# Vitamins and minerals



## GreenBackJack (Feb 23, 2012)

Boy that's a big question. LOL I'm in the middle of researching the heck out of this myself and have a long way to go on it. I have found that a lot of the supplements, balancers, hoof builders etc. have stuff I don't want for my particular horses. Also the mineral blocks are pretty much just salt with dirt and nowhere giving the horse what it needs. I was bummed the learn that. Currently I'm working to find the right blend of natural food stuffs and herbs to get them what they need as well as working to replant the pastures to a more natural horse diet. Anyway, I digress from your quest. hehe 

Also on the natural food line Pumpkin seeds, Squash seeds, Flax seed, sesame seed, kale, spirulina, Chai seed and Quinoa are very good sources of the nutrients and minerals they need. You can purchase these items in bulk from these sites. 
Nuts.com
Nuts in Bulk.com

Try these two sites to see if they help.
Wild Horse diet

California Trace


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## Talon (Oct 22, 2014)

DuMORÂ® Vitamin Goldâ„¢, 20 lb. - Tractor Supply Co.

Tractor supply carries this. How do you know your horses are lacking in minerals if I can ask though? What are you feeding them? You have to be careful when you're giving feed and vitamins because a lot of feeds are supposed to be 'complete' diets and you can over do it in things like selenium.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

mineral blocks contain molasses so they eat quickly and not that good for them.
Smartpak has a multivitamin also. Smart vite thrive for those in no or light work and perform for those in training. FeedXL has a neat program that you plug in your horse info and what you are feeding and it tells you what you are lacking or over feeding.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Just what makes you think your horses are mineral deficient?

Just what does their current diet consist of?

To supplement the right mineral, you have to balance out the forage. A horse needs a completely different supplement if they are on lush green pasture than if they are on alfalfa hay. A horse eating grass hay is somewhere in between. It makes a big difference if a horse is on grass hay grown on limestone soils high in Calcium (Ca) or depleted soils where Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) are just continually added.

Unless a horse is eating alfalfa, it is usually deficient in Ca and is often deficient in Magnesium (Mg). Grains are all high in P and low in Ca and Mg. Even grains touted as 'complete nutrition' do not have enough Ca & Mg because the feed mills do not know if they are going to be fed to horses eating grass, grass hay or alfalfa and/or clover. 

The problems most often seen with a simple Ca / Mg deficiency from a grass or grass hay diet are wood eating, eating bark from trees (sometimes killing the trees), eating or licking dirt, chewing paint off of things and excessive eating of feces (their own or other horses). 

The main Vitamin that an otherwise healthy animal needs is Vitamin A if the horse is not eating fresh green grass.


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

mineral block?
A salt lick with added minerals?

What is the horse eating now?

Why do you think he's deficient?

Most horse feeds have all the vitamins and minerals the average horse needs. They do need salt added to their diet. They should at the very least have a salt lick available at all times. Loose salt and minerals are better. The salt blocks are rough on their tongues and many won't lick enough.

What else do you have for feed stores, besides Tractor supply? Tractor supply is kind of hit or miss on special ordering things in. Most of the private stores are pretty good about special orders.

Southern States Horse Mineral 50lb - Southern States Cooperative


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Dumor 'Horse block' ingredients;
Wheat Middlings, Cane Molasses, Salt, Dehydrated Alfalfa meal, Cottonseed meal, Ground Milo, Sunflower Meal, Calcium Carbonate, Bentonite, Ground Soybean Hulls, Rice Bran, Cracked Corn, Dehulled soybean Meal....

^As the major ingredients in that 'mineral block' I'm guessing that's why the horses ate it in a day, not the minerals. Looks like an 'energy bar'!!


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

When I first saw those tubs of "minerals" I was intrigued.

Then I read the ingredients.

It would be gone in a few hours here. I'd have a very sick pony.


