Supplementing magnesium - Will I be unbalancing his feed?

[nemo_]

My horse has developed some fat pads whilst still appearing ribby, and after doing a bit of research, I've found that supplementing magnesium might help with the fat pads. However, he's curretly fed on Spillers Lite Balancer so if I supplement some extra magnesium will it unbalance this? Or do I need to feed something with it? (I've read it's absorbed more easily when salt is fed too?) I just don't want to get this wrong and cause any problems!
Thank you

 

[marmalade76]

It depends on whether your balancer contains magnesium and how much.

I have read somewhere that too much calmag makes the droppings loose and you have to cut down the amount you give until they return to normal, not sure if also applies to magnesium though.

 

[nemo_]

Thank you!
The balancer has 0.6g/kg so he's not getting very much from it (only fed 400g balancer), as if I've worked it out correctly, he needs 6g magnesium. I was just wondering whether it would upset any important balances like feeding oats effects the calcium: phosphorous ratio?

 

[ThePony]

You should be totally fine, ours are supplemented with it and it has really helped them, esp their hooves. As marmalade76 mentioned, loose droppings can suggest too much magnesium if you are supplementing it, so just drop the dose back a little if that happens. Ours currently get 5g heavy magox each day.
If you want to be 100% certain that everything is balanced in relation to everything else, then you can get your hay and pasture analysed and a feed plan put together. It isn't cheap but at least that way you can be totally sure all is well - we will be doing this when the grass is through a bit more as ours are barefoot so am hoping to make sure all is perfect so they are as rock crunching as poss! http://www.forageplus.com/