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.

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