Supplementing magnesium

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poiuytrewq

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I've read a lot recently about supplements etc etc
I've found that's area is a well known place that the ground or grass lacks magnesium and should be supplemented.
Is magnesiums main effect calming? What else does it benefit and will it calm if not needed?! (That sounds a bit odd!)
Thing is my ridden horse is not really in need of a calmer but I have two others aswell and a Shetland on my field and if they are deficient in something they need obviously I'd buy some. At the same time I do t want to be wasting money on unrequired things !
 
PLEASE!!!! A humble request! Magnesium has NO PROVEN EFFECT ON CALMING!!!
The amount of times I read about it being used as a calmer. It's all a sales pitch from companies just wanting your money!
Yes, supplementation is good if your horse is deficient, but if you're buying it for calming purposes please do some research.
It really frustrates me that companies do not seem to ever give the best advice for horses. Maybe I'm old fashioned and think there should be more ethics in feed/supplements!
 
There may be no proven effect on ALL horses but anecdotal evidence is very strong and as our grazing is generally low in magnesium it is often a good place to start.
 
Afrikaner said:
PLEASE!!!! A humble request! Magnesium has NO PROVEN EFFECT ON CALMING!!!
The amount of times I read about it being used as a calmer. It's all a sales pitch from companies just wanting your money!
Yes, supplementation is good if your horse is deficient, but if you're buying it for calming purposes please do some research.
It really frustrates me that companies do not seem to ever give the best advice for horses. Maybe I'm old fashioned and think there should be more ethics in feed/supplements!
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That is absolutely not true. My horse spooked at anythng and everything, stuff he should have easily been able to cope with, for no good reason (I had bred him and knew his complete history) before I started him on Magnesium Oxide. Yes it's anecdotal, and yes, it is only the case if the horse is deficient in Mg anyway, (my soil tested low in Mg and high in calcium) but there are good rationales in several articles I have read why that should be the case. Quite apart from anything else, to give it daily for a couple of weeks provides a good diagnostic indicator - if it has an effect that was what was wrong inthe first place. And you don't need to buy expensive calmer products to do that - simple Magnesium Oxide will cost less than £10 for several weeks supply.

This isn't marketing hype
http://www.performanceequineusa.com/magnesium-themineralsuperhero.aspx
 
What you have probably read is that people are wising up to "general supplementation" versus "targeted or bespoke supplementation" for ADULT horses. (Youngstock is different kettle of fish and that is a whole other subject)

It does get confusing when you get the dribs and drabs of various conversations and snippets about supplements but generally, the domestic horse owner population is waking up to the fact that soil sampling or forage testing can go a long way to help the health of horses.

E.g. soil/forage sample shows copper/selenium deficiency = supplement those minerals only. Either in the food or through fertilisation of the soil. It works out cheaper in the long run and you are managing it in the most scientific and efficient way.

Buying tubs of broad spectrum vits and mins is still the most popular way to ensure a horse gets all the nutrients it needs but doing it in a more intelligent way can save you money in the long run and help horses get even healthier as you are not over/under supplementing.

Hope that makes sense.

So, instead of jumping on the bandwagon and getting your horse a dose of MagOx, do it intelligently and first soil/forage test to see if you need it.

There are secondary factors to consider once this is done though i.e. the horses' personal metabolism... Mg is anecdotally known to help improve insulin absorption into muscles in IR horses - this stems from Type 2 diabetes studies in humans. To determine if that really is the case, you need a vet to do a blood test and perhaps a liver test. A sluggish liver does not cope with over-supplementation very well. The kidneys will not thank you for overloading it with minerals it does not need.

So, anyway, the point I am trying to make is, don't supplement on a hunch. Test and get a vet if you think something is amiss. I have a feeling that you will be embarking on a journey now about nutrition... just read and absorb all you can from as many different sources and don't forget your basic microbiology and physiology!!

p.s. the barefooters seem to know alot about it, so if you want to know more specifics, post in vets.
 
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JillA said:
That is absolutely not true. My horse spooked at anythng and everything, stuff he should have easily been able to cope with, for no good reason (I had bred him and knew his complete history) before I started him on Magnesium Oxide. Yes it's anecdotal, and yes, it is only the case if the horse is deficient in Mg anyway, (my soil tested low in Mg and high in calcium) but there are good rationales in several articles I have read why that should be the case. Quite apart from anything else, to give it daily for a couple of weeks provides a good diagnostic indicator - if it has an effect that was what was wrong inthe first place. And you don't need to buy expensive calmer products to do that - simple Magnesium Oxide will cost less than £10 for several weeks supply.

