The Scoop on Horse Supplements
A common question horse owners may ask is, “Does my horse need supplements?” The answer depends on a variety of factors, including their life stage, activity level, and more. Assessing the horse’s diet and their lifestyle will help determine if a supplement could benefit their health and appearance.
Before adding anything to your horse’s diet, it’s important to understand what they are currently getting nutritionally. Start with the foundation of their nutrition, their forage. What type of hay and/or pasture are they eating? Is it good quality? Are they eating enough to meet their forage needs? Understanding it’s nutritional value will help you better tailor their equine nutrition program and decide if a supplement is necessary. If you are unsure how to determine hay quality, read our blog, Evaluating Your Horse’s Hay Quality.
After determining your horse’s hay quality, you should then look at the makeup of the horse’s current feed and whether it’s being fed according to the feed tag. If you’re unsure of what to look for, watch this video on How to Read a Horse Feed Tag. Even with good hay and the best horse feed, some horses still need supplements to fill nutritional gaps.
Which horses benefit from supplements?
- Performance horses: With higher energy demands and stress levels, a performance horse may need additional nutritional support.
- Senior horses: Older horses with poor dentition and less efficient digestive systems are more at risk to develop specific conditions such as Equine Cushing’s Disease, chronic infections, kidney dysfunction or liver dysfunction that could require tailored supplements. With a less efficient system, senior horses can struggle with poor body condition that may benefit from certain supplements.
- Young or growing horses: Adequate and balanced protein, as well as vitamin and mineral ratios are essential for proper development.
- Breeding horses: Proper mineral nutrition is critical to a successful breeding operation. Poor or inadequate mineral nutrition can affect conception rates. It can also affect mares in gestation and lactation by not having available proper levels and rations of key minerals for young growing foals. Deficiencies can also lead to poor milk composition. Mineral deficiencies can affect conception rates, gestation, and lactation in mares.
- Horses with specific issues (split hoofs, ulcers, colic or digestive concerns, etc.): Horses with poor hoof quality, prior colic episodes, or other specific issues may be improved with the right supplemental products.
How do you find the right supplement?
The right supplement for your horse will always depend on their specific needs. However, a healthy gut is the foundation for a horse’s overall health, with more than 75% of the immune cells residing in the digestive tract. So it’s a good strategy to look for ingredients that support digestive health at the correct levels, along with other key nutrients and/or supplements to help support specific conditions.
Prebiotics and probiotics are important ingredients in a supplement as they maintain gut balance. Prebiotics nourish beneficial bacteria, while probiotics introduce live microorganisms. Butyrate and zinc are also important as they support intestinal cell integrity, improving digestion and nutrient absorption. Marine-sourced calcium is derived from algae, and this ingredient helps buffer the stomach, aiding horses prone to ulcers. And lastly, organic acids are beneficial as they contribute to overall gut health and immune function.
Which supplements does Sentinel recommend?
Our Sentinel® Care equine solutions product line was designed with a specific solution in mind to help every horse maintain optimum health. These supplements address developmental, physiological, digestive, metabolic or performance concerns.
- Sentinel Care Equine Choice Topline 30 – Top Seller: A ration balancer that provides essential nutrients to balance forage and maintain topline. Ideal for easy keepers as well as breeding horses that require additional amino acids, minerals and vitamins.
- Sentinel Care Gastric Support – Top Seller: Designed to maintain a healthy gastro-intestinal environment, especially during times of stress.
- Sentinel Care Hoof Support: Developed to promote and maintain strong, healthy hooves.
- Sentinel Care Omegatin – Top Seller: Contains high fat levels and low levels of starch and sugar, providing calories for body condition, performance and bloom.
- Sentinel Care MultiSentials: Designed to balance nutritional deficiencies in hay and pasture for growing, breeding, performance and maintenance horses.
- Sentinel Care BrightLife: Created to support health and wellness especially during times of nutritional and environmental stress.
When adding a supplement to your equine nutrition program, it can take a minimum of 30 to 60 days to see improvements in hoof quality, coat condition, weight gain or behavior. It’s wise to monitor your horse regularly during this time, as well as document photographs to assess the supplement’s impact.
All horses are unique and sometimes it takes a little help to find the best horse feed or supplement tailored to them. A Sentinel equine nutritionist can help fill gaps to support your horse’s optimal growth, performance and well-being. For questions on equine nutrition or Sentinel Horse Feed products, ask one of our equine nutritionists.