Do we over suppliment?

T

Toby_Zaphod

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 August 2005
Messages
9,301
Location
Midlands
Visit site
I read some posts on feeding regimes by some people & their horse’s feed seems to be made up of mainly additives & the minutest bit of actual feed. Do we really need to feed so many supplements/ additives/ potions & lotions. There are a variety of supplements etc in feeds anyway so are we actually ‘over egging the pudding?’ Years ago horses ate grass in the field, hay in the stable & nuts or straights as a feed.

I question the amount of extras we put in feeds & why we do it. Is it because so much is written in various magazines regarding feed that we are influenced by these ‘experts’ & feel we must follow suit.

I accept that horses performing at the highest level are just like human athletes & to get total performance their diet needs to be absolutely right.

The majority of us do nothing like the amount of work with their horses that could be described as medium let alone hard (as printed on feed bags) ………………………. Do we really need all the extras?
 
I've tried to find the most basic food for my horses needs that I can. Ie. Fast Fibre and a mineral mix, because I have them on little grass - so they won't be getting their main nutritional needs - to keep their weights correct.

I do think a lot of people over complicate it. A part of that may also be, on the back of a bag, it tells you what to feed and if you don't feed that amount, then you need to supplement. How many people actually feed the amount the bag tells you, because some of those amounts are ridiculous?

Until 5 years ago, I did feed straights and I never saw any problems with it - but the horses were also in medium work. Its just not feasible for me to store several bags although it would take me months to go through them with 2 ponies.
 
I think that it really depends on what you would say 'over supplementing' is, my boy is on NAF Magic, Linseed Oil and Garlic and I wouldn't class this as too much.
He also has a tiny bit of feed, but that's because he is a good doer and he only has token feeds anyway which is why, despite being in medium work, he only has high fibre mix.
 
Totally agree!!

Feeding has become way too complicated and the suppliment market is mind boggling. I had a lovely livery, a first time horse owner and her horse was having 6 suppliments daily, until I gently pointed out that most of what she was supplimenting was already included in her hard feed.

I am lucky that my horses have access to good quality grazing and haylage, so see no need to suppliment. The ones in work are fed nuts and chaff but only in the winter - Dr Green looks after them for the rest of the year.

Having said that I do swear by one suppliment - pink powder by Naf. If we ever get a horse in that looks a bit poor I always put them on it for a few weeks, and it works wonders.
 
Years ago, meadows had proper grass in. You know, lots of varieties, herbs and hedgerows had all sorts in.

Nowadays, we have over fertilised pasture fit for beef or milk production and then farms diversify by allowing horses on the land.

Fact is, the old nutrients in the ground are no longer there! Not where I am anyway. It's leached out by nitrates and herbicides to keep grass in and weeds out.

So I am afraid supplementation is very necessary!!

If I didn't I would have a very sore, bloated, nappy horse. Instead I have a perfectly sound fit horse.

It is all very well to reminisce through rose tinted glasses at years gone by but things have changed and it is not for the betterment of our equine friends when it comes to forage!

Also, people have different ideas of what supplementing is.... I add in what is needed only. I do not add stuff in willy nilly.
 
I think the only one that gets me is the number of people feeding garlic, despite the fact there is research out there more than suggesting that garlic does more harm than good in lots of ways.
 
I think the only one that gets me is the number of people feeding garlic, despite the fact there is research out there more than suggesting that garlic does more harm than good in lots of ways.
Click to expand...

Eeek I feed garlic in the summer to help deter flies!!

What harm does it do?

Got me worrying now ;)
 
CrazyMare said:
I think the only one that gets me is the number of people feeding garlic, despite the fact there is research out there more than suggesting that garlic does more harm than good in lots of ways.
Click to expand...

This is what i keep telling my youngest who goes a bit garlic mad. I dont believe it keeps flies away at all.
Our 5 only get supplement if they need it for a reason, other than that they get a mineral lick and grass in summer.
 
Yes!

Many people guess that their horses need various minerals/vitamins because 'the land round us is short of x', without having blood tests done. IMO the only way to tell if the HORSE has a deficiency is by a blood test.

We have been guilty in the past of over/incorrect supplementation and have paid the price. We started to feed NAF Pink Powder because we had to feed haylage and the droppings were very loose. Months into it we realised that in fact it was having an adverse effect on them, in various ways. We stopped it, started to give a little bran instead and they were back to normal. Now they have a mineral lick and that's it.
 
The only way I think people over supplement is when they don't read the ingredients and feed something eg for hoof quality and a general vitamin/mineral supplement, without realising the hoof supplement is fully balanced. A lot of people do things like that.

Grass quality is generally either too rich, or overgrazed these days. Neither provides a good level of nutrition. Years ago we fed straights and grass/hay, but horses weren't expected to work or live as long. They were considered past it at 15yrs. A horse that lived into its 20's was considered ancient. Now its common for horses to live into their 20's and still be working.

Horses didn't used to be pets really. Unless you'd owned it for years and felt you owed it 2 or 3 yrs in retirement, horses that couldn't do the job they were purchased for were PTS or sold on to do work within their limitations. People rarely kept a field ornament for 10+yrs. Now there's a culture of keeping a horse alive (and preferably working) well into old age. For the body to do a decent job of renewing itself and repairing damage it needs adequate nutrition.

A lot of supplements are actually herbal medicine given to horses that would in the past have been PTS due to their medical conditions.
 
I agree with what Tallyho says about the sort of pasture that we have access to these days and do supplement.

But I am careful to only feed what is missing in the hay and grass my horse has access to. It would look to some people that I feed alot of supplements but in fact I am feeding 4 or 5 minerals whereas a premix might have 12 different minerals.

One thing that does worry me though is overlap. Some people might be feeding an multivit, a calmer, a joint supplement and a hoof supplement. If you read the ingredients you would find that some minerals would be present in some or all of these. Add this to a mix or cube that has minerals added and you could end up with really high levels of some things.
 
It's no coincidence that there is far more colic about than was normal. Overfeeding and over-supplementation must pay a part in this coupled with the general lack of horse sense from many owners nowadays that are happy to read any blurb and think their horse needs this that and other because a famous rider is saying so forgetting completely that their horse is not of the same calibre or doing the same work. As someone else says, sling 3 or 4 different supplements in the mix and you're bound to get overlap of some ingredients which can't be good for the horse.
 
I also think that we over supplement nowadays.

I agree that we don't have the quality of pasture that existed years ago, although mine has been herbicide and fertiliser free for many years now. I used to feed a general supplement as currently advised and was constantly battling metabolic type issues. Stopped that and went on to basic high fibre haylage and a salt lick and no more problems.

It is common now to see manufacturers recommending ways to feed your way out of an issue - exciteable horse needs a calmer, overweight horse needs a special balancer and low calorie chaffs, old horse needs a supplement, horse with poor feet needs a special supplement, laminitis prone needs a special supplement,prone to colic feed this supplement etc. Sometimes I think many issues can be solved with a simple diet and correct management, often less feed and more work, but we are lulled into wanting a quick and easy fix. I'm sure there are times when supplementation is necessary and a good thing, but not for the majority of average horses.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top