I know a lot of horse people, and nearly all of them have these things in common:
- A feed room overflowing with buckets, bags, and bottles of supplements – most of them half-empty and covered in dust.
- A feeding routine that looks like a cross between a chemistry class and a cooking show.
- The vague sense that they did know, at one time, why each of these supplements seemed like a good idea.
Sound familiar? Yeah, me too.
But not anymore! I have switched to just ONE supplement for each of my horses. (Well, except for the hardest-working. He gets two.)
And get this: Despite the dramatic downshift in time and hassle, I’m more confident than ever that my horses are getting exactly what they need.
How is that possible???
Let me back up.
I started questioning my horses’ nutrition when some niggling issues refused to go away: Several hoof abscesses in a single year. A mare with a rough coat. A gelding with thin soles.
This despite regular deworming, consistent hoof care, and a diet of good-quality hay plus a region-specific, basic vitamin and mineral pellet. Plus a little of this and a little of that, here and there, because…well, because.
So I did what most of us do: I googled for potential nutritional issues associated with the symptoms I was seeing. Then, I ordered a variety of supplements and proceeded to throw spaghetti at the wall.
Spoiler alert: The niggling issues continued to niggle.
So I began to wonder…
Can a Blood Test Tell Me Which Vitamins and Minerals My Horse is Deficient In?
Sounds great, right?
Have the vet suck a little blood, send it to the lab, and voila! Now I know exactly where my horse is deficient and what supplement I need to buy.
Not so fast.
Before I pulled the trigger on a blood test, I had the good fortune to speak with an equine nutritionist at Mad Barn.
Amanda kindly enlightened me on the truth about blood tests. It turns out they’re not a reliable indicator of potential deficiencies. Because most trace minerals are stored in tissue, blood concentrations are not representative of the horse’s actual nutritional status.
There are a couple exceptions – particularly selenium and Vitamin E – but for the most part, bloodwork offers only a snapshot that changes readily based on factors like activity level and proximity to mealtime.
So I had to ask:
Is Hair Mineral Analysis Accurate for Horses?
This sounds even easier than a blood test, right? No vet, no needles…but also, no dice.
Amanda explained that hair analysis reflects several months of nutritional history, and therefore isn’t much good for identifying any deficiencies or excesses my horse is experiencing right now.
Furthermore, many minerals get extracted by the horse’s liver or tightly regulated by her hormones in a way that leaves hair values an unreliable reflection of actual nutrition status.
Ok, we’ll skip the hair analysis. But then…
How Am I Supposed to Know Whether or Not My Horse's Nutrition is Adequate?
The trick is to look at the nutrients that you’re putting into the horse, rather than what nutrients show up in his various body parts at any given time.
Enter forage analysis.
Do I Really Have to Get My Horse's Hay Tested?
Oh, boy. This is something I’d been aware of for a long time, but never actually done. It always sounded like such a hassle.
But with my kitchen-sink approach to supplements in question and a fresh barnful of hay, I decided it was time. Amanda nodded approval and put a test kit in the mail.
Here’s a little video I made to show you exactly how difficult it was to get the sample. (And yes, that discount code at the end is for real.)
What Can I Learn About My Horse's Nutrition from a Forage Analysis?
Less than two weeks later, I was back on the phone with Amanda. We went over my hay analysis together, and I learned things like:
- My hay is moderate-calorie and a touch below average in protein, which I can correct for in my harder-working endurance horses with a pelleted performance feed.
- My hay is slightly high in sugar and starch, but safe for healthy horses that are free of metabolic conditions.
- My hay – like my well water – is high in iron, which can interfere with my horses’ ability to absorb copper and zinc.
- My hay – like most hays – is deficient in important trace minerals and vitamins.
We wrapped up with the best news I’d heard all day: I could actually provide MORE nutrition to my horses while making feeding time LESS complicated.
Why AminoTrace+ Instead of Omneity?
