“Everything in our life is a reflection of a choice you have made. If you want a different result, make a different choice.” ~ unknown
Personal blog, last updated 2021.... please note the products/minerals mentioned in this blog are what work for US in our area with our horses and our soil types, etc. As I've been told numerous times, yes there may well be better products out there now in terms of providing better bioavailability of minerals, etc. I agree. But what we do here keeps our horses healthy and has done now for over a decade. We continue to soil test and have also blood tested our horses to ensure their wellbeing. You must make your own decisions regarding your particular area and your horses/breeds, etc.
Yes, I tend to bang on about minerals. It's a hobby horse of mine basically because we've seen so much improvement over the past decade in our own horses, due to educating ourselves and providing more of what they need. We don't claim to be horse health professionals. We've just learned from things proven - or disproven - by the herd.
The fact is, it is worth learning which vitamins and minerals your horse requires, and whether your pastures and hard feed are providing them, for the sake of both your horses and your wallet. Vitamin and mineral deficient horses are subject to a number of conditions that simply disappear and do not return in a fully mineralised horse.
This is something we have proven time and time again from rescuing (largely) drought starved wild horses over the years. We did not realise how important it was until we witnessed the changes with our own eyes. Which is sadly almost always the case. If more people would take the time to properly assess their horse's diet/pasture and correct any mineral imbalances, it would make such a significant improvement to not only their horse's physiological and emotional health (because yes the two are connected), but also to their property's health. Oh...and if your horse is agisted, find out what the managers/owners know about their own pastures and soil health. Because if they are taking responsibility for other people's animals, they should know.
Here at Wadi Farm (and remember we are located in south-west Western Australia), our soils are generally poor, for a variety of natural as well as man-caused reasons. Heavy rains in our area cause natural leaching which leads to soil acidity. Previous poor management and over-fertilisation caused plant growth problems (and an over-abundance of certain weeds) due to trace elements and minerals becoming 'locked up'. Our 95 acres suffered from all these issues. (Note : we no longer regard weeds as a problem unless they are poisonous to the horses, in which case they are managed in as natural a manner as possible, not using chemicals.)
We are slowly applying trace minerals when we can afford it. The soil composition keeps changing, which affects the pasture. We test different sections of the property every few years and send the samples to an independent assessor. Not one associated with soil supplement, fertiliser or supply companies. Our soil composition is largely Karri loam over gravel, with some clay. Many professionals recommend pasture testing. We're no experts, but we know that deficient soils lead to more weeds (nature's way of pulling up what's needed from deeper down and spreading it over a larger area), and poor quality grasses and pasture.
So...we supplement the horses with what is lacking in our soils and pasture, or at least we do the best we can.
Our personal mineral list was coincidentally the Pat Colbey mix which is sulphur, dolomite (magnesium & calcium), copper sulphate (also known as blue stone), and seaweed meal/kelp. Seaweed meal - depending on type of seaweed - contains up to 60 different minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates and amino acids. The mix is 4kg each of everything except dolomite which is 25kg. All of these minerals are lacking in our soils. Some people are now saying the kelp isn't great for horses. They said the same about copper and a few other things, years ago. The only way I can respond is to say ours have had access to it for years and we haven't seen a negative side effect yet. What we have seen is a huge improvement in their coats and a lessening of skin conditions such as the scabby, rain-scald type conditions.
We additionally add Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate), because dolomite doesn't have much magnesium in it and again, our area here is lacking. The horses eat more mag sulfate at certain times of year. It can have a laxative effect if too much is consumed but our horses seem to only take what they need. We have so much capeweed here that we if didn't supplement magnesium, we could well end up with stringhalt in the horses.
FYI...for those who don't know, Pat Colbey was an Australian vet who, due to personal health issues, began an extensive, lifelong study of minerals and how sorely they are needed by all animals, including humans. Some of her findings and assertions are controversial, however we have never been led astray by anything of hers that we have read. Our horses have only ever benefitted - and in some instances had their lives saved - by her recommendations. Her easy-to-read book 'Natural Horse Care' is one of our go-to manuals. Some of her findings have now been superseded. Do your own research.
But I digress.
We used to mix those minerals and free feed the mix. The horses often started out eating huge amounts of it, but then settled down (once their bodies self-corrected), to what they needed. They ate the minerals only when they felt the urge - which differed according to each individual in the herd. Some wild born horses are permanently physiologically affected by drought and starvation, particularly if they survive it all as a foal. They do not seem to absorb certain minerals as well in adulthood.
Our mistake, I happily acknowledge, was in mixing those minerals. These days we no longer combine them but give them in separate, open feed containers in the paddocks. Yes we lose a bit in winter, to heavy rains, but not much. The horses pick and choose what they need. At this time of year (wet and rain leaching the soils), they eat more copper sulphate. (Very noticeably more.) Which makes sense because copper dissolves quickly in water. They also eat the clay around our dam, and occasionally strip the bark from certain trees, which means they are getting extra copper and perhaps other minerals from these sources too. (Tree bark carries copper from the soil up the tree. If your trees are being ringbarked by your horses, it's a big sign they need more copper.)
