Supplements- California

[SummerUntamed]

I am currently feeding my 4 yr old the highest quality orchard hay 2x per day and alfalfa for lunch. He gets 2 scoops of Platinum Performance, Redmonds loose salt, rice bran oil, GUT and Smart Pak Ultra Digest over Safe Choice Perform.

He has a stunning slick coat however is black so has bleached out a bit over the summer.

I am being told I should be adding more Vit E, selenium and copper. I am in Northern CA and want to make sure I am not missing anything and that he is best prepared for his big show year next year =)

[JB]

How much Perform? That’s a fairly high NSC feed at 28%, not something I would feed a 4yo. The Nutrena Sr would be a better choice, but there may be better options depending on what you can get.

Bleaching a bit is inevitable unless the horse is genetically a no-fader.

He should be getting 1-2IU/lb Vit E, so you need to figure how much the PP and the Perform are giving him. Perform is 120IU/lb, so my guess is you’re falling fairly short of even 1IU/lb, unless you’re feeding 8+lb and he’s only 1000lb.

I honestly think horses do better at the higher end, 2IU/lb, so I’m positive you’re short. Human gel-caps are readily munched by a lot of horses, or there’s UltraCruz Natural E from Santa Cruz, powder (light and floofy) or pellets. Cheap. Make sure anything you get is natural E, d-alpha, not dl-alpha

Most likely he could benefit from some additional Cu and Zn, but without knowing how much Perform you’re feeding it’s hard to say.

[SummerUntamed]

@JB

How much Perform? That’s a fairly high NSC feed at 28%, not something I would feed a 4yo. The Nutrena Sr would be a better choice, but there may be better options depending on what you can get.

Bleaching a bit is inevitable unless the horse is genetically a no-fader.

He should be getting 1-2IU/lb Vit E, so you need to figure how much the PP and the Perform are giving him. Perform is 120IU/lb, so my guess is you’re falling fairly short of even 1IU/lb, unless you’re feeding 8+lb and he’s only 1000lb.

I honestly think horses do better at the higher end, 2IU/lb, so I’m positive you’re short. Human gel-caps are readily munched by a lot of horses, or there’s UltraCruz Natural E from Santa Cruz, powder (light and floofy) or pellets. Cheap. Make sure anything you get is natural E, d-alpha, not dl-alpha

Most likely he could benefit from some additional Cu and Zn, but without knowing how much Perform you’re feeding it’s hard to say.

He is getting 1lb of perform. Just enough to mix the supplements in.

[SummerUntamed]

I was thinking of getting some Vit E as well as a Selenium and Zinc combo. I just worry about over supplementation I suppose.

[GramV]

I’m in N. CA, too, and the only thing I give extra to my younger horses ( 8 and 10) are vitamin E and selenium.

[JB]

@SummerUntamed

He is getting 1lb of perform. Just enough to mix the supplements in.

Then switch to Nutrena Empower Balancer at 1-2lb, WAY more nutrition, you can drop the PP and just add way cheaper flax. Even plain straight ground flax will be cheaper than PP.

[Amber_M]

@JB

Then switch to Nutrena Empower Balancer at 1-2lb, WAY more nutrition, you can drop the PP and just add way cheaper flax. Even plain straight ground flax will be cheaper than PP.

This one? https://www.nutrenaworld.com/product/empower-balance-grass-formula-supplement

I’m following bc I was also feeding SC Perform (a lot more of it, but still)

[JB]

That’s the one You can also add 1/2-1lb to any regular feed if you’re feeding less than the recommended minimum.

But still, for the Perform, at 28% NSC, IMHO that’s just too much NSC unless the horse has proven he needs that extra boost because of how hard he’s working. And it really should mean really hard working.

[Amber_M]

@JB

That’s the one You can also ass 1/2-1lb to any regular feed if you’re feeding less than the recommended minimum.

But still, for the Perform, at 28% NSC, IMHO that’s just too much NSC unless the horse has proven he needs that extra boost because of how hard he’s working. And it really should mean really hard working.

There’s no way she needs all that, and I’ve been tapering it off since your first recommendation by mixing in SC Senior and already noticed a difference in the stall pacing/nervous stuff that I thought was just a personality trait. Getting her all hopped up and wondering why…Mom of the year over here

[JB]

That’s fantastic that you’re seeing a difference! :yes:

[SummerUntamed]

Someone also mentioned EquiPride which is price way better than PP.

http://www.sweetpro.com/products-equipride.html

[JB]

EquiPride is also not the same thing as a true vitamin/mineral supplement. It’s an apples to oranges comparison. That doesn’t mean it’s not useful, but if you’re looking for a good fortified v/m supplement, EP isn’t it either, and it’s definitely not going to provide substantial E, Cu, or Zn.

[SummerUntamed]

I am having a hard time finding a good copper and zinc supplement… any ideas?

[SummerUntamed]

Maybe CA Trace?

[JB]

Yep, California Trace may provide enough as an overall v/m supplement, but they also carry polysaccharide copper and p-zinc. So does Horsetech and Uckele.

[Simkie]

Because it’s not been said here that I saw:

Don’t supplement selenium without testing the horse first. Horses vary in their uptake and need and it rather quickly becomes toxic in really ugly ways.

I also don’t think Se has anything to do with coat bleaching.