Am I giving my horse too many supplements?

Am I not giving my horse too many supplements? If I add this or that, is that okay, or will it be too much? These are questions that we regularly receive from horse owners, and understandably so! We have customers who give only 1 product, but sometimes we also hear that a large number of products are being given. Sometimes the question is indeed; are you perhaps giving your horse too many supplements? In this blog, we will explain what you need to consider.

If it's not beneficial? Then it can be harmful!

You will never hear us say "if it's not beneficial, then it doesn't harm". Because even natural products can have a negative influence on the body if they are used incorrectly. Therefore, never just give a supplement to your horse, but always use it for a reason. And of course, there are also products that you can give without any problems, but why give something if it's not necessary? Our advice is always: use a supplement for the period it is needed and stop when possible.

Give a maximum of 4 supplements at a time

There is no strict rule that says you can only give a certain number of supplements at once. There is no maximum to the number of supplements you can give to your horse at the same time, but we prefer to give a maximum of 4 at a time. And for many horses, you won't even reach this maximum, but for a horse with an injury or condition, it may be necessary to use multiple supplements at the same time (temporarily).

We stick to a maximum of 4 because the horse also needs to be able to absorb and process the products properly. "Less is more" is sometimes really true. The more we add to the horse's feed, the harder the body has to work to absorb it all. It's also not always necessary to give products continuously for months. Therefore, vary the supplements and stop occasionally (when possible).

Establish your basic ration and supplement it!

The basis of your horse's ration should always be forage. Based on the forage, you will supplement, and that supplementation is different for every horse. A healthy horse without problems may possibly be satisfied with forage + a balancer. For example, you can occasionally give a course of nettle tincture or additional minerals during the shedding period. But for a young horse, you may want to provide extra support, or a horse with a condition.

Here are a few examples:

• Healthy adult horse: Forage + balancer + occasional course of nettle tincture

• Healthy young horse: Forage + balancer + silicon for overall support + occasional course of nettle tincture

• Horse with PSSM: Forage + balancer + Vitamin E + Chelated Magnesium

• Horse with mites: Forage + balancer + detox twice a year and nettle tincture four times a year, plus a winter supplement against stamping

• Horse with joint problems: Forage + balancer + silicon + clove extract and a joint supplement course every 3 months

Vary your supplements!

Consider a supplement as an addition to your ration. You give a supplement because your horse needs something extra that it cannot get enough of from its basic ration. However, in most cases, it is not necessary to continuously add magnesium and/or vitamin E throughout the year. You can choose to give a bottle of magnesium and switch to a bottle of vitamin E once the first one is finished. This way, you regularly replenish any deficiencies in the body, but also give the body a chance to regulate itself. This works well for most problems/conditions. If your horse responds well to a product and has been stable for a while, try to reduce the amount and see how it goes!

It is always advisable to take a break week every 6-8 weeks with herbal-based products. This prevents habituation, but more importantly, there are herbs that can eventually have a counterproductive effect. That's why it's important to take a break week occasionally.

Some supplements work better with long-term use

Silicon and clove are supplements that often need to be given for a longer period of time. You can consider this as a kind of base. For example, silicon has a longer time to be fully active in the body. It is a building material and always requires more time. Especially if you want to use it as an alternative to glucosamine in powder form. Silicon stimulates the production of glucosamine. But because it is a building material, you need to consider 2-3 months, so the longer you give it, the better the effect!

You can see this with a product based on clove extract as well. The longer you use it, the more balanced the body and mind become, activating the horse's self-healing ability. Of course, you can also use clove for acute injuries and temporarily, but for conditions like arthritis, it works better when used permanently.

Critically assess your feeding schedule

Sometimes, we advise customers to reduce the number of supplements given and see if the horse shows any changes. Or start with giving 2 products and then after about 4 weeks, see what symptoms are still present. Firstly, you can better see what exactly the product's effect is on your horse, but you can also use products more targetedly.

Therefore, always critically assess your feeding schedule and consider whether everything you give adds value. Of course, we are happy to sell our products, but it should always be of value to the horse.