Magnesium for IR/EMS/Fatty horse

[CanteringCarrot]

I’ve heard of many people feeding their IR horses magnesium. I have a horse that I pretty much treat as a horse with IR/EMS due to his physical traits.

He has some fatty deposits on his crest, rump, and sides if it gets bad (not at the moment/in awhile). He’s cannot be worked at the moment due to a separate issue, so I’m reducing calories. His breeding (PRE) is prone to having these fatty deposits and being easy keepers.

Should I also put him on a Magnesium supplement? I’ve heard this helps his type and I think I can find straight Magnesium. He doesn’t need it with other “calming agents” or anything like that. In that case, how much?

We pulled blood a few weeks ago for magnesium and a few other things and all was within normal range. However, magnesium blood tests are not always accurate I’ve heard.

[JB]

Yes, I would definitely put him on extra magnesium. How much? Depends on what he’s already eating.

But in general, you’re looking to add anywhere from 10-20gm elemental Mg. How much of a given product that is depends on the product. I would probably aim for working up to 15gm and staying there to see how things go, and adjust as needed.

[sortofbyx]

I swear by magnesium, it is always in my essentials file. It helps with muscle soreness, flightiness/distractability, and I’m 100% sure it is the only reason my Hano x Appaloosa hasn’t foundered. Because she, although fit, is FAT.

[cayuse]

Magnesium has helped my mini with his cresty neck and tendency to gain weight. He is not IR, we are just being pro active. I have been using Remission and it has worked the best of the three mag products I tried. I switched Quiessence for a short time but he actually gained weight on it. MagRestore he would not eat, although another mini of mine gets it for anxiety/spookiness and he eats it just fine (and works well for his particular issue.)

[UrbanHennery]

I use Remission as well. Both for my IR foundered mini mule and for my QH gelding. I keep them both on the “loading dose” full time. My QH isn’t IR or pre-IR by any diagnosis, but he does tend toward fat when he’s not in work and has a history of being spooky and having tight muscles. The Remission helps with both (I can see / feel the difference when I’ve not given it to him for a month or two at a time as a check). It’s cheap and palatable.

[CanteringCarrot]

Thanks for the input.

I should be able to get some sort of straight Magnesium supplement (I’m not in America or Canada). This horse generally eats everything, so I hope that works in my favor.

He really is too fatty for my liking but he can’t be worked at the moment so it’s frustrating. I think he might be out of the competition string this year.

Anyway, I’ll take a look at his vit/min supplement because I cannot remember the amount of magnesium it has. He is eating only that and MSM at the moment in addition to his limited grass and soaked hay. I think he will migrate to straight dry lot soon. I think he can handle some grass when working, but out of work it may be too much.

[sdlbredfan]

You could visit uckele.com online and find out if they can ship to you. They have several magnesium options, but probably the simplest to feed is the Seroquine because it is pelleted.