. This has been known for humans for some time. But this vitamin also has a positive effect on horses. Vitamin E is often used together with other antioxidants. It increases the fertility of mares and stallions and ensures better resistance in breeding mares and their newborn foals.

Vitamin E

20 February '23 • 4 min reading time

The effectiveness of vitamin E in people with fertility problems has been well researched. There have also been a number of scientific studies done in horses.

Vitamin E deficiency

Vitamin E is an incredibly important vitamin. Not only for fertility, but also for your horse's muscles and nervous system. It is a powerful antioxidant. Because horses do not produce vitamin E themselves, it must come from their diet. Grass contains a lot of easily absorbable vitamin E, so horses that spend all day in the pasture get enough vitamin E. It's different for horses that mainly eat hay or haylage. Especially sport horses and horses used for breeding have a higher need for vitamin E. They can develop deficiencies if they are not on grass and do not receive supplements.

Improved fertility of mare and stallion, and better resistance

For stallions, the quality of sperm and sperm cell motility increase when they receive extra vitamin E. This leads to a greater chance of successful fertilization. For mares, supplementing with vitamin E not only improves fertility, but it is also good for transferring immune antibodies to the foal in the last month before birth. When the mare receives enough vitamin E, it also leads to a higher quality of colostrum (first milk) that her foal drinks. This means that the foal is better protected against diseases and bacteria in the early period of its life.

Grass?

Most foals are born between February and June. Not all breeding mares are already (fully) on pasture at that time. Researchers therefore recommend giving mares extra vitamin E one month before and one month after foaling. A good vitamin E status leads to increased transfer of immune antibodies. This transfer occurs before birth via the placenta, and then via the mare's colostrum. A mare that receives enough vitamin E can give her foal a better and healthier start! Foals and young horses with a severe deficiency in vitamin E can develop the muscle disease NMD.

Fertilization

Vitamin E is also very important for successful fertilization. Research in humans showed that in 30 to 80% of cases of male fertility problems, oxidative stress and reduced antioxidant activity were found in sperm. This could indicate a deficiency of antioxidants such as vitamin E, which can be supplemented through diet. Extra vitamin E resulted in more sperm cells, which were also less frequently damaged. For women, taking vitamin E is also recommended to improve fertility. Many women also take vitamin E to reduce menstrual complaints and PMS.

'Natural' vitamin E

Feeding vitamin E to horses is very precise. Not all types of vitamin E are well absorbed. The most absorbable form of vitamin E is the isomer RRR-α-tocopherol. This is found in wheat germ oil, for example. Commonly known as natural vitamin E, but because RRR-α-tocopherol can also be made in a factory, 'nature-like vitamin E' is a better name. What you don't want for your horse is 'synthetic vitamin E', which refers to dl-α-tocopherol acetate. This is often found in cheaper vitamin E supplements. This isomer is very poorly absorbed by horses and is often a waste of money.

Conclusion: Choose strong antioxidants for better fertility

For improving fertility, the antioxidant action of vitamin E is very important. To supplement deficiencies, it is best to choose nature-like vitamin E, or RRR-α-tocopherol. In studies on fertility in humans and horses, a combination of antioxidants was often used, including vitamin C. One of the strongest antioxidants on the market for horses is grape seed extract. A combination of this with nature-like vitamin E, possibly supplemented with vitamin C, is therefore recommended. Especially if your breeding animals cannot eat grass or eat very little. Vitamin E is also an important supplement for the immune system of mare and foal.

Sources

Deichsel K, Palm F, Koblischke P, Budik S, Aurich C. Effect of a dietary antioxidant supplementation on semen quality in pony stallions. Theriogenology. 2008 May;69(8):940-5. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2008.01.007. Epub 2008 Mar 20. PMID: 18358523. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18358523/

Contri A, De Amicis I, Molinari A, Faustini M, Gramenzi A, Robbe D, Carluccio A. Effect of dietary antioxidant supplementation on fresh semen quality in stallion. Theriogenology. 2011 Apr 15;75(7):1319-26. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2010.12.003. Epub 2011 Feb 4. PMID: 21295825. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21295825/

Ahmadi S, Bashiri R, Ghadiri-Anari A, Nadjarzadeh A. Antioxidant supplements and semen parameters: An evidence based review. Int J Reprod Biomed. 2016 Dec;14(12):729-736. PMID: 28066832; PMCID: PMC5203687. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28066832/

Mohd Mutalip SS, Ab-Rahim S, Rajikin MH. Vitamin E as an Antioxidant in Female Reproductive Health. Antioxidants (Basel). 2018;7(2):22. Published 2018 Jan 26. doi:10.3390/antiox7020022 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5836012/

Kentucky Performance Horses. Vitamin E: An Essential Nutrient for Horses. Review. 2018. https://kppusa.com/2018/03/02/vitamin-e-essential-nutrient-horses/

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