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Additional minerals healthy for many horses

Minerals are of great importance for all horses. And when a horse sweats a lot, exercises, grows, or has a foal at its side, additional minerals are often needed. Dutch roughage has become increasingly poor in minerals over the last few decades. A horse that only gets hay or hay and a little concentrated feed can therefore develop a deficiency in essential minerals.

Minerals

Feeding

2 July '24 • 3 min reading time

Minerals Are Important for Horses

Minerals are crucial for the skeleton, nervous system, and digestion of horses. All mammals require various minerals, even if sometimes only in tiny amounts. Sport horses that use their bodies more intensively and sweat more have a higher mineral requirement than horses that only perform light work. They especially need more sodium, chloride, and often potassium. These minerals can be found in electrolyte products. Growing horses and lactating mares also have above-average mineral needs, particularly calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and silicon. These minerals are found in mare feed and liquid silicon supplements.

Supplementing Every Horse?

Every horse is different, and the mineral needs vary per individual. It depends on the horse's age, activities, and living conditions. In general, most horses can benefit from a daily balancer or mineral block. This meets the basic needs for vitamins and minerals. You can also meet this basic need with two kilograms of concentrated feed per day, but this is less suitable for many horses due to the high amounts of sugars, starches, and additives in most concentrates. These can overload the body and cause stomach issues and itching in horses. Most horses used for recreation and light sports do well year-round with high-quality, unpacked hay and a balancer. However, this doesn't mean that these horses can't benefit from occasional extras.

When Is More Needed?

In certain situations, horses consume more minerals. For instance, during stress caused by changes in the group, competitions, or moving. During stress, a horse uses more magnesium for its nervous system, and a balancer may not suffice. In hot weather, an electrolyte supplement can be wise to replenish minerals lost through sweat. Horses sensitive to insulin resistance, laminitis, and summer itch often have a higher mineral need. The mineral requirement of your horse also increases during the spring and autumn molting periods. Also, be cautious if you soak your hay because your horse gains weight easily, suffers from laminitis, or has respiratory issues. Soaking hay washes out many minerals, leaving even less than you would normally expect.

How to Measure Deficiency?

It is incredibly challenging to know if and to what extent your horse has a mineral deficiency, and especially to prevent one. Some minerals are stored in the body and released as needed. You only notice a deficiency when the reserves are also depleted, and by then, problems have often arisen. For example, a mare might have used calcium from her bones to nourish her foal. Always consider what your horse is doing and what else it is consuming. Liquid silicon as a top dressing on feed is an excellent addition for many horses. It supports the health of tendons, ligaments, connective tissue, cartilage, and bones. A liquid magnesium supplement is also a good idea for many sport horses and stressed horses. We are happy to help you figure out what would work for your horse, so feel free to call us for advice.

Smart Supplementing

A convenient and smart way to supplement a wide variety of minerals and trace elements, besides magnesium and silicon, is with a mineral buffet. Your horse can then choose what it needs. You can use a supplement made from Bering Sea water in a bucket of water. It contains a wide range of minerals and trace elements in an easily absorbable form. Additionally, it is rich in fulvic acid, which helps transport minerals to the right places in the body and removes waste products. Always place a bucket of fresh drinking water without additives next to it to quench your horse's thirst, giving it a real choice.

Sources:

Tabel met behoefte aan belangrijkste mineralen en sporenelementen voor verschillende types paarden: https://www.voervergelijk.nl/informatie/92/behoefte-vitaminen-en-mineralen

M.J.S. Moore-Colyer. Effects of soaking hay fodder for horses on dust and mineral content. 2010. Animal Science Volume 63 Issue 2. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/animal-science/article/abs/effects-of-soaking-hay-fodder-for-horses-on-dust-and-mineral-content/F39299E2734D846DDA425B57DA056726

H.F. Hintz. Mineral requirements of growing horses. Pferdeheilkunde12 (1996)3 (Mai-Juni)303-306

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