We do not offer mineral blocks. They simply don't have enough of what is required in this area and are often cut with molasses or salt to make them more appealing to stock, who eat them as sweets rather than because they need the minerals. FYI Horses need salt - because we free feed kelp/seaweed, ours seem to get what they need from that. We put out salt several times a year but they never touch it.
Again, you can only do the best that you can do. Horses can self-select but in this day and age it's almost impossible to provide them with a varied enough and healthy enough pasture range to do this truly effectively. So we help by giving what we can establish is lacking.
We choose the free feeding method because it works for our horses. However...make sure you also know what is in your horse's hard feed if you hard feed. Don't double-up on vitamins and minerals as this can also have serious health consequences. Both too much and too little are bad for horses.
We also - now and then - add fun things to mineral time like cuttlebone (picked up off the beach), palm leaves, anything equine edible and/or stimulating. It's called 'zoopharmacognosy' these days, that self-selection by animals. It's always interesting to see who nibbles at what. Cuttlebone is mostly calcium carbonate and homoeopathically said to be good for skin, hormones, digestion, etc. Even if they don't absorb a lot, it's different and it's stimulating for them.
We offer things like oranges, orange sweet potatoes, pears, garlic (also good for dissuading internal parasites), etc. on occasion to assess if horses want extra vitamins. Also well as the occasional carrot and apple! Not all our wild born rescued horses eat food like this - those rescued as mature animals have always been wary of anything new.
Again, the right minerals improve skin/coat, hooves, temperament, digestion, general immune strength, resistance to parasites (internal and external), bone strength, etc. It's all good. We have seen skin infections such as 'greasy heel', rainscald and even 'sunburn' on noses disappear (completely) with the introduction of the right minerals containing adequate amounts of zinc and copper. (FYI while waiting for minerals to kick in, zinc cream on noses and betadine ointment on greasy heel or rainscald type patches of skin can help because betadine contains iodine, which is what the horse suffering these scabby conditions is usually lacking. You can also use straight iodine liquid on such sores but I wouldn't use it on sensitive noses or around eyes.)
Your horse's diet is very important - if you are not willing to try the self-selection way, contact a trained Equine Nutritional Consultant. Feed and nutrition folk can assess your individual horse's needs and work out the correct mineral, etc. supplements. Your vet may also be able to help. You can blood test mineral levels, particularly copper levels, although it's not cheap. It may be worth the money in the long term though because a healthier, happier horse means lower vet bills. Always.
We are also conscious of the fact that horses need vitamins as well as minerals. Contracted tendons in foals can be a result of vitamin A and D deficiency in the foal via the mare, among other things. Cod Liver oil is known to be an effective treatment. We learned this the hard way through rescuing mineral deficient mares over the years that went on to breed and produced foals with such severely contracted tendons they had to be euthanised. Once we'd identified and corrected the deficiency, the foals were born without problems. (Though we no longer breed.)
2020 EDIT : Vitamin D is technically easily absorbed via sunlight, but deficiencies do occur, particularly in certain areas and particularly when the horse (pregnant wild born mare), is already health compromised. The lack of some vitamins and minerals in an animal/human can mean that other vitamins and minerals are harder to absorb.
In addition, feedback comments from people re this blog also note that 'just' a course of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV), or a cattle antibiotic called Oxytetracycline can be injected into foals and fix contracted tendons. If so that's wonderful. Our experience? One of our rescued mares (mineral deficient as we now know, and tested for copper deficiency), was on ACV for six weeks before the birth of her last colt foal (she was also on the abovementioned minerals). The colt was still born with slightly contracted tendons, like Chipilly, who got stuck being born due to her contracted front tendons, being from the same mare. So ACV helped but didn't cure in that case.
Rosemary, Margaret's filly, who was born in 2009 with severely contracted tendons, was given a Veterinary recommended course of oxytet (the antibiotic)...the risk is that the foals suffer a toxic reaction to so much antibiotic, and Rosemary did. It was our choice to try and we will always be grateful to the Vet for doing the very best possible, and much of it voluntary, in the attempt to reverse Rosemary's condition. Sadly the oxytet didn't cure her contracted tendons before her body began to shut down from the antibiotic, so she was euthanised.
Sometimes 'cures' work...but my point re vitamins and minerals is that if you get that right in the first place, most foals won't have to suffer through attempted cures. 🙏
About vitamin C...while horses do produce their own vitamin C, providing additional vitamin C at certain times - including any condition where butte or cortisone is prescribed, apparently helps a great deal. I am told that vitamin C helps strengthen blood vessels and one vet in the past said it cures the equine 'headache' caused by sedatives at times. (How I am not sure!) Pat Colbey also mentions that it's been used to cure and alleviate bad backs and that despite horses making 30g a day on their own, if it's under stress of any kind, 'be it trauma, sickness, travel, poison bites or whatever, the extra demand far exceeds the supply.'
