Does anyone use this for your dressage horse? Do they still have energy? Does it effect their brilliance and expressiveness?
Are you asking about the L-Carnitine or the magnesium supplement? I used the magnesium and it had only positive effects, no negative effects. Horse was appropriately engaged and energetic in work, but not hyper-reactive.
Talking about magnesium. Bathsheba, why is your horse on it? Did it have the effect you were looking for?
My latest horse came to me with no history (rescue from kill pen). He was a hot mess and in a lot of pain from his jaw to his tail (4s and 5s out of 5 everywhere). My chiro vet recommended the Nupafeed magnesium to help with muscle tightness. I used it for about 2 months and saw a world of difference within the first 2-3 weeks. He did have a chiropractic adjustment and then went on the magnesium as soon as I could get it shipped. About 5 weeks later he had another adjustment and had reduced his sensitivity to 1s and 2s everywhere) (3 months later he is at zero). His attitude towards work became much more willing and less explosive quickly.
It’s just a magnesium source, an expensive one at that. There is nothing different about it from any other magnesium supplement. In terms of nutrition and effect.
Melyni, Isn’t Nupafeed a more bioavailable source of magnesium? Is added magnesium ok for a horse with significant ulcer history? From what I have been reading, horses do not absorb magnesium readily and some horses have absorption issues in addition to that. My horse can be quite reactive and since ulcers have been an ongoing issue I am concerned. The horse is on maintenance omeprazole and also on RiteTrac and Equishure…
I didn’t know magnesium in any of the other supplements wasn’t bioavailable. I just can’t justify a magical way to spend more money on the same supoplement. But you go ahead!
Bump
[QUOTE=Halfling;8415051]
Melyni, Isn’t Nupafeed a more bioavailable source of magnesium? Is added magnesium ok for a horse with significant ulcer history? From what I have been reading, horses do not absorb magnesium readily and some horses have absorption issues in addition to that. My horse can be quite reactive and since ulcers have been an ongoing issue I am concerned. The horse is on maintenance omeprazole and also on RiteTrac and Equishure…[/QUOTE]
Let me explain about “Bioavailability” and magnesium.
Magnesium is a bivalent cation in the same chemical family as calcium, both cations are picked up a specific carrier protein in the walls of the villi in the SI. The carrier is specific for bivalent cations, but it will pick up either one as easily, so it is competitive between Ca and Mg, the one with the most ions present gets picked up the most. ( Hence the need to make sure that Ca and Mg are present in roughly equal quantities in the GI tract. AKA the minerals must ‘balanced’).
The carrier protein picks up ions, as in Mg++ ions that float around, so to be picked up the Mg must be in its ionic form, or dissociated from the parent salt that was fed. This is a ‘salt’ in the chemical term meaning the product of an acid and a base, don’t confuse it with the term for Sodium Chloride, NACl or ‘table salt’, that’s also a ‘salt’ but not the one we are looking at here.
Once the Mg++ ions are dissociated from the parent salt that was fed, they are all picked up the same way and at the same rate, which is dependent on concentration. Concentration is dependent on how much you give.
What differentiates one Mg ‘salt’ from another is the speed and ease with which they dissociate in solution. Mg Oxide has about 50% dissociation and hence about 50% availability, Mg Aspartate (Nupafeed is Mg Aspartate) has about 65% dissociation and hence about 65% availability. So, yes, the Mg Aspartate will dissociate more freely and more of its Mg ions are in solution and thus available. However, and this is a big however, there are a whole lot fewer Mg ions in the Mg Aspartate molecule in the first place. MagOx (Mg Oxide) is 52% Mg and 40% Oxide by weight. Mg Aspartate is 10% Mg and 90 % Aspartate by weight. the Aspartate is a big heavy molecule.
So when you feed 10g of Mag Ox, you put 5.2g of Mg and 4.8g of Oxide into the GI tract, that has about a 50% dissociation, thus there are 2.6g of Mg ions floating around ready to be absorbed. That 10g of Mag Ox will cost you less than a dollar, way less if you buy it pure and in bulk.
If you feed 10g of Mag Aspartate, you put 1.0g of Mg and 9.0g of Aspartate into the GI tract, that results in 0.64g of Mg ions and 5.85 g of Aspartate ions floating around (65% dissociated). I don’t know the price of Nupafeed, but I know its more than a dollar for 10g.
So the difference in ‘bioavailability’ is more than offset by the extra cost of the Aspartate version.
However, yes another however! Mag Ox is a very fine powder which coats the mouth, some horses dislike the feel of the powder coating and won’t eat it, plus if they snort into the feed as it is very fine it blows out or sifts down to the bottom of the feed tub and is not eaten. (You can prevent that by making it into a slurry with water and the mixing it with the feed so the wet powder sticks to the feed. but that is a PIA).
Mg Aspartate is fed as a liquid and that’s how they overcome the feel problem.
You can also buy Mag Ox bound up into a pellet, where it is mixed with an organic substance such as distillers grains or wheat mids, and then passed through a steam pelleter. these means that the horse does not feel the powder and hopefully likes the taste of the Mids and thus eats it.
Mg powder lying in the bottom of the feed tub does the horse no good at all.
The two best versions of pelleted mg are Quiessence, and Smart Calm, both give you a lot more Mg for your dollar.
But having some liquid version lying around for emergencies is always a good plan, I usually have at least one bottle of Milk of Magnesia, if the horse needs help I can syringe 60ccs into their mouth fast. Milk of Magnesia is Mg Hydroxide, and is used in humans as a laxative (all Mg salts have a laxative effect), you can get it from any drug store. As it is made for humans it is usually sweetened and flavored ( I usually get peppermint flavor), and horses readily accept it.
Mg salts are good buffers as they readily dissociate in solution, and hence are often used in anti-acids, this means if I had a horse prone to ulcers I would definitely be giving them some form of Mg.
Hope this helps
MW
Melyni, thank you so much for your answer. It is exactly what I was looking for. I have a few more questions. May I call you to speak with you for a few minutes?
Melyni, thanks for that clear explanation. I learned a lot.
