What every horse owner needs to know about equine supplements

I have been riding horses for almost three years now and over the last three years I have learned a lot of things I wish I knew when I was just getting started. When it comes to horse supplements a lot of people who have very little experience with horses think that the best way to ensure that your horse gets everything that he needs to spend thousands on equine supplements and buy as many different types of products as you possibly can.

When I talk to newbies in my livery I am shocked when I discover that they supplement their horses diets with dozens of different products all at the same time. When I ask about what products to they give to their horses, they start talking about digestive aids, coatshine supplements, garlic supplements, mud fever creams and etc. Now, I'm not saying that these products are bad. Not at all, but what I am trying to say is that if you are not involved in competitive horse riding disciplines, if your horse's workload is not extremely high and if in general your horse does not suffer from serious health conditions then perhaps the only supplement your horse needs at the moment is a high quality feed balancer.

I know that this does not sound sexy or groundbreaking, but horses survived just fine for thousands of years without any kinds of supplements and I personally think that nobody who is not involved in professional equestrian sport should spend thousands on horse supplements every single year.

Some people will disagree and I'm perfectly cool with that.

End of rant.

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What You Need To Know About Veteran Feed Balancers

In this article I would like to talk with you about different types of ingredients that you should be looking in popular horse feeds for senior horses. We all know that there are loads of different types of feed balancer formulations. There are feed balancers for horses that have medium to low workloads, there are feed balancers that are formulated for horses that are involved in competitive horse riding disciplines and that have very high workloads and of course, there are horse feed balancers for veteran horses.

Now, the main goal of this article is not to compare different types of feed balancer formulations, but instead give you an insight about what what specific ingredients you should be looking in veteran feed balancers and how those specific ingredients can help your elderly horse.

Pre and Pro Biotics

First of all you want to look for horse feed balancers that contain pre and pro biotics. Pre and pro biotics improve horse's digestion which lead to an increase of nutrient uptake. Veteran horses suffer from nutrient deficiencies and their digestive systems are not working as smoothly as they once did and as a horse owner you want to do whatever possibly can to make sure that your horse's digestive system works smoothly and efficiently.

Soya and Linseed Oils

In addition to pre and pro biotics, you also want to make sure that you look for veteran feed balancers that contain soya and linseed oils. These oils when combined with zinc promote a healthy skin and glossy coat.

Glucosamine and MSM

High quality veteran feed balancers contain above average levels of glucosamine and MSM. These two ingredients strengthen and support horse's joints. The fact is that the constant pounding and twisting of horse's joints leave them vulnerable to injury and you want to give your horse something that will minimize the risk of joint injury.

What you need to know about horse feed balancers.

In this article I would like to share with you some simple tips and advice about how to find the right feed balancer for your horse, but first of all let's talk a little bit about why you should supplement your horse's diet with a feed balancer in the first place.

You see, grazing conditions are not perfect all year round and during certain periods of the year horse's don't get as many different nutrients as their bodies need. On top of this if your horse has very high workload, he has much higher demands for nutrients when compared to horses that have medium-to-low workloads and if you will fail to supply your horse with all of the required vitamins and minerals your horse might start looking and feeling really bad.

This is where feed balancers come into play. There are a lot of different feed balancer formulations: there are senior horse feed balancers, feed balancers for horses that are involved in competitive horse riding disciplines and there are of course feed balancers for everyday horses that have low-to-medium workloads.

All feed balancers are packed with ingredients that your horse needs to be in top shape. For example feed balancers for performance horses contain above-average-levels of copper and iron. These minerals are known as blood building minerals and they increase the number of red blood cells within the body. This improve oxygen transported within the blood which brings in more oxygenated blood into the working muscles. This helps the horse to perform better.

On the other hand, senior horse feed balancers contain above average levels of ingredients that support and strengthen horse's joints. Specifically I'm talking about ingredients such as glucosamine, MSM or chondroitin. These ingredients aid in renewal of connective tissue in and around the joint, as well as aid in renewal of synovial fluid, which is the joints' natural lubricant.