This isn't marketing hype
http://www.performanceequineusa.com/magnesium-themineralsuperhero.aspx
Click to expand...

Isn't that just my point? If all calmers stated that it is only effective if your horse's diet is lacking in Magnesium then that is fine. The fact is they do not. They sell them as a calmer for all. As for it being not true, find me one study or clinical trial that has proven it works. It does not unless your horse is lacking and even then there is no proof it works. It may for some, may not for others. The arguement can be had for many others but do you not think there is no clinical proff because it can't be done? Great it worked for your horse, just saying it doesn't for them all.
 
tallyho! said:
What you have probably read is that people are wising up to "general supplementation" versus "targeted or bespoke supplementation" for ADULT horses. (Youngstock is different kettle of fish and that is a whole other subject)

It does get confusing when you get the dribs and drabs of various conversations and snippets about supplements but generally, the domestic horse owner population is waking up to the fact that soil sampling or forage testing can go a long way to help the health of horses.

E.g. soil/forage sample shows copper/selenium deficiency = supplement those minerals only. Either in the food or through fertilisation of the soil. It works out cheaper in the long run and you are managing it in the most scientific and efficient way.

Buying tubs of broad spectrum vits and mins is still the most popular way to ensure a horse gets all the nutrients it needs but doing it in a more intelligent way can save you money in the long run and help horses get even healthier as you are not over/under supplementing.

Hope that makes sense.

So, instead of jumping on the bandwagon and getting your horse a dose of MagOx, do it intelligently and first soil/forage test to see if you need it.

There are secondary factors to consider once this is done though i.e. the horses' personal metabolism... Mg is anecdotally known to help improve insulin absorption into muscles in IR horses - this stems from Type 2 diabetes studies in humans. To determine if that really is the case, you need a vet to do a blood test and perhaps a liver test. A sluggish liver does not cope with over-supplementation very well. The kidneys will not thank you for overloading it with minerals it does not need.

So, anyway, the point I am trying to make is, don't supplement on a hunch. Test and get a vet if you think something is amiss. I have a feeling that you will be embarking on a journey now about nutrition... just read and absorb all you can from as many different sources and don't forget your basic microbiology and physiology!!

p.s. the barefooters seem to know alot about it, so if you want to know more specifics, post in vets.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more!
 
Surely it depends why your horse is hyper in the first place? Mineral deficiency/imbalance, inappropriate diet in general or management and 'work' stress for eg? True calmers are tranquillizers and tbh who wants (or should) to give them routinely? lol Horses can be hyper for many reasons and magnesium deficiency is one of them in my understanding. It is also a common deficiency so the reason these so called calmers often work. Sodium is another very common deficiency I believe.
Getting forage analysis done is a good step but the whole diet must be taken into account. It's also worth looking at the horses whole lifestyle and work load as well imo rather than just looking for the one magic bullet aka quick fix.

Magnesium also appears to be of use in metabolic horses.

ps. A generally hyper horse is also at risk of gastric ulcers which will compound the stressy behaviour.
 
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It definitely works for my mare, and again I just use cheap mag ox off ebay (It even says on the label a brief description of UK forage often being deficient). Having run out since I started feeding it I do not wish to run out again! When she gets wound up without it her muscles quiver and she is rock hard with tension, haven't had that when she is on it.

Yes it is because the soil is deficient, but I think you'll find quite a few people with anecdotal evidence.

I do know what you mean about the companies selling it though. They should make it clearer that it only works because the soil is deficient, but then maybe they don't think consumers are interested in science, hence one of the brand names 'magic calmer'.

The thing is, the people who are interested in the science will look at the label and say 'well, that's just magnesium, surely I could get that cheap in a basic form?' and off to google they go... to be fair the more expensive ones are often more digestible forms than mag ox.

Some people don't want to know WHY something works, they just care that it works, and the brand is associated with magically calmed horses!

I was interested to read the articles about cresty horses etc too.
 
amandap said:
Surely it depends why your horse is hyper in the first place? Mineral deficiency/imbalance, inappropriate diet in general or management and 'work' stress for eg? True calmers are tranquillizers and tbh who wants (or should) to give them routinely? lol Horses can be hyper for many reasons and magnesium deficiency is one of them in my understanding. It is also a common deficiency so the reason these so called calmers often work. Sodium is another very common deficiency I believe.
Getting forage analysis done is a good step but the whole diet must be taken into account. It's also worth looking at the horses whole lifestyle and work load as well imo rather than just looking for the one magic bullet aka quick fix.