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

~VBC
SSC-31-510100
HORSE MINERAL
A MINERAL SUPPLEMENT FOR GROWING AND MATURE HORSES
Guaranteed Analysis
Calcium (Ca) (min.) 16.00% .............................. (max.) 17.50%
Phosphorus (P) .................................................... (min.) 8.00%
Salt (NaCl) (min.) 24.50% ................................. (max.) 29.00%
Magnesium (Mg) ................................................ (min.) 1.00%
Sulfur (S) ............................................................ (min.) 0.30%
Potassium (K) ..................................................... (min.) 0.30%
Iodine (I) ............................................................. (min.) 35 ppm
Copper (Cu) ........................................................ (min.) 600 ppm
Cobalt (Co) ......................................................... (min.) 9 ppm
Selenium (Se) ..................................................... (min.) 16 ppm
Zinc (Zn) ............................................................. (min.) 2500 ppm
Manganese (Mn) ................................................. (min.) 1500 ppm
Vitamin A ........................................................... (min.) 205,000 IU/lb.
Vitamin D ........................................................... (min.) 20,000 IU/lb.
Vitamin E ............................................................ (min.) 200 IU/lb.
Ingredients
(Free from Restricted Ruminant Protein Products per Title 21, CFR 589.2000)
Ground Limestone, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Magnesium
Oxide, Potassium Sulfate, Magnesium Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Manganous Oxide,
Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium
Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Ferric Oxide (For Coloring), Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of
Vitamin K Activity), Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate,
Vitamin B12 Supplement, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic
Acid, Soybean Oil, Montmorilonite Clays, Molasses Products, Processed Grain By-
Products.
Tag Code: 00818-N ~Mtime ~lot
FEEDING DIRECTIONS
Offer Horse Mineral Free-Choice in a weather protected container or mineral feeder to
horses of all ages. Provide ample fresh drinking water at all times. Use Horse Mineral as
the sole source of salt. Consumption of Horse Mineral will vary for individual horses but
should not exceed 5 ounces per animal per day. If initial consumption exceeds this level,
limit intake to 5 ounces until animal becomes adjusted to mineral consumption.
NOTE: Do not permit intake of supplemental selenium to exceed 0.3 ppm in the total ration.



Got southern states to send me the feed tag info on their horse mineral.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

The first step would be to look at the horse and see what's wrong with it that makes you feel its mineral/vitamin deficient
Then find out what your local soil is like which will give you some idea of what's maybe deficient in grazing and hay - and what its high or average in
Then look at what's in the feed you're using and see what's missing from that


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## GreenBackJack (Feb 23, 2012)

Excerpts from helpful article about feed labels *Deciphering Labels

"To give you some general guidelines, the following amounts are the recommended minimum daily intake for an 1100 pound horse in light work: Calcium 30 g, phosphorus 18 g, magnesium 9.5 g, potassium 28.5 g, sodium 13.9 g, chloride 46.6 g, copper 100 mg, zinc 400 mg, manganese 400 mg, iodine 3.5 mg, selenium 1 mg. Note: g = grams, mg = milligrams."

"The way ingredients are listed on a label is partially dictated by regulations. Minerals needed in gram amounts are called major minerals and are listed on the ingredients list as a percentage/%. Minerals needed in milligram (mg) amounts, called trace minerals, are listed as ppm, parts per million. To confuse things further, suggested dosages are commonly give in ounces so you have to convert back from that to the metric system unless the company provides this information on a per dose basis."

I really want these feed labels to be simple and a lot more helpful than they actually are. Sigh. When you start looking deeper into it you find that there is a whole lot more to it than the pretty horse on the front label. Like Cherie said, there are a lot of factors to consider when trying to balance your horse's diet. In the wild they hunt out the herbs and minerals they need and the soil nutrients are always changing. In our domesticated settings they loose that selection. 
Personally, I have these grand visions of replanting my pastures as closely as possible to a natural horse environment. If I succeed, I'll have the ugliest pastures in the neighborhood. LOL ...but hopefully, I'll have the healthiest horses too.


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## jazzy475 (Sep 18, 2014)

Get your hay tested then you know whats lacking. Have a nutritionist make up a vit/min according to what hay lacks in. Then feed alfalfa pellets & beet pulp for extra calories if needed.

Thats what iv done heck of alot easier then trying to read labels. I know my vit/min has no junk in it, no grain by products no molasses.


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## SheaFoster99 (Oct 23, 2014)

Talon said:


> DuMORÂ® Vitamin Goldâ„¢, 20 lb. - Tractor Supply Co.
> 
> Tractor supply carries this. How do you know your horses are lacking in minerals if I can ask though? What are you feeding them? You have to be careful when you're giving feed and vitamins because a lot of feeds are supposed to be 'complete' diets and you can over do it in things like selenium.


By researching why they eat dirt, eat the mineral blocks in a day, ext. 

I just kinda put 2 and 2 together.


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## SheaFoster99 (Oct 23, 2014)

churumbeque said:


> mineral blocks contain molasses so they eat quickly and not that good for them.
> Smartpak has a multivitamin also. Smart vite thrive for those in no or light work and perform for those in training. FeedXL has a neat program that you plug in your horse info and what you are feeding and it tells you what you are lacking or over feeding.


