Vitamins

[Christine]

Hi all and a Happy New Year!!   

an experienced professional horsewoman told me that even with a thick winter fur a healthy horse would be shiny.

So I wonder if ours probably have not enough vitamins in winter 
We do offer dolomite, sulphur, seaweed meal and natural salt at lib;
and give copper, magnesium oxide, apples, carrots and linseed oil with the soaked oats.

What do you give in terms of vitamin supply?
Is there a blood-test or a hair analysis or anything to find out what is probably missing?

Thanks for your help! 

   

[Sue & Tinta]

Well I suppose it depends on how long it takes to groom through the mud ! 

I was reliably informed last year by a vet that we do not need to feed vitamins and mineral suppliments as we do not really know what our horses are deficiant in and we may actually be over feeding one mineral and cancelling out another  !!

However like yourself I feed Instant Linseed, magnesium, salt  and Didson & Horrell Equibites alongside Top Spec Cool and Condition and Alpha A Lite - my horses coat is really shiny under her rug which she does need being a fine TBX susceptiable to rain scald and she is stabled of an evening and out during the day.

It may that if we look at the bigger picture of the horse that lives out 24/7 unrugged with a thick winter coat for protection would he be producing natural oils through the coat for  extra warmth thus making the coat appear dull but actually being practical for warmth.  I only need to look at the shetland in the field with a layer of snow on her back the other week to know that whilst she is not all gleaming and shining her coat is providing adequate insulation.

[Courting the Horse]

Mmm, I was wondering the same thing the other day.  I suppose something that I think of is whether I myself am getting all the vitamins and minerals I should be getting.  I eat pretty well but I am sure I am missing things and I wonder if we can ever really get everything or can we just go with having a balanced, natural and unprocessed diet.  Obviously we give our horses seaweed meal, licks etc but I think my head would melt trying to figure out exactly what they are deficient in and of course there are always lots of different opinions.

BUT, if anyone does figure it all out please pass on the info in a concise easy to understand guide

SOmething I am interested in is enriching the pasture with plants that would have a good mix of vitamins and minerals and the girls could regulate their own requirements, they know best I think.

[Sue & Tinta]

Soething I am interested in is enriching the pasture with plants that would have a good mix of vitamins and minerals and the girls could regulate their own requirements, they know best I think.

It still baffles me that if horses are able to self select which plants and herbs that they require do we still hear of those horses that end up being poisoned by eating things such as acorns or ragwort. Fortuantely despite being a very food orientated mare Tinta did make me stop and think the first Autumn I had her . Crab-apple tree at the bottom of the field had decided to go Autumnal on me and so there was me picking up crab apples as fast as I could in order tha she wouldn't eat them and get colic - she walked right up to the bucket stuck her nose in and then upturned it and walked off - I'm sure she was sniggering 'stupid mother' to herself 

[Courting the Horse]

I know, I'm guessing that they like certain things that are good for them and don't like things that are bad for them.  I suppose the way flies like rotten things cos it suits them, but we don't cos it would be bad for us to eat rotten things.

Anyway, Christine, I meant to mention  that I am experimenting with sprouting barley for the girls and I hope thsi will cater for some more nutritional requirements.  Being a live food in itself is great as I'm sure you know.  I am trying to figure out how to stop the sprouts going mouldy after about day 4 or 5 though.  At the moment I am only letting them sprout for 3 days and this seems to be fine, but there is only a little bit of root showing at this stage. 

I'll see what happens,

[Christine]

Thanks for your thoughts! 
Hurray with the sunshine there is actually a little shine to see on the big ones (who don't roll themselves in mud  )

Hi Sue & Tinta,
Yes, I know about the danger of feeding minerals. That's why I offer most of them as free choice, so they can follow their instincts. But the soil here is copper deficient and for dogs and sheep it is poison so I rather feed that in the bucket. The magnesium oxide I put in for a while because I am not happy with the hoof quality.

I checked out Dodson & Horrell - the "Equibites" look good! Another interesting one is "Daily Vits & Mins" What drives me nuts is that hardly any supplement company states the ingredients so I have to ask them if there is sugar/molasse in or not.... Why so secretive??   

Ragwort: Ours leave it in the field (I pick them out of course) but we were told when horses are hungry and there is nothing else left in the field they might have a go and if it is in the hay they can't spot it anymore. But I suppose as with humans horses can lose their natural instinct what is good for them and what not (look at all the junk food and sugar humans consume  )
Crab apples -> ha ha  clever girl!!!! 

Hi Maria,
even with a good diet, we do take Vitamin D in winter. Genetically I believe we are made for warmer climates (hence no fur to speak of  )
With the horses we go for walks and let them have a bite in the hedges for herbs that are not in our fields or long eaten there... we should do it more often actually. 


I wonder if fodder beet is any good for horses? We don't use them because we were told they would have to be cut small to prevent choking but we don't have the equipment to do so. As kids we gave each pony a whole sugar beet every day in winter. But now I am too scared to do so. 


More tips and hints are welcome!!   

[Courting the Horse]

Hi Christine,

I know that a friend of mine gives whole sugar beets and the horses just gnaw away at them.  I don't know in general if they are safe though.  I've seen them lying in fields for sheep to eat in the winter though.  We tried Hazel and Pollyanne on them and they weren't too interested so we forgot about that.

Good luck