Magnesium also appears to be of use in metabolic horses.

ps. A generally hyper horse is also at risk of gastric ulcers which will compound the stressy behaviour.
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Absolutely!
 
My horse is a compleat nutter and he's definitely a bit better, and less on edge so I'm sure its working and he's only been on two scoops a day for the past two weeks.
 
Mine used to get affected by the grass (rapidly growing so high in potassium which affects mag absorbion) he gets 50-70 grams of salt daily and when the grass was stressed he would need magnesium.

He had ulcers which was actually the cause once these were resolved he now only requires a balanced diet and salt and I haven't got grass issues and he hasn't needed extra magnesium in over a year.
 
As an aside: I use it (Nupafeed) as the best thing I've found so far for helping my lad's head-shaking.

My YO told me about the number of people on their site who'd said "By the way ... wasn't feeding for this but it (reduced/eliminated) X's head-shaking."

Worth a try, thought I, as I'd tried all other routes than surgery and ... bingo!
 
Afrikaner said:
PLEASE!!!! A humble request! Magnesium has NO PROVEN EFFECT ON CALMING!!!
Click to expand...

There is if it's deficient and it is deficient in most spring grass, which is why it is well documented that horses go doolally in spring every year.

It's all a sales pitch from companies just wanting your money!
Click to expand...

Not all a sales pitch, just most. Buy calmag from a farm supplies shop if you want to supplement magnesium £12 for 25 kilos.
 
Afrikaner said:
Isn't that just my point? If all calmers stated that it is only effective if your horse's diet is lacking in Magnesium then that is fine. The fact is they do not. They sell them as a calmer for all. As for it being not true, find me one study or clinical trial that has proven it works. It does not unless your horse is lacking and even then there is no proof it works. It may for some, may not for others. The arguement can be had for many others but do you not think there is no clinical proff because it can't be done? Great it worked for your horse, just saying it doesn't for them all.
Click to expand...

I swear by it, works wonders on my mare and would never go without it. But I do agree with you. Bugs the h&ll out of me. I was at a big equestrian store lately ( shall remain nameless) and there was a gentleman wanting a 'calmer' to load his horse and was advised to use naf magic for a few days. I did step in to explain and the sales person was not impressed.
If it works like it does it is perfect but it should not be sold as a general calmer!
 
? for cptrayes, have you found the calmag to be readily accepted? I use 93% fine mag and mine don't notice it in their feed, tried calmag many moons ago and couldn't get them to eat it very easily, it would be a real bonus if i could as it's far cheaper, what percentage mag is calmag do you know?
 
Boysy said:
? for cptrayes, have you found the calmag to be readily accepted? I use 93% fine mag and mine don't notice it in their feed, tried calmag many moons ago and couldn't get them to eat it very easily, it would be a real bonus if i could as it's far cheaper, what percentage mag is calmag do you know?
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There are apparently a lot of horses who won't eat it, but I've never had one. I believe that Rockley uses it without a problem, but I'm not sure if they just don't give the fussy ones the finer stuff.

I can't remember what weight of it is Mg, but it's over 90% MgO according to the bag I was reading just now :) I think it's only a little less Mg than the other forms, weight for weight. I can send you a bit if you want to try it again and not buy a 25 kilo bag!
 
Mine wouldn't eat CalMag so had to go with MgOx powder...

If you taste calmag, its bloody horrible... I think I lost a few million tastebuds for a few days.

Anyway, in the end, expensive as it was, I ended up buying a 5kilo laminshield lick and hung it in the field in spring.

Our pastures are deficient in Cu and Selenium so I bought cheaper licks high in those minerals for summer. The lami-prone did really well on it and we chucked our boots off and hacked on the stoniest of tracks barefoot (thanks for that tip CPT!!!)! Warning though... the chestnuts and bays were so shiny I almost needed sunglasses to look at them :D
 
Thank you! One is I guess transitioning to barefoot?! Well he's retired and had his shoes off- doing very well but slightly sore at times so might help him.
Interested in the lami factor having a very cresty (but slim) connie and a Shetland.
Like I say not really needed as a calmer anyway so I'm not too interested in that being a effect or not. I did used to feed it as a calmer and have to say I thought it helped!
 
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