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Free choice minerals

From: Fran

Hi Jessica,

Thanks for everything you do and the effort you put forth to keep us informed and in tune with our horses!

I own a small boarding stable and offer mineral salt blocks both in the pasture and in each stall.  One of my boarders has just begun using 'free choice loose minerals and salt' which are separate.   All of her horses are just lapping up the minerals as fast as we put them in.  They really don't eat much of the salt however. It's hard to believe that they were that deficient when I have been giving them a complete pelleted feed and 3 flakes of good quality grass hay per day.  They are also turned out at least 8 hours per day depending on weather.  They actually still have some grass to graze while out as well.  None of them used their mineral salt block the way they are going after this loose stuff.  I am worried that they might overdo the minerals even though the manufacturer says that they will only consume what their bodies need and not to worry if they eat a lot of it.

I searched the archives but didn't see this addressed specifically.  I trust your opinion and my boarders are interested in this as well since if the diet is lacking they may want to use the loose minerals as well.

Thanks again for everything and we look forward to your reply.

Fran



 

Hi Fran! Horses sometimes have difficulty licking up salt from a mineralized block, and it can make the process easier if you'll soften the top layer of salt by pouring a little water on it.

The loose minerals and salt may appeal to them because of the ease of access, or there may be a high sugar content to the mix -- without knowing what the mix is, I can't tell you. Horses will also tend to eat large quantities of easily-consumed tasty goodies regardless of any nutritional value! I can tell you that I'm aware of a series of experiments done to evaluate whether horses would choose the minerals that their bodies needed, and with the single exception of SALT, the answer was NO -- the horses ate what they wanted, which often had little or nothing to do with what their bodies actually needed.

If I were you, I would begin by talking with my vet, and perhaps move on to the county or state extension horse specialist. Have your hay analyzed, and look closely at the nutritional specifications on your pellets -- you'll be able to figure out whether your hay, pellets, mineralized salt, and water comprise a nutritionally complete diet for the horses. It probably does, and if it doesn't (this can happen in certain areas IF the hay is lacking in particular nutrients and the pellets don't make up for the lack) then it would be better to give the horses a daily measured amount of a SINGLE vitamin-mineral formula specifically designed to make up for the deficiencies in your area. If the free-choice minerals, eaten in large quantities, provide a horse with too much of a particular mineral or minerals, especially when you figure in the amounts already contained by the hay and pellets, the result may be less than good for that horse's health.

Horses don't have the body-wisdom to eat only what their bodies require. Horses are designed to live in a way that involves a good deal of walking and a good deal of chewing, and the constant consumption of high-fiber, low-protein food. In nature, horses tend to stay in places where there is water and/or salt, until the food runs out, then they move on. If there is no salt, they will travel for miles to find it -- without it, they can't function. But this is the limit of their bodies' wisdom about nutrients. ;-)

Horses are absolutely unequipped by nature and evolution to deal with a "smorgasbord" of free-choice treats -- if offered free access to minerals, they may eat too much, not enough, or the wrong ones. If offered free access to grain, they will eat until they colic or founder -- not out of stupidity, but because nature tells them to eat constantly, and piles of grain, and especially piles of grain with molasses and salt added, are simply not found in nature!

The "natural" horse will take a bite of grass, take another, take another, walk a few steps, take a bite of grass, etc. By the time that horse takes in the same amount of nutrition that would be found in half a bag of grain, he will have walked forty miles and eaten grass for two days, and his digestive system won't be threatened.

Don't count on horses to be too terribly clever about their nutrition, especially when feeds and vitamins and minerals are mixed with sugars and salt to tempt horses to eat them; instead, count on equine nutritionists and equine veterinarians to give you good advice about horse nutrition.

Jessica

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