Dandelion leaf – a vitamin-rich addition to horse feeding

Dandelion leaf (Taraxacum officinale) is used in feeding particularly when you want to add nutrient-rich green leafy plants alongside the basic forage. It is a vitamin-rich supplement that is used when you want to diversify the diet and bring in the green leafy plants typical of the summer season.

In nature, horses obtain part of their nutrition from green leafy plants, especially during the grazing season. During the indoor feeding season, the diet is mainly based on dried hay, meaning the proportion of green plants remains low. Dandelion leaf adds variety to the diet and provides the qualities of green plants that horses naturally get during the grazing season.

Bitter compounds and digestion – a general connection

Dandelion leaves naturally contain bitter compounds, which are typical of many green leafy plants. The bitter taste is part of the plant's characteristics and relates to the normal physiology of digestion, as digestion begins already in the mouth and the upper part of the digestive tract during eating.

In this context, bitter compounds participate in the normal function of digestion as part of the food's taste and the plant's natural composition. This is a physiological phenomenon of the body on which digestive function is based.

Vitamins and minerals in dandelion leaf

Dandelion leaves naturally contain several vitamins and minerals typical of green leafy plants. Amounts vary depending on growing conditions and harvest.

Natural composition, approximate values / 100 g dried dandelion leaf:

• • Potassium: approx. 300–500 mg

  • Calcium: approx. 150–250 mg

  • Magnesium: approx. 40–80 mg

  • Iron: approx. 10–20 mg

As is typical of dark green leafy plants, dandelion contains vitamin A precursors, which are found more abundantly in green plants. Vitamin C is present in many fresh plants as part of their natural composition.

As is typical of natural products, the concentrations vary depending on growing conditions and harvest.

Dandelion and potassium

Additionally, dandelion leaf is a naturally potassium-rich leafy plant. Potassium is one of the horse's essential minerals and is obtained particularly from forage and green plants. Potassium is among the minerals involved in everyday basic functions such as muscle and nerve function as well as the body's fluid balance.

Potassium is found in the body particularly in body fluids and muscle cells. Sweating is a horse's normal way of regulating body temperature, and through sweat the body loses fluid along with dissolved minerals such as potassium. For this reason, potassium is among the minerals associated with fluid balance and normal muscle function.

During the indoor feeding season, the diet is based on dried feed, meaning the proportion of green plants is reduced. Dandelion leaf brings the potassium typical of green leafy plants to the diet as part of the overall diet. Dandelion leaf complements the diet with the overall profile typical of green leafy plants.

Why especially during the winter season?

Drying and storage alter the original composition of hay. During drying and storage, some of the natural vitamins and other more sensitive compounds in hay decrease, and the diet is then largely based on forage without the qualities of fresh plants.

Green leafy plants naturally contain vitamins and minerals that horses obtain from nature during the summer season. For this reason, many supplement the indoor feeding season with natural plant-based additions to bring green plants and their typical nutritional richness to the diet.

Dosage:

Horse (approx. 500 kg):
0,5–1 dl per day

• 1 tbsp ≈ 3 g

• 1 dl ≈ 25 g

Please note

Not suitable for use in situations where the animal has known bile duct or intestinal obstructions.