I have come across that. And want to get some... But the only containers I found will only last for 2 weeks. I would get the Smart vite thrive. And that's cool I will go and see what that says. Thank you.


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## SheaFoster99 (Oct 23, 2014)

Cherie said:


> Just what makes you think your horses are mineral deficient?
> 
> Just what does their current diet consist of?
> 
> ...


All the grass has died and is dry and brown this time of year. There is NOTHING for them to eat so they are on a all hay/grain diet. The hay is grass hay. (Poor quality hay) we grow it and its free so my dad thinks its fine no matter how many times I tell him we need to buy good quality horse hay. So I want to atleast get them some good grain and make sure they have good feed and minerals. (I am trying very hard to get better hay out for them please don't throw mean comments out at me). I have seen them licking/eating dirt (But have only seen one horse do that) They are not eating bark off the trees, or anything else. Just eating dirt. So I tried looking that up and seeing what that means and all I could find is that they are defieciant in minerals (Idk how to spell that). You're response has helped. Thank you/


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## SheaFoster99 (Oct 23, 2014)

SueNH said:


> mineral block?
> A salt lick with added minerals?
> 
> What is the horse eating now?
> ...


I have a attwoods, and potts other then tractor supply. Where I am the options are slim for feed stores. I am feeding producers pride 12% horse pellet mixed with 12% producers pride sweet feed with poor hay.


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## SheaFoster99 (Oct 23, 2014)

GreenBackJack said:


> Excerpts from helpful article about feed labels *Deciphering Labels
> 
> "To give you some general guidelines, the following amounts are the recommended minimum daily intake for an 1100 pound horse in light work: Calcium 30 g, phosphorus 18 g, magnesium 9.5 g, potassium 28.5 g, sodium 13.9 g, chloride 46.6 g, copper 100 mg, zinc 400 mg, manganese 400 mg, iodine 3.5 mg, selenium 1 mg. Note: g = grams, mg = milligrams."
> 
> ...


I could settle for a ugly pasture for happy healthy horses. I want the best for my horses. This is A LOT harder then I thought it would be. I'm glad to be finding people that are on the same page. I'm not sure if you asked before, but I feed my horses 12% horse pellet and 12% sweet feed. The brand is Producers pride. I don't let those pretty pictures fool me. Well... I try not to atleast. Thank you so much for all the help!


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

^I didn't get past 16% min calcium Sue!!


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Actually, You do not have to feed high quality hay. You just have to balance out the low quality hay you are feeding. We feed mature, low protein grass hay. We feed it 'free choice' and it supplies all of the fiber and most of the carbohydrates a mature horse needs. Only a few older poor keepers even require any grain or other concentrate. It does not supply anywhere near enough Calcium (Ca) or M agnesium (Mg). It has more than enough Phosphorus (P) in it as does any grain we feed. So, we keep out a free choice loose mineral that is 24% Ca, 5% P and 2% Mg along with 25% salt and 150,000 IU of Vitamin A per pound. 

I rather prefer feeding low protein mature hay free choice as long I am not trying to fit horses for show or growing out young stock. They eat more than they need but never enough to hurt themselves. They stay healthy but carry a bit more hay belly that works off easily. 

If they lack muscle, especially over their top-line, I give them 1/2 to 1 pound of soybean meal per day. If they are poor keepers, I feed them a grain mix with added fat daily and additional Vitamins.

We have over 50 head of horses on this program, several over 20 years old. We use and ride some of them hard. We have had as many as 300 head in our care. I cannot even remember the last case of colic we treated but it was several years ago. We have not had a horse with even minor laminitis in years. Ulcers are not ever encountered with this kind of feeding program. We have no rain rot or other skin problems -- even in the winter or spring. We do not blanket a single horse and only a few even have run-in sheds and they seldom use them (except when flies are bad in the summer).

So, what I am saying is that you can balance out almost any forage. You are much more limited when you feed a high quality bright green hay. Then you can have a disaster and you certainly cannot feed it free choice. It should be hand fed 2 or 3 times a day, weighed and can lead to ulcers and other problems. You can feed any low to medium quality hay as long as you balance it out with the things missing in it.

If your horses are eating mature, low quality grass hay, there is little doubt that they need additional Ca, Mg and Vitamin A. This will also account for licking and eating dirt. There is a wide margin of safety when adding Ca to a mature horse's diet. Since legume hay (like high quality alfalfa) has a LOT of Ca in it, no 'all-purpose' mineral is ever going to be suitable for an alfalfa based diet and also be appropriate for a diet based on grass hay. The problem with offering a mineral that is not specifically formulated for low Ca grass and grass hay is that it will never straighten out the Ca imbalance.

