Buying supplements for your horse is always done with good intentions. However, it is starting to become more common for horse owners to feed supplements that aren't truly needed, or to load up on supplements in hopes of doing their best for their horse, only to end up confused about whether they can be fed together.
It's fair to say that when it comes to supplementing your horse, more is not always more, and often it is better to exercise caution than to get carried away. Today we are looking at how much is too much, both when it comes to the volume of supplement that you are feeding and the number of supplements in your routine.
Can you give a horse too much of their supplement?
In short, yes; you can give a horse too much supplement. Feeding rates are there for a reason; to make sure your horse is getting enough of the relevant ingredients for the supplement to provide the intended support in a safe way.
If you feed under the recommended feeding rate, the supplement is less likely to work. If you feed over it, then one of several things could happen. In some cases, all that will happen is that you waste money; any excess will be excreted from the body. In other cases, things get more serious, in the form of negative effects and toxicity.
Some vitamins and minerals are toxic to horses beyond the recommended doses, so always remember that a horse can have too much of a good thing, whether that thing is Amino Acids, Zinc, or (worst of all) Selenium.
If you have accidentally given your horse too much of a supplement, don't be too worried; in general you won't find any issue in the short term. For a period of days or a couple of weeks, overfeeding is unlikely to be dangerous. In the long term, however, there are certain ingredients that can have serious health consequences.
Can a horse get too much of a certain vitamin or mineral?
The main reason that it is possible to give too much supplement to a horse is because there are certain ingredients that it would be unwise to overfeed, and this varies from supplement to supplement.
For example, feeding a joint supplement at a higher volume than the recommended feeding rate is unlikely to cause problems (although it won't make the supplement more effective either!). However, it would be relatively easy to overfeed an ingredient if you were to feed a Vitamin and Mineral supplement at a higher volume than recommended over time.
Here are some of the ingredients it's worth considering.
Selenium
It can be very dangerous for horses to get too much selenium in their diet and supplement regime. Selenium is an important trace mineral that will often be found in a Vitamin and Mineral supplement at safe and appropriate levels, but feed at too high a volume over a period of time and you could quite easily exceed these levels. If your supplement contains selenium, make sure to be very stringent about following the feeding instructions set out by the supplier.
Fat soluble vitamins
Vitamins broadly fall into one of two categories; water soluble, and fat soluble. The fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) have a tendency to accumulate in a horse's body if they are overfed over a period of time, and in turn this can cause issues.
Any impact will vary depending on the vitamin and the horse, so make sure to be aware of what you are feeding and get in touch with an expert for advice. You can reach our registered equine nutritionist Stephanie Hyland (MSc. RNutr.) on 0800 585525.
Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, which in turn is essential for the body's physiological processes. Supplementing with amino acids therefore has many benefits for equine health - but too much will put strain on the kidneys, so make sure to feed at the recommended rate.
Zinc
Horses can tolerate an oversupply of zinc fairly well, but it's still important to keep to the right ratio. Over a very long period of time, an oversupply of zinc may negatively impact the liver, but it can also block other trace elements and minerals, for example by affecting the way the body uses that mineral, as in the case of copper.
Calcium
While important for strength and skeletal integrity, it is possible for a horse to have too much calcium. Feeding above the recommended amount could lead to a digestive upset or interact poorly with other minerals, and chronic oversupply in the long term can cause other issues too.
Copper
Copper toxicity in horses is possible in some rare cases, but these are either where a huge amount is consumed in a short timeframe, or a large amount is consumed on an ongoing basis. However, excess copper can reduce absorption of other minerals, so it is worth getting advice on how it interacts with anything else you may be feeding.
For other vitamins and minerals, there is no proven danger to overfeeding - but this does not mean that you should be heavy-handed. In most cases, research shows that overfeeding does not improve the efficacy, so it simply becomes wasteful, and in others, there is not enough research to draw a conclusion.
For example, Biotin is recommended for hoof issues and will inevitably be included in hoof supplements. Despite it being a fairly safe ingredient with no adverse effects if overfed, studies repeatedly show that there is an optimum level of consumption, and that higher levels than those recommended do not make it work any better or faster. Likewise, Glucosamine is fairly safe to feed at high doses, but there is no benefit at feeding above what the manufacturer suggests.
Are loading intakes nessecary when starting a new supplement?
Some products may recommend loading intakes to expediate the effect of the supplement so that the active ingredients start to work ‘quicker’ when fed to your horse. When doing your research, look at what is provided by the product you are wanting to use as supplements without loading intakes are likely to be providing a higher quantity of active ingredients in a daily intake and therefore do not require a loading intake.
Can you give a horse too many supplements?
It is certainly possible to give a horse too many supplements. For one thing, loading up your horse's feed with a long list of powders is not conducive to getting them to eat! Many supplements are palatable to horses, but that does not change that it is not natural for them to eat vast amounts of powder with their natural forage diet.
Main concerns when feeding multiple supplements in horses
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Toxicity: as detailed above, some minerals and vitamins are toxic to horses in certain amounts. If you are feeding two or more supplements that include some of the same ingredients, you are much more likely to find that you are feeding over the recommended amount of a certain vitamin or mineral
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Negative interaction: once you have multiple supplements involved, there are situations where some ingredients will have a negative interaction with each other, or compete with others for absorption and effectively ‘cancel each other out’
There are so many possible combinations when feeding multiple supplements that our best advice is to speak to someone about your specific horse and needs. Ultimately, supplements make up a small percentage of horses' diets and generally this means that they are tolerant to overfeeding of things; but some could be a problem and ultimately cause a build up that causes issues over a period of time. Remaining aware and cautious will avoid long term impacts, and by contacting an expert you can feel confident in what you're feeding.
This topic is also why we created our Bespoke All-In-One™ horse supplement. This individually tailored option allows you to create an all-in-one supplement that is specific to your horse's needs, with the right levels of nutrients perfectly calculated to prevent overfeeding. It also saves you money on buying multiple supplements - as well as the hassle of scooping from multiple tubs every day!
If you're cautious about feeding multiple supplements or would simply rather not, take a look at Bespoke All-In-One™today or get in touch for qualified, tailored nutrition advice.