Equine - Our Approach

Frequently Asked Questions

• Where do supplements and minerals fit into my horse's diet?

  Depending on the quality of available forage and the nutritional content of your horse's feed, they may be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals.  Equine supplements and minerals are a way to provide horses with essential vitamins and minerals in a compact, convenient package.

  When determining which supplement or mineral to use, it is important to understand what nutrients your horse is getting from their forage and other feeds.

• I feed high quality hay. Do I still need supplements?

  In many cases, high quality hay should provide your horse with sufficient energy and protein, but may not provide sufficient trace minerals in the correct ratios.  It can be challenging to provide your horse with sufficient quantities of the fat-soluable vitamins A, D and E.

  Stored forages are low in fat-soluable vitamins, so a complete diet for any horse, regardless of nutrient requirements, should always include supplemental fat-soluable vitamins.

• Does my horse need any supplements if they get lots of grain?

  Feed such as beet pulp, COB, oats or hay cubes often don’t contain any supplemental vitamins and minerals. Horses consuming these as sources of additional energy and protein, or consuming minimal amounts of manufactured fortified feeds often require supplemental vitamins and minerals from other sources.

  Manufactured feeds such as sweet feeds, extruded kibbles and complete pellets do contain supplemental vitamins and minerals, but they need to be fed in sufficient quantities to provide enough supplemental vitamins and minerals.

  In these situations a ration balancer or mineral can be considered to “top up“ required vitamins and minerals without looking to include substantial caloric intake.

• Chelated, Organic and Hydroxy bonded minerals. What is the difference?

  Trace mineral nutrition can be a tricky balancing act. Complexing and chelating trace minerals Is when the mineral is processed to ensure bio-availability.

  Trouw Nutrition’s IntelliBond products are the first line of hydroxy trace minerals for use in animal feeds and support high levels of bio-availability.  IntelliBond minerals have an OH group that creates a strong covalent bond with the mineral.

  These “smart bonds” help protect the mineral in the feed and the upper digestive tract, allowing for less reactivity and targeted availability.  Simply put, IntelliBond minerals are available when and where they are needed the most.

  Research has shown that providing minerals from varied sources, including both inorganic and complexed sources can optimize their uptake in the lower digestive tract, in turn improving your horse’s ability to meet their trace mineral needs through their diet.

  Having Trouw Nutrition’s proprietary IntelliBond minerals helps to support mineral availability without increasing the volume fed!