When it comes to choosing the right supplement for our horse, the feed store can be a daunting place. With rows upon rows of products and an overwhelming number of options, it can be incredibly confusing to find the perfect match. Not only are the labels difficult to read, but deciphering what is in the product can feel like solving a complex puzzle. In this blog post, we aim to help you determine what is the best supplement for your horse, so the next time you go to your local Wilco Farm Store, you can spend less time in the supplement aisle and more time perusing the rest of the store.
All Horses
Every horse needs a vitamin-mineral supplement because they are much more susceptible to becoming deficient that us (humans), because they often eat the same feed sources for months on end, not allowing for variety to make up for deficiencies in certain foods.
The Easy Keeper
For that easy keeper that seems to always stay a little chunky no matter what you do, Horse Guard is a great option. Feeding your horse Horse Guard will provide a highly concentrated vitamin-mineral package with 3 mg of organic selenium and 1,000 IU of vitamin E, along with 22 other important nutrients for your horse. In just two ounces, you can be sure that your horse is getting important vitamins and minerals and probiotics without a lot of unnecessary calories and sugars. Horse Guard pairs great with hay or beet pulp pellets.
Horse Guard
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The Hard Keeper or Senior Horse
If you have a horse that needs to gain weight, be it from an injury or illness, or your horse is just simply a horse that is hard to keep weight on Super Weight Gain should be your choice. Super Weight Gain checks all the boxes when comes to helping a horse gain weight. An 8-ounce dose provides:
- A complete vitamin-mineral supplement to meet any deficiencies, including 3 mg of organic selenium and 1,500 IU of vitamin E.
- A gut supplement with prebiotics, probiotics, and live yeast cultures to help stabilize the gut flora to help them get more out of the feed they are consuming.
- The cool-energy base of full-fat extruded soybeans that are high in protein and fat to help put on weight and build topline.
Super Weight Gain pairs great with rice bran, oats, as well as other high fat options for horses that simply need to gain weight or need a little help maintaining.
Horse Guard, Super Gain
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For horses with PPID or have a history of other metabolic disorders but need help putting weight back on Super Weight Gain’s low sugar and carbohydrate content make it a great option to be combined with low carb high fat feeds, beet pulp pellets, or alfalfa pellets.
The Performance Horse or Arthritic Horse or Senior Horse
If your older horse, or younger performance horse needs support to preform or just feel-good Trifecta is the all-inclusive supplement of choice. It will help to support your horse by providing 4 supplements in one 8-ounce dose:
- A complete vitamin-mineral supplement to fill any deficiencies that are typically lacking in hay.
- A gut supplement with prebiotics, probiotics, and live yeast cultures to help stabilize the gut flora to help ensure they are getting the most out of the feed they consume.
- A great hoof supplement with 32 mg biotin, plus zinc, methionine, and MSM to help keep strong hooves.
- An outstanding joint supplement with 5,000 mg MSM and glucosamine, and 100 mg hyaluronic acid.
Pairing Trifecta with alfalfa pellets, beet pulp pellets, or high energy concentrates that contain rice bran or oats allow you to cater to your horse’s own individual energy needs without compromising their vitamin-mineral, joint, or hoof support.
Horse Guard, Trifecta
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Treats That Are Safe for a Metabolic Horse
Metabolic or IR horses require special attention to their diet, including the treats they consume. If you want to feed your IR or Metabolic horse treats but know they cannot handle the sugar content that is associated with most treats Flaxen Flix are a great option. Flix Treats are healthy treats that are not only low in sugar but also provide your horse with omega-3 fatty acids that help to maintain stable blood sugar levels and contribute to the health and well-being of your metabolic or IR horse.
Horse Guard, Flix Horse Treat
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Horse with Flaky, Itchy Skin
If your horse experiences flaky skin it can be dry skin, however it is often related to an allergy to the skin. Typically, horses tend to have more dandruff in the winter because they are blanketed and not brushed as often because they aren’t ridden as much. If you are blanketing your horse, it is a good idea to wash them often to help remove in allergens that may have gotten on their blanket. Also, it helps to brush your horse with a curry to release the natural oils in the skin.
In addition, nutritionally, if you have a horse that gets really flakey, itchy skin they could benefit from Flaxen Flow. Flaxen Flow is 100% flaxseed oil, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids provide anti-inflammatory and antihistamine properties, which to reduce the effect of allergies that are causing the flakiness and reduce the inflammation that is associated with allergies. The Flaxen Flow oil also helps to moisturize the skin to help reduce flakiness. Flow, in turn, can help reduce itching and help your horse have a gleaming coat during the winter months.
Horse Guard, Flaxen Flow, 3 Liter
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Flaxen Flow can be fed with any supplement to provide high levels of omega-3 fatty acids.
Helping My Horse Grow More Mane and Tail
When it comes to hair growth, there are three different factors that affect hair growth:
- Genetics
- Environment
- Nutrition
While we can’t change genetics, we can influence the factors of nutrition and environment.
For environment, winter can make mane and tail maintenance more difficult. However, ideally you would condition your horse’s mane and tail weekly if not twice a week. A good hack in colder months when it is too cold for bathes is using leave in conditioner. Conditioning helps to lock in the moisture and helps to reduce breakage from hair becoming brittle. Keep brushing of manes and tails to a minimal because excessive brushing can increase breakage. Tail bags can help to keep moisture locked in and keep debris out that may cause more breakage.
Nutritionally, Hoof and Hair Guard is providing 100 mg of biotin, along with zinc, methionine, and other amino acids to help produce stronger hair follicles, and the soy oils moisturize to help reduce breakage.
Hoof and Hair Guard is designed to be fed with a vitamin-mineral supplement.
Horse Guard, Hoof & Hair Guard
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When it comes to choosing the best supplement for your horse, we hope that this blog gives you some peace of mind. Age and activity level, health conditions, and desires all play a part in choosing the correct one for your horse. This blog should help to give you some guidance in the supplement aisle, and not make it such a daunting task to find the correct one for your horse. If you have any more questions about your horse’s needs don’t hesitate to email [email protected]. Our Ph.D. nutritionist, Dr. Kelsey Nonella, would be more than happy to answer your questions.
