Best Horse Supplements

If you are here today, you probably have a hard keeper. Unlike easy keepers, they must be given a little something extra to remain in the best condition and health. Supplements are fed for many reasons, some of which include hoof condition, weight maintenance, coat condition, and even balanced nutrition.

Today we are going to focus on finding a good multivitamin, weight builder, and hoof supplement. These are the categories I have the most experience with from dealing with rescued and senior horses for the past 10 years or so.

We feed our horses plenty of roughage to help keep them in great condition. When your horse seems to be losing condition, the first thing you should consider is feeding more or better quality hay. This is especially true if your horse does not have access to grass!

Some horses have a difficult time chewing grass and hay, especially seniors or those with tooth problems. Consider having your horse's teeth checked if they seem to "ball" up hay and grass and spit it out instead of eating it. You can also feed hay replacements, like alfalfa cubes or pellets, if you notice they are having a hard time chewing. We feed our senior horse alfalfa pellets twice a day, soaking them first to make it very easy to chew.

If your horse still appears to be thin or losing condition after adding or adjusting hay intake, you should consider beet pulp. We feed beet pulp regularly to all of our horses because it is a great source of fiber. It is great for the senior horses because it is easy for them to chew and digest. Beet pulp is also relatively cheap, so it is best to try this method first before turning to other supplements.

What if you've already tried that with your hard keeper and it isn't working? If you're still reading, that's where you're at! Rice bran supplements, weight builders, and other condition improving supplements may be the next course of action if you horse does not respond to hay and beet pulp.

We use Farnam Weight Builder on our senior horse and skinny rescues. It's a high calorie supplement that is easy to use and safe to feed with other supplements. We tried it out because it was recommended to us, and boy oh boy does it work! Our old guy, Money, has improved a great deal since we put him on it. It also works BEAUTIFULLY on other horses in poor condition, so I highly recommend it! You can literally see the results within a month of use. Farnam Weight Builder improves skin and coat condition, weight, or both depending on how much you feed. This supplement is reasonably priced, especially considering the results.

To help make sure Money gets all the necessary nutrition, we also supplement his feed with Vita-Plus. When we first gave him a multi-vitamin we tried DuMor. Although I wouldn't say anything negative about DuMor, I did not notice any difference in particular. What I like about Vita-Plus is you can actually see an improvement in your horse's condition. Even though it may cost a little more than other vitamin supplements, to me it is worth it. As my Mama always said, you get what you pay for!

As many of you are also probably familiar with, many horses require extra attention to hoof health. Hooves can become brittle, cracked, dry, and sore if your horse does not have good feet. Poor nutrition, excessive moisture, stall rest, and other factors can cause hoof health to decline. Thankfully, there are many hoof care products on the market that can help your horse's hooves.

There are many things that can happen to hooves and it is always worrisome when they are not in the best condition! When our senior horse arrived, his hooves were almost sloughing away. They were brittle, cracked, and peeling. We believe that his supplement combination may have been the culprit of his hoof condition. If you decide to feed supplements to your horse, be sure it is safe to combine them. Some supplements cannot be fed together because it will result in toxic levels of something in your horse's system. In Money's case, he was being fed too many supplements with Selenium. We removed some of the Selenium from his diet and have noticed a great improvement in his hooves.

For other hoof problems, you may need to use a hoof supplement. You can either feed a supplement or get one to apply directly to the hooves. It is less messy and more convenient for us to feed supplements, so I would recommend something with Biotin. It supports hoof growth and builds strong, healthy hooves. Some Biotin supplements you could try are Farnam's Horseshoer's Secret or Grand Meadows Grand Hoof, depending on your budget. Personally, I would use Horseshoer's Secret because it is from a brand I trust.

Hopefully this article has been informative and has helped you decide what supplement to feed your hard keeper. Although not all horses need supplements to thrive, some certainly do! Although we have successfully used the products I recommended today, remember to consult your veterinarian prior to feeding new supplements.

Take care, y'all!