We all know that visible mold in feed is probably not a good thing to feed your horse as it can cause a variety of problems in different biological systems. Research has actually shown that even in decent quality feeds, mold can be present. This teensie amount of mold - called Fusarium - can cause performance issues and possible liver damage.This mold is a mycotoxins which simply means a toxin produced by fungus. When horses that had injested small amounts of this mycotoxin were studied on a treadmill, results showed that weight loss was prevalent. When you have a performance horse I am pretty sure that you do not want your athlete to be losing weight or injesting mycotoxins.
So what should we do? There isn't enough research yet to say what exactly should be done or what the exact effects of the toxins are but to be proactive you can start by buying higher quality feed, hay and bedding and try to store materials that are succeptible to mold in areas of low moisture. Don't settle for the cheapest hay or grain just to save a buck or two. Also, be aware of the processes for processing grain and hay and see if the company or individual you buy from uses proper techniques and storage because if you buy bad product to begin with you are out of luck.
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