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Ration analysis
Supplementing safely7 min read
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This article has not yet been professionally approved. The information is based on the sources listed below.

Mineral feed for horses: check requirements and choice

How to work out the supplementation needs of your ration, convert declarations to the daily amount and match a mineral feed against the other feeds.

Hay, a feed scoop and three bowls of mineral granules in front of an unlabelled declaration sheet.
Explanatory illustration · Equivora

The short answer

A mineral feed is suitable if its contribution, together with forage and other supplements, matches the horse's supply needs. So do not just compare concentrations per kilogram, but the actual daily intake and the requirements of the whole ration 1. The declaration provides the composition, analytical constituents, additives and directions for use needed for this 2.

What should your mineral feed do?

Mineral feed can help supplement the ration with minerals, trace elements and vitamins. Legally, it is a complementary feed with a crude ash content of at least 40% 2. The additives it contains may only be used if they are authorised in the EU; the applicable maximum contents refer to the whole ration, not to the individual product 3.

This is exactly where the real selection question comes from. A mineral feed should close the gaps in your ration – and which gaps these are depends on your hay, your pasture and whatever else your horse receives 45.

First: what already comes from other sources?

If mineralised muesli, lick buckets or other supplements are already being fed, an additional mineral mix can lead to double supply. What counts is the combined intake from all sources 65.

  • Mineralised concentrates or muesli
  • Lick buckets and lick stones
  • Other complementary feeds or herbal mixes
  • The forage itself – hay and pasture already supply minerals

Which contributions belong in the balance?

What specifically happens with an oversupply of these substances is explained in detail in the article “When trace elements become too much”.

  • Which contributions already come from the basic ration?
  • Where is the requirement met, and where does a calculated gap remain?
  • Which values are measured, and which are only table assumptions?
  • Which supplements are running in parallel and need to be added together?

How to recognise a suitable product

  • The concentrations and the daily amount actually fed can be traced together.
  • The declaration of additives is complete and can be compared with other products 2.
  • It suits your forage rather than an average horse – checked against a hay analysis if in doubt.
  • It does not promise any effect beyond nutrient supply.
  • It does not advertise the highest possible contents. With trace elements, more is not better.

How do you convert concentrations to your daily amount?

A freely chosen example, not a product declaration or dosage: 2,000 mg zinc per kg of product at 40 g daily gives 0.04 kg × 2,000 mg/kg = 80 mg per day. With a different amount of feed, the contribution changes. For your calculation, take the units exactly from the declaration and add the other ration components 21.

  • Weigh the daily amount and convert grams to kilograms.
  • Multiply the product content by this amount.
  • Add other product contributions in the same unit.
  • Compare forage values and requirements on a suitable reference basis.

How do you deal with missing hay values?

A calculation using table values remains an estimate of forage supply. For a more robust assessment, you need values for the batch actually being fed. When you change batches, document the new batch and check whether the previous supplement still fits 1.

Key takeaways

  • Forage and products that already contain minerals belong in the calculation together 1.
  • Product concentration and daily intake are different figures; you also need the amount fed 2.
  • Adding an extra mineral mix as a matter of course can lead to double supply 65.

Frequently asked questions

Does every horse need mineral feed?

Whether a supplement is needed depends on the overall supply. Hay, pasture, concentrates and other supplements already provide nutrients. Check the balance instead of choosing an additional mix based on horse type alone 1.

How do I compare two mineral feeds?

Convert the declared concentrations using the daily amount actually fed in each case. Then compare the contributions and the rest of the supply. A high content per kilogram or a low pack price alone does not answer the question of requirements 21.

Is a mineral lick enough?

That is a separate comparison: contents and actual intake must be known. The article on mineral licks and mineral feed explains these differences; this guide then takes you through checking requirements and choosing a product 1.

Sources & studies

The content is based on the references listed below. It does not replace individual veterinary or feeding advice.

Show list of sources (6)
  1. Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft (LfL): Gruber Tabelle zur PferdefütterungPractical reference table with requirement and feed values based on the GfE recommendations; the basis of many ration calculations in German-speaking countries. Chapter 9.3, Table 39: most common poisonous plants for horses with habitat, toxicity and risk level (after Kamphues et al. 2014)
  2. Verordnung (EG) Nr. 767/2009Placing on the market and use of feed, labelling and claims; definitions of complete feed (Art. 3(2)(i)) and complementary feed (point (j)), content of feed additives (Art. 8), feeding instructions (Annex II No. 4). Link to the current EUR-Lex consolidated version (as of 26 December 2018).
  3. Verordnung (EG) Nr. 1831/2003Feed additives – authorisation and use; “daily ration” based on 12% moisture (Art. 2(2)(f)), renewal of authorisation and automatic continuation (Art. 14(4)), general conditions of use (Annex IV: natural plus added amount; complementary feed, diluted as specified, at most at the level for complete feed). Link to the current EUR-Lex consolidated version (as of 27 March 2021).
  4. GfE (2014) – Empfehlungen zur Energie- und Nährstoffversorgung von PferdenSpecialist reference in German-speaking countries (GfE, German Society of Nutrition Physiology), Committee for Requirement Standards
  5. Coenen M, Vervuert I (2020): Pferdefütterung. Begründet von H. Meyer. 6., aktualisierte Aufl., Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart. ISBN 978-3-13-241778-6Standard reference work on equine nutrition in German-speaking countries; Table 4.17 mineral recommendations (recommended supply and minimum requirement), Table 4.18 derived sweat volumes per work level and weight class, Table 4.19 electrolyte performance requirement per sweat volume (in addition to maintenance requirement)
  6. NRC – Nutrient Requirements of Horses, 6th ed.International reference for the nutrient requirements of horses (National Research Council)