We keep bottles of vitamin C liquid on hand at all times. We give horses that have had to be sedated for vet care or gelded, etc. a 10ml injection of vitamin C after all work is done. They seem to recover faster from the sedative. We have also had a vet, in the past, recommend (and give) intravenous vitamin C to help battle a tricky eye infection in a mare with apparent immune system deficiency problems. It definitely helped. (That was Darrah, her story is in another blog.)
At this point I'd like to acknowledge a friend - WA endurance rider and Equine Touch Practitioner, Deb Ryan - who years ago pointed us in the right direction when it came to finding out more about minerals, in particular the deficiencies related to contracted tendons. Our much loved mare Chipilly owes a big debt of gratitude to Deb.
What about mineral inhibiting plants and grasses? Yes, they exist.
Kikuyu grass is a magnesium inhibitor but we have a lot of it here in the valley. Lucerne...as another example...can also be classed as a magnesium inhibiting plant, although it is a controversial example and can depend on where and how it's grown. But we are cautious of it. Lucerne hay/chaff...cape weed...Tagasaste (which is a fodder tree we grow)...there are a few. Be aware. With regards to lucerne, basically some lucerne has higher calcium and phosphorus levels which can inhibit the uptake of magnesium in horses. As part of a balanced diet with minerals I'm sure lucerne is okay. We used lucerne hay as a treat and used to use it to help rescued horses put on weight. We do not feed it regularly.
With regard to the above, remember that one of the mineral mixes we free feed is dolomite (calcium and magnesium), which counteracts any magnesium deficiency in our pastures. Dolomite - and it should be good quality - is cheap, and the horses consume it regularly.
Yes it's a lot to think about when you first venture here! Trust me, it gets easier the more you read. Track down the reliable information. Don't just take my word for it. And don't feel guilty or angry with yourself or anyone else if you didn't know this - that is ego talking. Now that you have taken that fantastic first step to knowledge, keep walking. Exercise your mind and help your horse.
To this end, try to understand your horse's individual metabolism and what constitutes a healthy weight for the size and breed. Please. Unfortunately the human definition of 'healthy' is often 'overweight' where horses are concerned. Just seeing the outline of the ribs (only), is actually okay in younger horses and some breeds like Thoroughbreds and Arabs. Caring is finding that fine line between work, healthy feed, space to move, and play. Our horses - largely wild born - do well on very poor pasture and at certain times of year become overweight. The challenge is to manage their feed via pasture rotation and exercise, and try to keep their weight down.
It's a big challenge, but don't you just love that?
With regard to faster weight loss, some horses seem to have trouble losing weight but again, one way to help with this is to feed the right mineral mix and allow them room to graze and move. The right minerals can help with digestion, improvement in metabolism, etc. Make sure that if you do hard feed, you are not giving them rich feed they simply do not need. Good quality pasture hay - not special, high protein hay - is also a good way to go. Raw orange sweet potatoes are good for digestion too. (And horses love them.) As the old saying goes; 'don't feed your horse like a cow'.
Be aware - apparently insulin resistant horses are also leptin resistant, which means they may not be able to stop eating by free choice. (Chemical imbalances in the brain, basically, a bit like some folks with Alzheimers or dementia.) If you are noticing this, consult your vet and/or nutrition professionals. If your horse doesn't self-select in a healthy way, perhaps consult a professional and try to find out why.
Keeping horses properly trimmed (ie. lower heels, shorter toes, regular trimming), at rich-pasture-times-of-year helps as well, because the pumping action of a healthy frog helps with circulation.
I'll finish with a bit of good old fashioned trivia...although this is a controversial one...dapples that appear on bay horses...
In our experience (having seen large numbers of horses pass us by over the past decade), bay horses develop dapples when there is a slight physiological or digestive issue like too much protein and sugar at certain times of year. Too much, or not enough minerals, or perhaps even insulin resistance, seems to cause them. Only in bays - this does not apply to dappling in other colours.
The long held belief is that bays only develop dapples when they are very healthy (and yes they may be generally fine)...but in our experience the dapples only develop at certain times of year or when they get too much or too little of certain plants/pasture. It could be mineral inhibiting pasture or pasture too rich in things like protein and sugar, who knows. It's just our observations.
It's a reminder that working with a combination of modern and holistic knowledge and treatments for your animals is often the way to go. We do not believe either one way or another is infallible. It's a bit like training methods - you should work with what is best for each individual horse at that particular time or in that particular situation.
EDIT : November 2018 : Always double-check the quality and makeup of your minerals. There is a lot of different research regarding the makeup and quality of seaweed meal/kelp these days. Some of it says too much iodine in the content causes an iodine imbalance and health problems, particularly with pregnant mares. (Foals born with goitres.) Once again, contacting an equine nutritionist familiar with your area is probably the way to go.
I've included a few photos of the herd consuming their minerals...one way or another! (FYI the overweight bay gelding with the dapples in the second photo down is McKelvie and a classic example of an unhealthy horse. It's a phase he goes through at certain times of year and we manage it by limiting his grazing and offering more minerals. And yes, the dapples fade. In the photo he is playing with his mineral bucket.)
Updated. Photos (c) KAW
All photos (c) KA Waddington
