How to Determine What Supplements to Give to Your Horse

Any feed store or tack shop has nutritional supplements for horses on their shelves. There is generally a whole array of tempting additives that promise to fix all your horse’s problems. The question is does your horse really need these miracle treatments and if so, which problem can these supplements really fix. Many higher end supplements do help maintain your horse with certain issues but supplements can become very costly. Being choosy about what to treat your horse for might save you money in the long run and also give you better insight on your horse’s health.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Write down a list of your horse’s sex, age, body type, injuries, ailments and any wishes you might have for the horse.
2. Look at the sex of your horse. If your horse is a mare and has aggressive or sulky tendencies, put a check mark next to her sex. Mares with attitudes so strong that it affects their work many times do better on a B1 and Biotin supplement.
3. Think about the age of your horse. If he is over 15 years old, ask yourself if he acts his age. Think about when you first start to ride him if he is stiff or after a hard workout he will go sore for a few days. If this is the case, put a check next to your horse’s age as he might need a joint supplement to help keep their older joints functioning properly.
4. Evaluate your horse’s body type. Decide whether he has a hard time putting on weight or if he has a hard time staying in shape. If either of these are problems, place a check next to this item on your list. If your horse is having a hard time putting on weight you can try adding oil or other weight gainers to its diet. Sometimes even looking into stomach ulcer medication might help. If your horse always seems fat no matter how little you feed her or how much work she does, she might need thyroid medicine.
5. Consider any injuries your horse might have had in the past. If the injury still affects them, place a check next to this point on the list. It's possible joint supplement, muscle builders or pain reducers might help.
6. Decide what ailments your horse has. Maybe your horse does not have any problems or maybe his feet are always breaking apart. Foot supplements tend to work very well for horses with weak feet. Perhaps your horse always seems lethargic in the summer. Try electrolytes in their water or feed.
7. Determine what your wishes are. The sun may bleach your horse’s coat in the summer time so a supplement for a better hair coat would be good. Maybe your horse is too hyper, in which case you can try to find a good supplement to reduce their energy.
8. Check out your list and see how many check marks you made. If there are a lot of checks down the list and you cannot afford that many supplements, start to prioritize. Your horse’s hair coat may not be as important as the fact that he has weak feet.
9. Take your list and show it to your veterinarian. Consult with them to find out what supplements they would recommend. If they are not sure in certain areas contact a store that is notorious for equine supplements. They will know what is popular and what is supposed to really work.
10. Give any supplement you buy a least a few months before you decide whether it works or not. Looking for instant results is not realistic.