IN Ireland, we are blessed with some of the best grass in Europe; however, both the forage drying process and the more recent extreme weather conditions can mean that the vitamin and mineral content is depleted.

In 2009, vets discovered the first case of equine nutritional muscular dystrophy (NMD) in Ireland. The clinical report detailed a four-day-old, full-term Connemara colt with a progressive inability to stand up unassisted. A diagnosis of NMD was made based on muscle weakness and low vitamin E and selenium levels.