A horse lacking minerals

Question

If your horse is lacking minerals, what can you do to help add more minerals to their diet? This is a multi- answer question.

Allow them more time to graze

Feed Veterinary recommended supplement

Give them red meat

Provide a mineral block

Answer 1

I would say all but the meat. When horses graze they can find mineral in the soil or in the plant matter they're eating, vet supplements are always an option, and we give ours mineral block. If this is for howrse then I still think those are the right answers.

Answer 2

If a horse (or any livestock) is lacking minerals, part of this is probably due to poor nutrient content in grazing.

Many areas of this country have soil that is mineral deficient.  Deficient soil results in grass, forage and hay that is also lacking.  Most commercial feeds make up for the majority of this by adding trace minerals to the feed, but this isn't always enough.  Added stress, a horse with a high work load, gestation and lactation can also be factors that contribute to an extra need for trace minerals.  This cannot necessarily be made up by extra grazing or extra feed.  

Free choice minerals should be offered to any animal, and in some circumstances, such as with an impending birth, injectables or prescription supplements may be required.  

Where I live in Ohio is extremely selenium deficient, and when my goats are ready to kid, I give the does a vet-prescribed BO-SE injection to prevent white muscle disease.

I hope you were kidding about feeding them red meat.  Even if you could force it on them (good luck with that), many of the problems we're seeing in animals (such as mad cow disease) have been from large producers "cutting corners" and doing some inappropriate recycling of protein materials.  Cows need protein?  Grind up dead cow body parts and feed it back to them!  Herbivores shouldn't be fed meat as it could lead to many other serious health issues and contagions.

Mild mineral deficiencies can be handled with mineral blocks or free choice mineral.  Severe deficiencies should be handled with prescription supplements.  Either can be diagnosed properly with some basic blood tests.