by Nikki Alvin-Smith
Photos are available on request.
When there is something wrong with your horse (or even if there’s nothing wrong but you like to be proactive), there is a tendency by many horse folks to try and hedge their bets in how they utilize feed supplements for their beloved equines.
The trouble is that following two or more courses of action to avoid making a choice between using one feed supplement over another is rarely a good idea.
In our quest to get our horse’s well-being on track and proffer them the utmost support it is understandable that the notion of making the wrong decision is something we seek to avoid. When our horses hurt, so do we. And the worry and stress of not knowing exactly what is going on or what will work to fix something diagnosed or apparent, pervades our days. Worries that can niggle at us all day long despite us being elsewhere or busy with something else.
First Steps Into The Ring
Negative effects of over-supplementation with adjunct ration balancers and specialist feed products are real. The first step to figuring out what equine feed supplement will truly be beneficial and which ones won’t, is to gather some information on how they work.
Nick Hartog, owner at leading feed supplement manufacturer Grand Meadows, has spent decades doing his best to educate equine aficionados on the matter of a horse’s digestive system and how it uptakes what where, how it functions and what the huge feed supplement market is all about. In his 17-Part Video Series of Fireside Chats, he offers guidance on how to figure out “This crazy horse feed supplement market,” in an approachable manner.
Now You Know The Course
Once you have acquired this basic understanding you can have confidence that you know the course you need to take to support your horse’s well-being when making that decision on what feed supplement to use and when. You know the approach to take, the steps to take and the results you can expect to land.
The next obstacle to overcome in your own head is the time clock. We all love the idea of quick fixes. But the reality is only in the most acute of circumstances will intervention with administration of a quick-acting product be necessary. Many conditions are chronic in nature and have arrived at our in-gate because of a nutritional imbalance in the horse. Other issues may arise in the equine due to illness or injury and these will require very specific methods to address them successfully.
Don’t let’s worry about getting over the obstacles on course within a certain time frame cause you to go the route of ‘throwing everything but the kitchen sink’ to get your horse through. The potential pitfalls of feeding multiple feed supplements are good facts to know. This information is shared not to scare you, but to empower you to make smart and likely also cost-saving decisions on what feed supplements to choose.
Consider the fact that within the body of any living entity there is an ever-changing chemical balance that takes place and over-supplementation of one mineral or component can negatively effect another. For example: the balance between calcium and phosphorous is important as explained by Nick Hartog:
“The most important thing about Calcium and Phosphorous is their relationship to each other. The ideal Calcium/Phosphorus ratio for a mature horse is 2 to 1 with a minimum of 1 to 1 and a maximum of 6 to 1. Although an excessive amount of calcium will not normally cause a problem provided there is an adequate amount of phosphorous in the diet, Calcium in excess of 2% of the total diet may be harmful. Symptoms of excess calcium can be bone and cartilage inflammation and a decrease in the absorption of other important minerals. The result of excessive Phosphorous and Calcium deficiency is bone demineralization. There may also be an enlargement of facial bone structure, lameness and weight loss. As the condition worsens nasal passages may become partially blocked, teeth may loosen and fall out and limbs will be much more susceptible to fractures.”
Here’s some pertinent information on what to look out for in regard to over-supplementation and what amounts of particular components should not be exceeded to avoid doing more harm than good. It’s not a long list and well-worth knowing.
Complete The Course
Once you have formulated your plan for supporting your horse’s wellness with use of a particular supplement and understand how it will work with his forage and other nutritional aspects, don’t be tempted to go off course or not complete the chosen path.
Jumping from one shiny tub of product to another, or cocktailing feed supplements together, is a recipe for both wasting time and money and as you’ve learned from reading and hearing the above facts, a risky route to chart. Stay the course.
Bring Home The Win
The horse feed supplement arena is a highly competitive marketplace where it is easy to lose sight of where progress has been made and what constitutes a win. And very often the blue-ribbon product is not something that is the most promoted brand you see online or in the glossy pages of a magazine, but one that is accurately labelled with highest quality ingredients of known provenance.
The way to ‘bring home the win’ is to do your homework before you leave your backyard and head out to the competition grounds. As an experienced international level coach/clinician/competitor my students know I follow the mantra, “We Win Our Ribbons At Home; We Just Go To The Shows To Collect Them.” in regard to being proactive in my horses’ nutritional management, as well as in their training. Do you?
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About Grand Meadows: Founded in 1989 by visionary Angela Slater, Grand Meadows is a leading horse health product and equine supplement manufacturer driven by the guiding principle of providing affordable, extremely high-quality science-backed horse products to help ensure horses look and feel their best.
For the past 35 years the company’s mission has been honored and developed further, by President Nick Hartog, who among other accomplishments is one of the founding members and current board member of the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), an organization that has a profound impact on the safety, transparency, and legitimacy of the animal supplement industry.
Grand Meadow products are widely used and trusted across the entire horse community from Olympic medal winning competitors and successful horse racing trainers to backyard horse owners. Their equine supplements are highly regarded for their excellent quality resourced ingredients and completely accurate labelling and effective formulations. Learn more at https://www.grandmeadows.com/
About Nikki Alvin-Smith:
Content Creator | PR Partner | Seasoned Writer | Brand Builder |
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Please visit https://www.horseinakiltmedia.com/ and https://nikkialvinsmithstudio.com/ to learn more about her affordable services.
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Grand Meadows, Orange, CA
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Tel: 607 434 4470
https://www.grandmeadows.com/