Life Stages Supplement For Horses ?

Last Updated on October 19, 2022 by Allison Price

One of the biggest ways to show how we love and care about our horse is how we feed. Studies show you need to make sure you are giving your horse the right nutrients.

Horses have unique nutritional requirements in their different life stages. Life Stages supplements are then formulated for foals up to senior horses. It helps provide nutrients that are important for proper growth and development. Mare supplements are usually developed for moody and cranky mares. It can help them become more comfortable during their cycles.

Different Life Stages of Horses

File:Finnhorse mare with foal.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
The following terminology is often used to identify horses of different ages:
  • Foal – A horse that is less than one year old. A nursing foal is usually called a suckling. A weaned foal is then called a weanling. Domesticated foals are usually weaned at 5-7 months of age. But they can be also weaned at 4 months with no adverse physical effects.
  • Yearling – A horse that is between 1-2 years old
  • Colt – A male horse usually below the age of four. It is not right to call any young horse a “colt” when the term actually only refers to young male horses.
  • Filly – A female horse below the age of four.
  • Mare – A female horse above four years old.
  • Stallion – A non-castrated male horse four years old and above. The term “horse” is sometimes used to refer to a stallion.
  • Gelding – A castrated male horse of at any age.

Best Five Life Stages Supplements for Horses

People have different needs in their different stages of life, like your horses too. Find your way to know your horse’s nutritional needs and how it will affect them. As your horse change, so do their level of activity and their nutrient requirements too. We’ll discuss the five supplements to optimize your horse’s health, and performance.

AniMed Pure MSM

Aimed Pure MSM is excellent in addressing joint pain and stiffness in horses at all life stages. It cut inflammation and arthritis pain. Also, it has a natural antioxidant that helps remove damaging free radicals. It is a source of dietary sulfur that supports your horse’s connective tissues. Aimed Pure MSM has no fillers and it will not harden, so it’s ideal for long-term use. All you have to do is add the designated dose of powder to your horse’s feed and see how it works.

Your horses may feel comfortable and stress-free after switching to this product. Why choose those low-quality products when you can settle for a better offer?

Product Details:

  • Minimizes inflammation and arthritis pain
  • Strengthen joints, bones, cartilage, ligaments, muscles,
  • It will not harden, and it contains no fillers
  • For all life stages
  • Powder

Pros

  • It works well after use. Plus the powder won’t harden into chunks after a long time.

Cons

  • None

Manna Pro 5 lb Sho-Glo Supplement for Horse

Manna Pro is usually known to produce quality nutrition products for animals. Its largest group of products is then associated with horses and Manna Pro Sho Glo is one of them. It offers a variety of vitamins and minerals that enhances the nutritional value of any feed. It contains antioxidants that will support the horse’s immune system. Plus, it’s also palatable and easy to feed for some picky-eater horses.

Manna Pro Sho Glo Supplement works well for a good price. It improves horses’ coats and shines! It gives them that extra benefit they can’t get with only their hay. Manna Pro Sho Glo is always known to support the health and wellness of your adult horses.

Product Details:

  • Complete vitamin and mineral supplement
  • Helps to enhance the nutritional value of any feed
  • Contains antioxidants to support a healthy immune system
  • NASC Certified

Pros

  • Palatable and easy to feed

Cons

  • None

Purina Impact Horse Supplement

This feed is for all life stages. It is then formulated with premium nutrition and a versatile formula. This supplement performs for horses of all ages and activity levels. It has an added fat that got it from vegetable oils for sustainable energy and a shiny hair coat. It also has Vitamins & Mineral Fortification.

Purina Impact Horse Supplement supports bone strength, immune, and reproductive function. It has guaranteed levels of biotin. It supports hoof wall strength, healthy growth rates, and hair coat quality.

Product Details:

  • High-Quality Protein
  • Supports muscle performance with desirable amino acid profiles
  • Offered in Textured or Pelleted Form
  • Quality Ingredients
  • Versatile Formula

Pros

  • Provides premium nutrition for all life stages

Cons

  • None

Kentucky Elevate Supplement for Horses

Elevate Maintenance Powder consists of vitamin E that provides necessary nutrients on feeds. This offers an easy and affordable way to meet your horse’s essential vitamin E needs. It does not contain other vitamins or minerals. Horse owners can adjust the amount fed. This is to support horses with high vitamin E requirements. This is then done without worrying about causing nutritional imbalances.

Product Details:

  • Source of natural vitamin E
  • Has 1000 IU of natural vitamin e per scoop
  • Has 65000 IU per pound

Pros

  • Immediate Improvements
  • Has 1000 IU of natural vitamin E per scoop

Cons

  • This is a NATURAL vitamin E, may cost much more than the SYNTHETIC type.