The other good news is that there are a lot of loose minerals out there that supply 3 to 4 times as much Ca than P and also supply a good level of Mg and Vitamin A. You just have to find them. Ours runs about $20.00 / 50# sack.


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## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

Just a suggestion...... hard to know exactly without knowing what they are deficient in......Tractor Supply carries Nutrina products. Try Safe Choice it is a complete feed and all of our horses are on it. We also feed coastal hay(not the best hay but it is what is available) with a little bit of alfalfa thrown on top ($22 a bale), then put out a pink mineral block, I add a dash of apple cider vinegar and little bit of stabilized flax seed powder, (also from Tractor Supply. Horseshine. If your store doesn't have it, they can order it.) 

So far the horses of all ages look good and no problems with colic, founder or eating strange things.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

SheaFoster99 said:


> The hay is grass hay. (Poor quality hay) we grow it and its free so my dad thinks its fine no matter how many times I tell him we need to buy good quality horse hay.


I'd hazard a bet that he's right actually. Depends of course what exactly you mean by 'poor' and 'good horse hay' but the more I learn, the more I think truly 'good horse hay' is what a cattleman(& many of us that have been programmed to think...) would call 'poor'. Mature, stemmy, unimproved varieties(native for eg), unfertilised... is the type of hay I want for my horses thanks.

Regardless of how 'good' it is, it will be lacking/imbalanced in various nutrients, both from drying/processing, and depending what's in the soil in the area & what the grass takes up. Different pastures will be rich/imbalanced/deficient in different nutrients. To be precise, grass/hay can be tested to work out what's needed to 'fill the gaps'. This is the best but not always practical - if it's your own pasture/hay tho, I'd be doing this. Otherwise you might find a local agricultural professional that may have done forage or soil testing in your area & can give you an idea of what may be lacking. Resources such as FeedXL.com are also good for this.



> So I want to at least get them some good grain


Grain isn't generally the best for horses, or rich in much nutrition-wise apart from phosphorus. Do they need extra weight or energy or such, or are you thinking of grain for nutrition? I'd be inclined to choose alternatives for either.



> I have seen them licking/eating dirt (But have only seen one horse do that) They are not eating bark off the trees, or anything else. Just eating dirt.


That's the common one. Certain areas & soil types have different minerals. Eating bark is an interesting one & I was always told it was due to a copper deficiency(was it here Cherie said something about that?) but I've read an article by an equine nutritionist who says that tree/wood eating is nothing to do with nutrition & only that certain bark/wood tastes nice. Jury's out on that one, IMO. :wink:


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## jazzy475 (Sep 18, 2014)

loosie said:


> That's the common one. Certain areas & soil types have different minerals. Eating bark is an interesting one & I was always told it was due to a copper deficiency(was it here Cherie said something about that?) but I've read an article by an equine nutritionist who says that tree/wood eating is nothing to do with nutrition & only that certain bark/wood tastes nice. Jury's out on that one, IMO. :wink:



Interesting you mentioned bark eating,my horses love tamarack will strip bark off it in one night. We use them for rails and fence post, last longer then treated post bought at the lumber yard.:lol: 

tamarack trees grow in the swaps,so can only be cut down in winter when its froze up solid. Sorry for going kinda off topic.:wink:


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

First of all, we have to recognize why grass hay is deficient in Ca. There are actually some areas in the country that are underlain by limestone. Limestone IS actually Calcium Carbonate. The highly prized 'Bluegrass' country of Kentucky is underlain by limestone which contributes to the 'quality' of the grass. It has a much higher Ca content than the same varieties of grass grown on other soils. 

After years of farming and taking tons of hay and other crops off of any soil, the Ca in the soil is gradually depleted. If it is not added back to the soil by applying lime or ground Calcium Carbonate, the produce off of that soil contains less and less Ca. Acidic soils contain very low level of Ca. 

Ordinary Fertilizers are mainly concerned with adding minerals that produce more tonnage and crop yield -- not more Ca in that tonnage. So Nitrogen and P are continually added while Ca and Mg become more and more depleted. It is much more efficient (and cheaper) to supplement animals' diets than correct the mineral deficiencies in the soil. 

