RacingBetter News
	Thursday 4th March 2021

3 Things You Should Know About Giving Your Horse Supplements

Just like humans, horses need the proper nutrition and minerals in order to survive and have the right amount of energy. It can be difficult at times to ensure that they are eating properly, especially if they aren’t getting enough food. A good way to get around this is to add some supplements into your feed. This will help to give them everything that they are missing and will definitely help them to be happier. Before you start throwing supplements into their food, there are a few things you need to know in order to get the most out of those. Here are several things you should know about giving your horse supplements.

Start Small

With most supplements, you are most likely introducing new minerals and vitamins to your horses’ nutrition. Horse’s digestive system is very sensitive and even small changes to their diet can have big effects on them. Just think of yourself and the impacts of having new dietary habits. That is why it is strongly recommended that you take your time and give them small doses for the first few weeks. Every few days begin to increase the dosage until you have finally worked up to the full amount as indicated on the package. As per https://forageplus.co.uk/horse-supplements/ once you have worked your way up the full amount, you should be getting the full benefit of the supplements and your horse should be much happier as a result. You don’t have to stretch this period too long either, typically in about two weeks, their system will start responding. If you want to give your horse supplements and have never done it before, ensure that you are starting off small and then building up to the full amount.

Mix It With Their Favourite Foods

We all know that we have to eat healthy foods if we want to stay healthy, but there are times where we would rather eat things that are tastier. Horses are the exact same and will always take the tastier option when looking at foods. How can you ensure that your horse is getting the supplements that they indeed are then? Look to mix it in with the food that they enjoy eating as they will be that much more likely to eat it. Even still, when mixing these supplements into their food, your horse might be cautious about what is happening.

Don’t be surprised if they spit it out at first or are reluctant to eat it. They are unsure about what is happening and are worried about what it is. Continue to work with them and eventually they will learn that you are not trying to harm them at all, but instead give them the nutrition that they need. If you are still having a large amount of difficulty, look to use the supplement in something like oats and molasses as this is one of the foods a horse cannot resist. With some proper training and patience, your horse will be eating its supplements in no time.

Use Water

Finally, you are going to have to ensure that the supplement is ingested by the horse and that an adequate amount is taken in as well. A lot of supplements come in powdered form and therefore can easily fall off the feed that it is being put on. If you want to ensure that it sticks, look to pour some water on the feed beforehand and add the supplement then. Another reason to add water and spread it around the supplement is that it will stop your horse from avoiding and sorting the food. Horses are smart and will see something is abnormal with the food in front of them. If you have used a basic powder and have not wet the food, they will move that out of the way and look for pieces of their feed that do not have the powder on it. Soaking your food and coating it in the supplement is the best way to ensure your horse eats it all.

These are three major things that you should know about giving horse supplements. Horses can have dramatic mood swings when you change something in their life so be prepared for a temper tantrum or two. If you show enough patience and your horse is trained well, eventually they will accept these changes and will be much healthier as a result. How do you plan on ensuring your horse gets its supplements?