How much do they need and how much do they get?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ann Hatfield on July 13, 2009 at 4:35pm

Good question. Our equine vet wrote in a local horse mag. that most horses, in her experience, don't need any extras and that they are a lot of money for nothing. When I next talk with her I will ask if blood tests show deficiencies and what they show. She was also somewhat concerned about people having a mineral block for their horses and then feeding supplements as well.

Humans need considerbly more of vitamins and minerals if they are larger than the norm. So, are the labels on additives for horses correct in their amounts; do they allow for small to large and if not, is the suggested amount even effective for large horses?

Be nice if we had a technician or vet lurking on this site who might answer these questions.

Permalink Reply by Cathy Mitchell on July 19, 2009 at 10:39pm

This article is 25 years old. I'm sure there are have been many more developments in equine nutrition since it was written.

The article points to high quality hay for all the horse's nutritional needs. Technically this is correct *BUT* this requires you to test every batch of hay you purchase. You can't tell nutritional quality by look or smell, it has to be done in a laboratory. I know our local feed store has access to the necessary information to locate a place that can test your forages.

I feed an "all in one" supplement, Animal Naturals' Show & Go, to assure that the deficiencies are few. It's cheaper than using multiple supplements and the horses love the taste.

http://www.an-nat.com