Most deficiencies are very difficult to quantify. Blood and hair samples may show some of them, but Ca and P do not show up as animals rob the Ca and P out of their own bones to keep everything else working as well as possible. Foe example, only extreme Ca deficiencies show up during lactation because Ca stored in bones is mobilized by mammals. Only extreme deficiencies cause things like milk fever and grass tetany (both Ca and Mg are deficient here).

So, it is easier to recognize what is going on and supplement what is likely the cause. 

Eating tree bark is very definitely a lack of minerals, especially when horses are eating wood and bark like it is grain. If you leave out a free choice mineral that is high in Ca and Mg, those horses will usually gobble it and quit eating the wood and the bark. I think that speaks volumes. 

If you think about it, most trees do not grow in cropland. They grow on marginal ground that has not had decades or centuries of crops removed from it. Why wouldn't they have more essential minerals in them?

When we started supplementing Ca and Mg some 45 years ago, we stopped having horses eating wood, bark and dirt. When we get in a new horse, whether fat or thin, they usually gobble up loose minerals for several days after having access to them.

Calcium Carbonate is by far the cheapest and most available form of Ca. Feed mills use it by the ton. You will find it on the list of ingredients of almost every grain or other concentrate because it is used to bring the Ca ratio in balance with what animals need. It is NOT put in there in large enough quantities to balance out grass hay and fresh grass, only the grain products sold in the sacked feed.

I hope this puts it all in a little better perspective. It is not rocket science, but it is never explained very well by nutritionists and I really think it is not very well understood by them either most of the time.


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## New_image (Oct 27, 2007)

Cherie - What are you using to supplement calcium and mag, where do you get it in a loose form, just any ole feed mill? 

I have recently started adding EquiPride minerals to our horses diets (they are hay/pasture only). Not that they looked bad before but it has added an extra nice glow to their coats. HOWEVER I have been looking to supplement cal/mag as this product is like the others and higher phosphorus. I do feed a lot of alfalfa hay though.


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

Mine peel a little bark in early spring when the sap starts running but I attribute that to just wanting something fresh to eat after a long winter. The sap is concentrated and sweet in the spring. If it wasn't we wouldn't have maple syrup.

Little gardening knowledge does go a long way.
I know I have no calcium in the local soils. I know I have no magnesium. All the readily water soluble minerals here have gone deep out of the reach of grass.

I actually prefer my rather plain grass hay too. I don't want or need dairy cattle hay or race horse hay. I want plain, chewy, fibrous grass that hasn't been over fertilized. It's easy to make up the lacking nutrients with a feed concentrate. Impossible to take it out if there is too much in the hay. Few horses need high test hay. They need fiber.


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## SheaFoster99 (Oct 23, 2014)

SueNH said:


> Mine peel a little bark in early spring when the sap starts running but I attribute that to just wanting something fresh to eat after a long winter. The sap is concentrated and sweet in the spring. If it wasn't we wouldn't have maple syrup.
> 
> Little gardening knowledge does go a long way.
> I know I have no calcium in the local soils. I know I have no magnesium. All the readily water soluble minerals here have gone deep out of the reach of grass.
> ...


The hay I use trying to get away from is fertilized. Its fertilized by chicken manure from chicken houses. Does that mean anything? I don't know what kind of grass it is, but when its nice and warm spring/summer its tall, thing and green. But now that its in a bail (and dead/dry) it looks terrible and more like cow hay. I don't know what to do about my hay situation. The hay that is better and is also free, is better then what comes off my property, but its the same fertilizer and I think grass. This is confusing to me... And its cut around the same time. What kind of hay do you feed your horses and how much? Mine get a bale and when its gone we put another one out. (round bale)


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## jazzy475 (Sep 18, 2014)

SheaFoster99 said:


> The hay I use trying to get away from is fertilized. Its fertilized by chicken manure from chicken houses. Does that mean anything? I don't know what kind of grass it is, but when its nice and warm spring/summer its tall, thing and green. But now that its in a bail (and dead/dry) it looks terrible and more like cow hay. I don't know what to do about my hay situation. The hay that is better and is also free, is better then what comes off my property, but its the same fertilizer and I think grass. This is confusing to me... And its cut around the same time. What kind of hay do you feed your horses and how much? Mine get a bale and when its gone we put another one out. (round bale)



You have another thread about a mare,also have 2 pics of her,one she's thin in other she looks beautiful. I love her looks and color very pretty girl

Did you feed her current hay to get weight on her? Sometimes hay can look terrible but be pretty good nutrition wise. Also sounds like your feeding free choice hay,so they can eat the best parts, and leave whats maybe not so good. 