EquineSaver Nutritional Supplement for Horses

This horse supplement is an all-in-one superfood for your horses in all ages. This has over 300 nutrients for health and joint support. It is good for all stages of horses. Whether they’re weanlings to senior horses, they can have this food supplement. It enhances the body’s ability to promote entire health and well being including:

  • Boost and strengthen the immune system
  • Improve circulation
  • Promote hoof cell regeneration
  • Improve skin and coat
  • Strengthen bones, cartilage, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and connective tissue.
  • Speed up healing
  • Promote muscle building, size volume, and strength.
  • Increase stamina, endurance, and peak performance
  • Decrease dehydration and maintain electrolytes balance
  • Balance digestive system
  • Aid in hormone production
  • Increase healthy cell growth, and much more

EquineSaver Nutritional Supplement is one of the best horse supplements in the market. It helps avoid malnutrition among your horses and supports their many physical systems. This reduces health risks that are usually caused by parasites and systemic damage. This supplement acts as an essential therapeutic to help promote healing when your horses are injured.

Product Details:

  • Boost and strengthen the immune system
  • Promote muscle building
  • Increase healthy cell growth, and much more.
  • For all life stages
  • Powder

Pros

  • It has all the ingredients you needed for your horse’s health.

Cons

  • Some horses may not like the taste of the feeds.

Ways to Feed Supplements to your Horses

horse feed | essie | Flickr

Basic Nutrients

It is important to recognize what are the six basic categories of nutrients for your horses. These are carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water. Clean water should be always given and should be available any time for the horse to drink when it is thirsty. Horses do not drink enough water are more vulnerable to health conditions. This includes diarrhea, intestinal impactions, and other types of colic.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are usually divided into two groups. These are the Structural (fiber) and Non-Structural (sugars and starches). Horses get more nutritional value from grass and hay. It is important to feed your horses with good quality of hay that is free of mold and dust. It has to be then cut at an appropriate length and stage of maturity.

Protein

Protein is important for body growth and maintenance. It is a nutrient which many horse owners are being confused. Proteins are usually broken down into amino acids in the small intestines. These are then recombined to form proteins that makeup muscle, hair, and hoof in the body.

Fats

High-fat diet feeding is a new trend in the horse industry. Horses are showing to be able to tolerate high-fat content in their diet. Fat is an ideal energy source and is easily digestible. Commercial feeds that don’t have extra fats contain around two to four percent fat.

Vitamins

Vitamins are the most important organic compounds. Vitamins should be present in the body to enable important reactions to take place that allow the animals to live. Vitamins are usually divided into two categories. These are the water-soluble group and the fat-soluble group. The water-soluble group consists of the B-complex vitamins (e.g., B1, B2). The fat-soluble group is usually composed of vitamins A, E, D, and K.

Minerals

Minerals are critical inorganic materials and they must be present in adequate amounts for the body to function properly. They are another item that can be usually found in feed supplements. It is important to understand that the need for mineral depends on your horse’s age and status. For example, if the horse is working, gestating, or lactating.

9 Tips to Know What Minerals your Horse Needs

  1. Look at the grass, hay, or haylage your horse eats first. Identify what nutrients are missing or excessive in the base diet of grass, hay, or haylage eaten.
  2. Check your grass, hay, or haylage to determine the level of all the minerals. You need to balance the daily diet of your horse.
  3. Use a horse feed balancer each day. This is usually matched to the common mineral deficiencies and excess in forage. Most people use this as a basis in balancing their horse’s diet after checking. This statistical analysis uses a high level of results and has identified outliers. This is to make sure that the figures are accurate.
  4. Certain minerals are abundant in the forage and block the absorption of others. Calcium, iron, and manganese are present in the grass, hay, and haylage. These are what horses consume at high levels.
  5. Know that calcium blocks phosphorous and magnesium. For safety, the correct ratio of certain minerals is important. It is best not to allow daily calcium supplements.
  6. Iron and manganese will sometimes block the absorption of other essential minerals. There is an option of low iron, low manganese but high copper, high zinc supplements. This is critical when choosing which minerals to support healthy diets.
  7. It is important to feed minerals that match the forage to horses under stress. Forage with balanced minerals should be then given to pregnant horses and mares. Also, it should be also given to growing horses, exercising horses, and horses that need extra care. This is to preserve their health and performance.
  8. Feed minerals that suit a statistical average of what is then found to be deficient in your horses. If you did not know, check your grass, wheat, or haylage.
  9. The use of land will affect soil pH, mineral levels in the soil, and the level of compaction. A formula for a horse feed balancer takes all these differences into account. Tests the grass, hay or haylage to make sure you feed the minerals that your horse needs every day.

Allison Price
Allison Price

I’m Allison, born and raised in San Diego California, the earliest memory I have with horses was at my grandfather’s farm. I used to sit at the stable as a kid and hang out with my Papa while he was training the horses. When I was invited to watch a horse riding competition, I got so fascinated with riding!