For many performance horses, including those with high workloads, Omneity is a perfect choice. And, it’s the more economical of the two.
So why go with AminoTrace+?
We elected AminoTrace+ to give my particular horses even more advanced nutritional support for hoof growth (my thin-soled boy); metabolic health, muscle function, antioxidant protection (my endurance horses); and immune function and digestive health. It’ll also balance out the high iron intake that seems to come with the territory where I live.
I can’t tell you how much peace it gives me to know exactly what is going into my horses every day – and that it’s actually, definitely, finally, meeting their needs.
Want to try it? You can get a free nutrition consultation with your own Mad Barn forage analysis, too! Use my code SWEATY for a discount on your order.
Do I Really Need a Forage Analysis Before Choosing Supplements for My Horse?
I asked Amanda about this, because the reality is that we don’t all have the luxury of feeding our horses the same hay, from the same cutting, on the same field, year-round.
The good news is that, barring certain heath conditions (like insulin resistance) and problematic regional issues (like excessive selenium), the vast majority of horses will do well on a high-quality, complete vitamin and mineral supplement.
This goes for horses on green grass as well as hay. Analyzing fresh forage is impractical because its nutritional composition varies throughout the day. However, it’s safe to assume that although growing grass is an excellent source of calories and protein, it’s likely to be deficient in some trace minerals. Vitamin levels in grass change constantly and drop quickly as the plant dries. This constantly-shifting picture makes a quality ration balancer a good idea even for horses on pasture.
Do I Need Wet Chemistry?
When ordering a forage test, you’ll see an option to add wet chemistry. Most of us will do fine with just the basic analysis – no wet chemistry needed.
However, if you have a horse with metabolic challenges, laminitis, or know that your hay crop was extremely stressed, it’s worth asking Mad Barn about the additional test before placing your order.
So Which Supplement Should I Feed My Horse?
Most of us can cover all the bases just by providing high-quality forage and one of two options:
For horses with no particular physical issues or special circumstances at play, Omneity works well to balance a broad range of forages. This is all the majority of horses – including performance horses – will need. (By the way, it’s pronounced om-NEIGH-ity – c’mon, you know you want to say it out loud!)
In cases like mine, where considerations like forage balance and hoof issues are at play, AminoTrace+ offers the same completeness with substantially higher amounts of key nutrients. That extra boost makes even more sense for my endurance horses, since the extra support helps them cope with the oxidative stress that goes with a heavy workload. It’s also ideal for horses with metabolic issues like insulin resistance, equine metabolic syndrome, or Cushings.
Want to Learn More?
You can nerd out on the science behind forage analysis, plus get the details on Omneity and AminoTrace+, straight from the horse’s mouth:
What a Hay Analysis Can Tell You About Your Horse’s Needs
Learn about Omneity Equine Mineral & Vitamin Supplement
Learn about AminoTrace+ for Horses with Extra Nutritional Needs
And if you decide to order, don’t forget to use code SWEATY for your discount.
One More Thing
One of my horses who needed AminoTrace+ the most didn’t want to eat it. Like, at all.
Spoiler alert: He’s loving it now.
I’ll spill my strategy for changing his mind in next Wednesday’s newsletter. Make sure you’re on the list!
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It comes in about 3-4 different small loads. It can be different fields & different cuts. First, second cut etc. sooo doing a hay analysis doesn’t seem very accurate? My three horses are so different in needs, too. One is Cushing’s/metabolic, one is 26 yrs old, one is my competitive endurance horse. I do use a balancer & pasture & hay. The Cushing’s horse doesn’t get pasture just hay. Would you still do a hay analysis?
Yes, a forage test makes less sense if your hay varies throughout the year. Fortunately, a high-quality ration balancer should cover the bases for almost all hays. Something like AminoTrace+ would probably be good for your Cushings guy, while the others would likely do perfectly well on Omneity, based on the guidelines Amanda shared. 🙂