Congratulations, you decided to do an Equine Hair & Mineral Analysis for your horse. For example, the report may show that your horse needs magnesium, zinc, and copper but is high in iron. So armed with your analysis in hand, you can go to the feed store and get what you need. Not exactly, remember in our first article, the term “mineral ratios,” they are the critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to the success or failure of your feeding and supplement program. Minerals have interrelationships with other minerals. For example, calcium and magnesium, zinc and copper, calcium and phosphorous are all interrelated. If their ratios are not balanced means that no other minerals are being absorbed and could be causing additional issues. That translates to the $200.00 joint supplement your giving your horse is in your manure pile, not where it needs to be.
The high iron, in our example, hampers the absorption of copper and zinc. Why is that a problem? Copper plays a major roll in connective tissue, including collagen and elastin, as well as cartilage. Zinc is active in more than 200 enzyme systems, predominantly those involved in carbohydrate metabolism. To correct the imbalance, you would require additional zinc and copper, as well as Vitamin E antioxidants.
Either environmental issues or diet can cause high iron in horses. This is why, when selecting supplements, it is important to read all the ingredients, not just the top three or four. The reason is feed, and supplement manufacturers can list ingredients in several ways. For example, what do ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, ferrous fumarate have in common? They are iron and will be listed separately on an ingredients list. Knowing all the ingredients is extremely important when calculating the total daily requirement for a mineral. You need to account for not only what is on the feed tag but all supplements. I have seen clients that were feeding three times the daily requirement for iron.
All these calculations may seem complicated and time-consuming; Is there an easier way. Yes, Balanced Eco Solutions (www.balancedecosolutions.com) offers a unique service that takes all the guesswork out of balancing minerals. Through Balanced Eco Solutions, you can receive a hair & Mineral Analysis from the only certified lab in the US. As part of the service, the analysis is reviewed by their in-house nutritionist. They review both the report and your current feeding program. Based on the analysis and current program, they will provide a final summary with diet and supplement recommendations. If necessary, they can blend a custom supplement specifically to meet the needs of your horse.
Here is the benefit of a custom supplement. Remember our earlier discussion on mineral ratios. When Balanced Eco Solutions builds a custom supplement, they create a blend of chelated and non-chelated minerals. Why is that important? The chelated minerals go directly to the problem that needs correcting while the non-chelated work with the other minerals to balance the ratios or relationships between individual minerals. The difference between chelated and non-chelated minerals, chelation is the chemical process by which a mineral (iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, manganese) is combined with a mixture of amino acids and peptides. A chelated mineral is more “bioavailable” and is absorbed faster than non-chelated minerals.
The cost of a custom mineral blend is surprisingly economical, averaging $70-$95 a month, depending on what is needed. If you are feeding a joint or other supplements, those can be included in the blend as well. So instead of feeding 2-3 supplements, you are only feeding one. It is economical because being more bioavailable means smaller dosages, and no “loading” dose is needed.
Does all this work really make a difference? Yes, I thought it fitting to conclude with a success story. A competitive rider contacted us regarding her gelding - Jack. At home, Jack was perfect, calm, focused ran the course without issue. Take Jack to the show, and he was completely different, anxious, would not stand, not focused, just wanted to blast through the course. We completed an EHMA and found a low tissue calcium level, and imbalanced ratios relating to calcium and phosphorus as well as vitamin D deficiency. A mineral imbalance can also affect thyroid; if selenium is low or unable to be absorbed (due to calcium/phosphorus imbalance), the thyroid cannot convert T4 to T3. A custom supplement was blended with calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iodine, and cobalt to correct the imbalances. Within two months, Jack made huge changes. At the show, he was calm, focused and ready to compete; this enabled our client to win more of her events. She also noticed that Jack was able to recover faster between events. Now almost 12 months later, Jack loves competing and our client is one of the top riders in her discipline in Oregon.