Published on 25/10/2024
Horses need minerals for their health and wellbeing.
A horse's body does not produce minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, chloride, potassium and sulphur, yet they are essential for many vital processes. That is why it is important to give supplements suited to your horse's needs, to help avoid health problems such as nutritional deficiencies.
Sellerie GZ presents a range of quality supplements, organised by your horse's needs, age and your goals.
Ready to find out which supplement or supplements suit your horse?
1) Your horse is an adult in good health
A) Easing stress
Anything new or unsettling, such as travelling, competitions or a change of yard, can cause stress in some horses. Stress reduces the ability to learn, limits optimal sporting performance and affects wellbeing. A suitable supplement can help your horse through a stressful situation.
Ask a nutrition specialist or a vet for advice before using the feed or extending its use.
- Rekor “So cool”
- LPC anxious
B) Preparing for exercise
To support preparation for sporting effort and recovery afterwards, it is best to give a supplement containing B vitamins, above all B12.
This type of supplement also helps your horse oxygenate better during exercise.
During periods of intense work (training, racing, competitions), demand for vitamins and minerals rises. A multivitamin supplement designed specifically for the balance of the sport horse is needed to meet it.
C) Rehydrating after a performance
If your horse is an adult in good health, you can give supplements designed for sporting performance.
After a hard session, minerals known as “electrolytes” are needed to make up for what is lost through sweat, to help recovery and rehydration.
D) Muscle and joint support
During intense effort, it is important to protect your horse's muscles and support the joints. These supplements combine natural substances that are essential to the joints of the competition horse. They help maintain and restore joint structures and prevent cartilage degeneration.
E) Eliminating toxins
To help the body eliminate toxins after exercise, it is vital to support the horse's liver and kidneys, known as the hepato-renal function.
The kidneys and liver have vital roles in the body, as they are responsible for filtering and absorbing nutrients.
They also contribute to digestion and the removal of waste. This is effective for horses prone to filled legs.
F) Preventing tying up, muscle soreness and cramps
Muscle problems are common in sport horses, whose need for vitamin E and selenium is higher. A supplement combining the antioxidant effect of vitamin E, vitamin C and selenium with a supply of lysine is essential to help the body adapt better to exercise.
Vitamin E reduces the risk of muscle contractions (cramps) and is recommended following muscle disorders (myositis, “tying up” and similar).
G) A course of vitamins
To support the body and boost the immune system, a course of vitamins is recommended twice a year. A course should last between two and four weeks.
H) Improving coat, mane and tail, and hoof quality
Several supplements can improve your horse's coat, hoof growth and hair quality.
First, there is biotin, which:
- strengthens the hoof wall, frog and sole
- stimulates mane and tail growth
- contributes to healthy skin
- Biotin Rekor “Biotin +”
- Hippotonic Biotin Plus M
Then there is linseed oil, which gives your horse:
- help with digestion
- a shiny, healthy coat
- better hoof condition
- help with joint flexibility
- better athletic performance
- a lower risk of colic
2) Your horse is elderly
A) A course of vitamins
To support the body and boost the immune system, a course of vitamins is recommended twice a year. A course should last between two and four weeks.
B) Joint pain and stiffness
As horses get older, they are often prone to arthritis, a form of joint degeneration that can cause pain, stiffness and discomfort. Supplements are available to improve mobility and comfort of movement.
C) Preventing the effects of ageing
To keep older horses in good shape, it is essential to guard against the effects of ageing by supporting digestion, liver and kidney function, and the muscles and joints, for the horse's wellbeing.
3) Your horse is convalescing
A) A course of vitamins
After an illness, a horse's immune defences are low, and a course of vitamins is needed to help it recover.
B) Eliminating toxins
After heavy treatment, it is best to give your horse a supplement to help eliminate toxins.
4) Your horse has health problems
A) Respiratory problems
Many horses that are very sensitive to the dust in straw or hay regularly suffer respiratory problems caused by allergies to that dust. These lung complications can go as far as emphysema, with a dry cough and abdominal breathing.
It is therefore recommended to give your horse a supplement that helps clear the airways and so improves its breathing.
- Rekor Emphy's aid
- Officinalis “Broncaresp eucalyptus”
- EFFOL Med Sirop BronchoCare
B) Digestive problems
Stress or living conditions can cause digestive problems. This supplement promotes better digestion and a healthy gut. It is ideal to use before stressful situations arise, such as moving yard, travelling, the start or end of the grazing season, and competitions. It is also suitable for long-term use in sensitive horses.
- “Gastro relax” Leovet
C) Stomach problems: ulcers
Sport horses, and even more so racehorses, are very prone to gastric ulcers. These are responsible for chronic colic, loss of form, poor performance and weight loss.
This supplement helps soothe the stomach of horses prone to gastric ulcers.
D) Laminitis
Laminitis is a therapeutic challenge because of its severity. It results from congestion of the tissues of the hoof wall, which progresses to separation of these tissues, with loss of cohesion between the hoof capsule and the pedal bone.
It develops very quickly, the pain is intense and persistent, and the after-effects can be disabling.
Thanks to the action of plants and plant extracts that stimulate blood circulation, this supplement can be used from the first signs, or in cases of chronic recurrence.
E) Regulating the oestrous cycle in mares
Some mares become overexcited when in season, which makes them difficult to work. This can be due to a disrupted oestrous cycle with excessive heat symptoms.
Supplements can be given to your mare to ease these cycle disruptions and help her keep her attention on her work.
F) Warts
Horses can develop benign skin growths (warts), mostly around the lips and eyes, on the sheath or under the belly. They are unsightly, often in awkward places and therefore a nuisance.
VERUTEX A and VERUTEX B are made from thuja, known for its calming and healing properties.
- Verutex A: a supplementary feed, to be given directly into the horse's mouth or in the ration, 20 ml per day for 12 days
- Verutex B: for external use, dab on the affected area twice a day until satisfied. In extreme cases, repeat as often as necessary.
5) The basics
A) Garlic
Pure garlic is a high-quality supplement. As well as regulating the circulation, it stimulates and cleanses the digestive system and the respiratory functions, and helps fight parasites. Garlic is also a natural repellent: feeding it helps keep flies and other insects away.
B) Salt lick
Very pure and with a distinctive, highly palatable taste, the Himalayan salt lick is rich in minerals and trace elements, and brings vitality and wellbeing to your horse.
C) Cod liver oil
Cod liver oil helps maintain a healthy immune system and resist bacterial and viral infections. It is used as a nutritional supplement and contains alkaloids that stimulate the nervous system and the appetite.
It is also beneficial for growth and reproduction thanks to its supply of essential fatty acids.
D) Mash
Mash is a feed that is good for horses' digestion and contributes to healthy gut transit thanks to its wheat bran and linseed content.
- Officinalis mash with linseed, apple, papaya and lemon balm
- Officinalis mash with linseed, carrot and lemon balm
We hope this article has helped you choose the right supplement or supplements for your horse.