Minerals are essential to a balanced diet. They play important roles in basic body function and play critical roles in metabolic function, immunity, tissue health and nerve function. The Nutrient Requirements of Horses (NRC, 2007) provides recommended feeding amounts of the essential nutrients, including both macro and trace minerals. Although they are a smaller component of the diet, they remain critical, as without adequate mineral intake horses develop various deficiency symptoms and health issues. For horses, there is an established requirement for calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride, sulfur, iodine, copper, iron, zinc, selenium, manganese and cobalt.
The primary component of equine diets is often either hay or pasture. However, fibrous feedstuffs will not meet a horse’s mineral requirements. Copper and zinc are two trace minerals that tend to be low in forages, and across most of Canada, it is well known that selenium is low. Therefore, adequate mineral supplementation to provide what the forage is lacking is required to optimally support our horse’s health and prevent common nutritional deficiencies.
In popular culture, the term ‘organic’ is often perceived to mean ‘natural’, but when this term is used in the context of chemistry it means ‘carbon-containing’.
Organic vs. Inorganic Minerals
Minerals can either be provided in an organic or inorganic form. In popular culture, the term ‘organic’ is often perceived to mean ‘natural’, but when this term is used in the context of chemistry it means ‘carbon-containing’. So organic minerals are those that contain carbon as part of their molecular structure. The minerals are bound to amino acids or proteinate and are also commonly referred to as chelated minerals.
Inorganic minerals are those that most often do not contain carbon. All organic minerals contain carbon as a part of their molecular structure and most inorganic minerals do not. However, note that some carbon-containing molecules are not organic.
Generally, inorganic minerals are bound to compounds such as sulfates or oxides. Although inorganic minerals tend to be less expensive, research suggests that they have lower bioavailability compared to organic forms, which are absorbed and used more efficiently in the body.
Benefits of Organic Minerals
Although research on organic mineral supplementation in horses is limited, there are many studies documenting the benefit in a variety of other species. Commonly reported benefits include improved immunity, hoof quality, and growth rate. When a product has greater bioavailability for the animal it means that the nutrients are more readily absorbed and utilized in the body.
As noted, organic minerals are costlier feed ingredients, but it is not as simple as providing more of the inorganic forms as absorption does not increase significantly at higher inclusion rates. Additionally, mineral ratios are critical to consider as an excess of one mineral can block the absorption of others.
Relying on a block or lick to meet trace mineral requirements is not recommended.
Selecting a Product
There are a multitude of mineral products available to feed your horse, from fortified performance feeds, ration balancers, premixes and even blocks or licks. Navigating which is best for your horse comes down to what their hay is providing (get an analysis to be certain), and if they need supplemental calories in their diet or not.
Blocks and licks are not generally recommended to rely on as a primary source of minerals to meet a horse’s requirements. This is because they were originally designed for cattle, which have much rougher tongues. Horses should always have free choice access to salt, but relying on a block or lick to meet trace mineral requirements is not recommended.
Best practice is to choose a fortified, well-balanced product from a reputable company that uses organic mineral sources. This could be a ration balancer, premix, performance or complete feed.
When reviewing product labels prior to purchasing, take a few extra minutes to evaluate the mineral sources. Are they only using organic sources? Is it a combination of both organic and inorganic? Or are they strictly inorganic? Products that are using organic mineral sources will be more expensive, as those feed ingredients are costlier, but based on the documented benefits it may be worth the investment.
There are various ingredient options available for feed and supplement companies to choose from when developing a product. Let’s use zinc as an example. Inorganic forms of zinc include zinc sulfate and zinc oxide. Some examples of organic forms are zinc proteinate and zinc polysaccharide complex.
When reviewing an ingredient list, it may be clear that organic forms are being used based on the ingredient names. However, in some cases you may be unsure if a mineral listed is organic or inorganic. In this case, don’t hesitate to reach out to the company or a qualified equine nutritionist to ask questions.
Take Home Message
To support your horse’s well-being with a balanced diet, minerals must be supplied in adequate quantities, correct ratios, and ideally with organic sources. Review the ingredient list of the product prior to purchase and look for terms such as chelate, proteinate, amino acid complex, propionate, and polysaccharide complex.
When designing your horse’s nutrition program, remember that reputable feed companies have qualified equine nutritionists that design and balance their products. So, when you follow the recommended daily feeding rate for the horse’s size and workload, a qualified professional has already done the work to predict that it will be adequately meeting nutrient requirements. If your commercial feed is being fed below the recommended rate, consider working with a nutritionist to help balance the diet with a concentrated mineral source such as a premix to ensure their requirements are being met.
