Supplementing safely
When is supplementing sensible, unnecessary or risky?
The legal framework, choosing products, oversupply – and when a vet check is needed instead of a product.
Salt lick, mineral lick or mineral feed: which fits?
How to tell a salt source, a mineral lick and a measured mineral feed apart, and how to check their contributions to the overall diet.
5 min readRead
Brewer's yeast for horses: context, claims and dosage
What distinguishes brewer's yeast from live yeast, what the studies actually examined and what information you need for a meaningful ration check.
6 min readRead
Sweet itch in horses: feeding and its limits
What a ration check can clarify in sweet itch (summer eczema), how limited the feeding evidence is and why suspecting protein is no substitute for a diagnosis.
6 min readRead
What is complementary feed?
For horses, the term is complementary feed – not food supplements. Complementary feed adds to the ration but does not replace basic feeding. Feed law clearly distinguishes between product classes.
5 min readRead
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.
7 min readRead
Do joint supplements for horses work?
A big market with thin evidence. What the studies on glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, hyaluronic acid and herbs in horses really show – and why we do not offer a joint module ourselves.
8 min readRead
Metabolism, EMS, laminitis, Cushing's/PPID
A highly sensitive topic – not one for a simple online product recommendation. Sugar/starch, body weight and veterinary support are at the centre.
5 min readRead
Feed or medicine?
The line between complementary feed and veterinary medicine is sharply drawn in law. Why healing claims are not permitted – illustrated by a court ruling.
4 min readRead
When trace elements become too much
Deficiency is not the only problem: an excess of selenium, cobalt, iodine or iron can cause serious harm. Selenium illustrates how narrow the window is.
6 min readRead
What a reputable supplier should say
Honest communication, clear limits and no healing claims. How to tell reputable advice from dubious advice.
3 min readRead
Standard mineral feed or filling the gaps?
A standard mineral feed has to guess what is missing from your ration. We calculate instead – and only release selenium and iodine once a lab value is available.
6 min readRead
Cushing's in horses (PPID): what feeding can do
Why PPID remains a veterinary diagnosis, why feeding depends on insulin status and body condition, and what hay analysis, teeth and mineral supply clarify along the way.
7 min readRead
Mud fever in horses: clarify the causes, assess feeding honestly
Why mud fever is a finding with many possible causes, what management and care contribute, what zinc and copper really do and when pasture plants make the skin sensitive to light.
7 min readRead
PSSM in horses: understanding feeding with PSSM1 and PSSM2
What distinguishes PSSM1 from PSSM2, which tests support a diagnosis, which feeding principles are evidence-based and why vitamin E and selenium belong in the ration only in line with requirements.
8 min readRead
Combining supplements: do several products go together?
Mineral feed, muesli, lick block and specialist supplement: how to spot where products overlap and decide transparently what stays and what can be replaced.
6 min readRead
Mineral feed without iron or without selenium: when does it make sense?
If you are looking for a mineral feed without iron, selenium or iodine, you usually have a reason. Here you can put it in context: what the hay supplies, what the analysis needs to show and when leaving a substance out makes sense.
6 min readRead
Supplements for horses: types, benefits and choosing one
Mineral feed, herbs, oils, hoof and joint supplements: which types of supplement exist, when one makes sense and how to choose a product based on the declaration and your ration.
6 min readRead
Mineral feed test: how to check a mineral feed yourself
Instead of a test winner, a checking guide: which details must be on the label, how to convert contents to your daily amount and how to tell whether a mineral feed suits your hay.
6 min readRead
Natural mineral feed: what “natural” and “organic” mean
What lies behind natural mineral feed, organically bound trace elements and herbal mixes, where the form really matters and why the amount is more important than the origin.
6 min readRead
Herbs for horses: what the evidence shows and when caution is needed
How to assess herbs for horses: what is permitted as feed, how thin the evidence is for devil's claw, milk thistle, chasteberry, rose hip and nettle, and why herbs are tricky in competitive sport.
6 min readRead
Devil's claw for horses: evidence, doping and caution
What is known about devil's claw in horses: a single blood level study, no efficacy study, a clear doping classification by the FEI and FN, and a note of caution for gastric ulcers.
5 min readRead
Milk thistle for horses: what the studies on the liver show
What is known about milk thistle in horses: poor absorption of silibinin, good tolerance in healthy horses, no studies in liver disease, and what to check before competitions.
5 min readRead
Chasteberry for horses with PPID: what the guideline says
How the veterinary guideline assesses chasteberry (monk's pepper) in PPID (Cushing's disease), why pergolide remains the standard treatment, what is known about interactions and what applies in competitive sport.
5 min readRead
Rose hips for horses: vitamin C and what is proven
What rose hips provide for horses, why horses produce vitamin C themselves, how much the content varies and how thin the evidence in horses is.
5 min readRead
Nettle for horses: minerals, caution and competitions
What minerals nettles provide for horses, why the content varies with the season, what the stinging hairs of fresh plants can cause and what applies in competitive sport.
5 min readRead
Sources
The content is based on the references listed below. It does not replace individual veterinary or feeding advice.
Show list of sources (3)
- 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).
- 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).
- NRC – Nutrient Requirements of Horses, 6th ed.International reference for the nutrient requirements of horses (National Research Council)