If horses are keeping good weight look good ,chances are hay might not be as bad as you think. Only real way to know is have it tested then you will know for sure whats missing vit/min wise.:wink:


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## SheaFoster99 (Oct 23, 2014)

GreenBackJack said:


> Boy that's a big question. LOL I'm in the middle of researching the heck out of this myself and have a long way to go on it. I have found that a lot of the supplements, balancers, hoof builders etc. have stuff I don't want for my particular horses. Also the mineral blocks are pretty much just salt with dirt and nowhere giving the horse what it needs. I was bummed the learn that. Currently I'm working to find the right blend of natural food stuffs and herbs to get them what they need as well as working to replant the pastures to a more natural horse diet. Anyway, I digress from your quest. hehe
> 
> Also on the natural food line Pumpkin seeds, Squash seeds, Flax seed, sesame seed, kale, spirulina, Chai seed and Quinoa are very good sources of the nutrients and minerals they need. You can purchase these items in bulk from these sites.
> Nuts.com
> ...


Have you found that your horse likes more then another? I would like to get them some of something new that they would enjoy but not sure on which they would like best? Do your horses prefer anything over something?


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## GreenBackJack (Feb 23, 2012)

Equipride

Equidisc

*I'm sorry, someone else mentioned this product line but I couldn't find their post to give credit to them. 

Addressing the dietary needs of domesticated horses can be challenging. Optimally in the wild, they are able to search out what they need. We kind of mess that up for them by giving them these padded cells we call pastures. 
I'm sure no one here is trying to give you a headache with all this information. It's just kind of working out that way. LOL 

Please try to let go of the good hay/bad hay issue. Your horses are much much better off without the rich fancy green hay. There are a lot of sugars and fertilizers in that hay that your horses do not need nor were designed to process. And even if you did have that "high quality" hay, you are still in the same mineral/vitamin boat as you are now. Just because it's green does not mean it's balanced. It's about what's in the soil not the color of the grass that matters. Take a look a the products in the links I posted above. You could get one of the blocks or the disc for a decent price and they do not have all the stuff you don't want your horses to have. 

If you want to be really accurate about balancing your horses diets then you'll need to have your hay tested, your soil and pasture tested and include any supplements or grain you're feeding. Then piece all that information together to figure out what's missing. It's a perfect opportunity to use all that fancy math they told you in school you'd be using every day. Yeah, right! Or...you could just order a mineral supplement. 
But please don't worry so much about the hay. If it's clean and free of bad weeds, dead animals and tractor implements, it's going to be just fine for your beautiful horses. (I did look at your "barn" and they are gorgeous!) 
Try feeding them some carrots or pumpkin for a little fresh vitamin A during the winter when it's not available to them in their forage. But above all, keep their diet as simple and natural as possible. People get into all kinds of trouble when they panic about their horse's diet and start adding all kinds of fancy stuff. 
You sound like you love these horses very much and are doing your best to make sure they are well taken care of. I believe you are going to do just fine by them!


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## GreenBackJack (Feb 23, 2012)

Oops. just over posted you. hehe

The thing with horses is that they can be as picky as five year old kids when it comes to introducing new foods. When I first started offering fresh pumpkin in their meals I spent a lot of time on the floor picking up their bowls. Ugh! Now, they love it and you'd never know that I once tried to poison them with it. LOL 
Literally 5 individual pumpkin seeds in one gelding's dish and the whole bowl was on the floor. The yearling next to him couldn't get enough and nearly ate the bowl itself. Mainly the trick is to take it really slow and have patience. Introduce one thing at a time so they don't get overwhelmed. After awhile they will come around to accepting a new food. You just have to be patient. Of course if your offering something that really sucks in horse terms then likely all the time in the world and it's still going to be like Brussels sprouts to a kid. Wormer paste is one of those. bleh.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

SheaFoster99 said:


> its tall, thing and green.


Yeah, that's a pretty reasonable description of grass! Chicken manure tends to be high in nitrogen, not sure what else. Depends how much manure, what the soil type is it's going on...


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

Nothing wrong with good old chicken poop. Manures will add other things to the soil that man made fertilizers don't. The chemical fertilizers are just adding nitrogen, phosporus, potassium. No trace minerals to speak of, nothing with water retaining properties. There is a lot of nitrogen in bird droppings, mostly in the form of ammonia. It will burn plants if not aged. Nice part about chicken manure is there are no weed seeds escaping the birds gut intact.

Wouldn't worry about true organic fertilizers at all.


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