Horse Supplements - Minerals, Vitamins and Their Role in Your Horse’s Health
Supplementing your horse’s diet with quality vitamins and minerals can help promote your horse’s overall health and wellbeing. There are many different formulas and brands of supplements, some for overall general health and some for specific horse needs.
Are your horse’s feet in poor condition and need better hoof growth? If so, a supplement with biotin or that specifically targets hoof health like Farrier’s Formula, might be a good addition to your horse’s diet.
Frequent traveling, showing and high-performance horses may benefit from a general vitamin supplement. Horses recovering from surgery or illness might also benefit from a general horse vitamin supplement or if a horse is eating poor-quality hay. As with all things horse health related, a discussion with your vet on your horse’s supplement needs is recommended.
Salt blocks or mineral blocks are available in white, red mineral or Himalayan salt. Choose the type of salt block by your horse’s dietary needs and taste.
White salt block’s main ingredient is typically sodium chloride while red trace mineral blocks also contain trace minerals like copper, zinc, manganese, iron and iodine. Trace minerals are an integral piece of your horse’s diet and some horses prefer the taste of a mineral block over a plain white salt block.
Himalayan salt is less processed than other salt blocks, keeping the natural structure of the minerals together. Because of its natural state, Himalayan salt blocks tend to resist weather and hold up better in the pasture than a white salt block or mineral salt block. With a different taste than white or red salt blocks, some horse owners have found success with horses that don’t normally like blocks. Himalayan salt licks come in block form or attached to a rope.
Your horse’s health is vital to their wellbeing. A hay analysis and a look at your grain ingredients along with a meeting with your vet will help determine which horse vitamins, minerals and salt supplements you horse requires.