Do Horses Really Need Supplements? Separating Fact from Fiction

As horse owners, we all want the best for our equine companions. One question that frequently comes up is whether horses truly need supplements. With the wide array of horse supplements available on the market, it's crucial to understand what's necessary and what's simply marketing hype. Let's dive into this important topic and separate fact from fiction.

The Basics of Horse Nutrition and Supplementation

Dietary horse supplements play a vital role in a horse’s daily routine, providing concentrated doses of key nutrients in the form of powders, pellets, pastes, or liquids. These supplements are designed to support overall health, enhance performance, or address specific needs, with nutrients being absorbed through the digestive system and transported via the bloodstream to benefit targeted tissues.

Equine supplements can be mixed into feed, top-dressed, or administered orally using a syringe or paste. With a wide variety available, horse owners can choose supplements tailored to their horse’s individual health and performance requirements.

When Do Horses Need Dietary Supplements?

Horses may require dietary supplements when they aren't eating well, are under stress, or have high activity levels. If a horse is sick, traveling, racing, or consuming low-quality hay, they may need vitamin and mineral supplements to maintain proper nutrition.

Stress from illness, competition, or transport can also increase nutrient demands, making supplementation necessary. Additionally, horses on grain-based diets may require specialized supplements to prevent vitamin and mineral imbalances.

Horses with high activity levels, such as those in heavy work, lactating, or growing, often need extra potassium, protein, minerals, and vitamin E. Nutritional deficiencies can manifest in poor coat and hoof quality, weight loss, and decreased appetite. For personalized guidance, consulting an equine veterinarian or nutritionist is the best way to ensure your horse receives the right balance of nutrients.

Evaluating Your Horse’s Diet

Evaluating your horse’s diet is essential for ensuring they receive the right balance of nutrients. Tools like Feed Assist (available for free on the Poseidon Animal Health website) and Feed XL provide comprehensive equine feed analysis, helping identify any deficiencies in protein, fat, vitamins, or minerals.

In addition to analyzing feed, it's beneficial to test your horse's forage. Hay tests offer insight into the quality of hay you're feeding by providing analysis of crude protein, fibers, and non-structural carbohydrates. Understanding the nutritional composition of your horse’s hay or pasture can help fine-tune their diet and ensure they receive the necessary nutrients for optimal health and performance.

Types of Horse Supplements: An Overview

• Essential Vitamins and Minerals: If your horse eats a commercial grain or concentrate, it should already contain essential vitamins and minerals. Fresh grass also provides necessary vitamins, but hay-fed horses may need supplementation since nutrients are lost during curing and storage.
  To prevent toxicity, always compare feed and supplement labels to avoid overfeeding any one ingredient. Before adding any supplements to your horse’s diet, consult your veterinarian to ensure they are necessary and appropriate for your horse’s specific needs.
  
  
• Joint Health Support: Whether your horse is aging with osteoarthritis or active and needing joint support, hip, and joint supplements can help. With many formulations available, a 30-day trial can reveal noticeable improvements.
  Key ingredients in these joint supplements for horses include glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, MSM, ASU, yucca, devil’s claw, vitamin C, ester C, collagen, and silica.
  
  
• Digestive Health Aids: If your horse is prone to colic or digestive upset, focus first on management changes like reducing stress, increasing turnout, and ensuring ample forage. A digestive support supplement may help, especially those containing probiotics, yeast, oligosaccharides, and digestive enzymes to promote gut health.
  However, you should know that your horse could be susceptible to ulcers, with gastric and hindgut being the most common types.
  Horses are more likely to develop gastric ulcers if they’re in performance disciplines, eat high-grain diets, have irregular feeding schedules, face environmental stress, experience travel or social stress, or have an underlying illness. Your veterinarian may recommend Omeprazole along with dietary management, such as feeding low-starch grains and alfalfa hay to help buffer stomach acid.
  On the other hand, hindgut ulcers are colonic ulcers that happen in the large intestine on the horse’s right side. It occurs when undigested sugars and starches from grain or rich pasture reach the hindgut, producing lactic acid. Managing diet is key to both prevention and healing. Your vet may prescribe medications like sucralfate or misoprostol. Reduce the colon’s workload by limiting long fiber (hay) and replacing it with shorter fiber sources like hay cubes, pellets, or chopped hay.
  
  
• Calming Supplements: For horses that are easily spooked or high-strung, calming supplements can help, especially if they’re already getting enough exercise. The best calming supplements for horses support the nervous system with ingredients like vitamin B1, magnesium, and L-tryptophan, along with herbal remedies such as valerian, chamomile, and hops.
  
  
• Hoof Supplements For Horses: Horses with brittle or weak hooves prone to chipping or losing shoes may benefit from hoof supplements. These help correct dietary deficiencies, but visible results take 6-12 months as the hoof grows out.
  Key ingredients include biotin, lysine, methionine, threonine, zinc, copper, cobalt, MSM, and omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, all of which support stronger, healthier hooves.

Conclusion

While not every horse needs supplements, they can play a valuable role in maintaining equine health when used appropriately. The key is understanding your horse's individual needs and working with professionals to develop a targeted supplementation strategy. Remember, supplements should complement, not replace, a well-balanced diet.

By taking a thoughtful, evidence-based approach to supplementation, you can ensure your horse receives the optimal nutrition needed for health, performance, and longevity. Whether you're caring for a senior horse, a high-performance athlete, or a recreational companion, the right supplementation strategy can make a significant difference in your horse's well-being.