Kentucky Performance Products: Nutritional Myth
There is a nutritional myth that says that when fed free-choice vitamins and minerals, horses will pick what they need.
Photo courtesy of Kentucky Performance Products
Busted:
Researchers learned that horses have some nutritional sense for salt, but not for other nutrients. Horses will seek out salt when they need it, but if you feed other minerals and vitamins “free choice” you are bound to end up with some excesses and deficiencies. Taste is the major driver of consumption, not nutritional wisdom. If it tastes good, they will eat it.
Take-home message: Your best bet when feeding vitamins and minerals is to provide your horse with a well-balanced commercial feed or supplement that has been formulated by a qualified equine nutritionist.
Got a myth you want us to bust? Email us at [email protected] and put the word Myth in the subject line.
About Kentucky Performance Products, LLC:
Fight back against damaging inflammation.
Horses evolved to exist on a grass-based diet high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in omega-6 fatty acids. Modern diets tend to include ingredients that are high in omega-6 and low in omega-3 fatty acids, throwing the critical 6 to 3 ratio out of whack and leading to health problems related to runaway inflammation. Supplementing with the high-quality omega-3 fatty acids in ContributeTM brings that ratio back into balance and supports reduced levels of damaging inflammation.
Contribute offers you an affordable way to include both beneficial plant (alpha-linolenic acid) and marine sources (EPA and DHA) of omega-3 fatty acids into the diet. The horse that matters to you matters to us®.
Not sure which horse supplement best meets your horse’s needs? We are here to help. Contact Kentucky Performance Products, LLC at 859-873-2974 or visit our website at KPPusa.com.
