Is it possible to give your horse too many supplements?

Question

I'm thinking about giving this to my horse once a day, but I think it might be too much! Half a scoop of senior grain(she's 17, used for showing, but not intensely, ridden mostly every day), roughly a cup of beet pulp (soaked in water) grass plus, fiberspyll, and just a teaspoon or so of apple cider vinegar for sweat through fly spray. Is it too much? I don't want to hurt my horse!!!

Answer 1

Yes it is.  Balances in the body can include insufficiencies or excesses of one thing or another.  I believe that most horses are not nutritionally well balanced because it is complicated to figure out what they need and what you're feeding.  Hay has to be tested to determine it's quality, and often quality is inconsistent from one bale to the next....the same goes for many grain mixtures.  Before using supplements it is wise to search the web and become educated so you may make informed decisions.

Answer 2

I wouldn't suggest giving your horse to may supplements. Some are good for somethings depending what you want out of them. Ask your vet what his opinion is on them and what your horse needs personally.  There so many great supplements out there... a multi vitamin would be good to start with.

Good luck

Answer 3

If your horse is not losing any weight or is a "hard keeper", you do not need the beet pulp.

I do not know that "grass plus" is so i do not know whether or not that it is a "neccasary" supplement for your horse.

Other than that, what you are giving is fine for your horse (as long as you have checked with your vet first and are giving the proper amount).

Answer 4

A great all-around supplement is "Platinum Performance" My horse is on that and only that and she looks great. They do have variations of the product if your horse has a specific need as well. Using an all-around will help ensure that you are not overdoing it :)

Answer 5

Absolutely. Many will just be excreted in the urine, but those that aren't can make the horse highly excitable, sweaty, nervous and/or sick.

Answer 6

Yes you can reach toxicity in minerals and vitamins which can cause many things. Example too much copper can cause liver failure. etc. You can either ask you vet and show them the labels that you are feeding to your horse and also check what they are getting naturally from the pasture or hay that you feed. The grass  where im at might lack in something that yours is abundant in. Its all in the soil

Answer 7

Definately! Their bodies can not take in all the suppliments if they're are given them all at once. It will just continue passing through their body and excrete through their urine because their body can not absorbe all the nutrients in the supplements.

Answer 8

yes....

i dont give my horse any supplements other than senior feed but my old horses owner (i leased) gave all 3 of her horses way to many supplements

-senior feed

-stock builder

-stuff for their hoofs

-flax seed

-corn syrup to make the food tastier

-stuff for their coats

-rolled oats

-some joint thing for my horse cause he had arthritis in his back legs

horses dont need all of that

the joint thing for my horse was understandable cause it helped with the pain of arthritis

the rest of it was just silly although i loved the smell of the stock builder cause it smelled like licorish yummm and the senior feed smelled like mollasis

Answer 9

Check with your vet. To answer your direct question, yes you can give too many supplements. Just like you can take too many yourself. Because something is natural does not mean it is completely safe. On the same note, some horses do need some supplements that their body has depleted. Joint supplements are great but some cause digestive problems when overused. Depends on what you are trying to accomplish with your horse, check with your vet or at least a knowledgeable person at your feed supply store. Ask if they have an equine specialist that has been trained to know the benefits and possible side effects from the supplements.

Answer 10

Oh yes.  It makes them hyper and excitable, because they have all this energy from food and nothing to do with it, especially in horses with no outdoor turnout.  We give ours 12 hour pasture turnout, and about a quarter of a bale of hay, a handful of oats, and a handful of horse pellets when they come in.  They don't overeat, and they dont get all hyper because they've been walking around the pasture all day.

Answer 11

It is possible to give too many supplements, however, what you are suggesting is not too many.  I don't agree with the Platinum Performance  suggestion - it is too pricey for what you are getting and has ingredients that aren't necessarily good for your horse.  The glucosamine is minimal so you are basically paying a lot of money for ingredients you could could feed yourself - ie: rice bran, flax. There are far better products available for your horse. I speak from experience of using the product for several years. Horse Journal rated the product as too much money for what you get - they said pass!

Answer 12

Absolutely!  Certain minerals can be in each supplement, and feeding several supplements can overdose those minerals.  The best course is to feed a very good quality feed that is nutritionally balanced, then add very minimal supplements.  For instance, if you need a joint sup., then give one that includes only the active ingredients and some flavoring, not one that has vitamins and minerals added.  You could also feed one sup. that covers several things like coat, hoof and joint all together.

Answer 13

Yup, we're part of the "more is better" mentality...so, we may innocently be doing this to our horses....Selenium is a big one in an area of low selenium which occurs naturally in the soil.  If you live in a state of low selenium levels be very careful not to overfeed it as a supplement to your horse.  Check your processed grain for selenium levels and also other supplements that you may be giving your horse.  

http://www.horsetech.com/selenium.htm

http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:GDs...

Answer 14

If your horse is good weight and healthy, supplementation is unnecessary and can actually harm your horse.  Under natural grazing conditions, horses usually manage to balance their own diet for vitamins and minerals.  If your horse spends a portion of each day outside, he does not need any additional vitamin D as the sunlight will insure he has all he needs.  Too much vitamin d can destroy your horse due to toxicity problems.  Relative to selenium, while it is necessary for good health, it is usually plentiful in a normal diet of hay, grass and grain.  Selenium toxicity is usually manifested in skin and hoof problems in mature horses.  You said you are in a very deficient area so I presume you have had proper tests to substantiate that.  In a natural environment, horses would only be selenium deficient if they were placed in an area that it was "unnatural" for a horse to be in.  So many problems are caused by calcium and phosphorus imbalance.  Your beet pulp regimen sounds good for your horse.  You would never want to feed bran.  Heavy bran feeding throws too much phosphorus into the horse's system and this leads to calcium deficiency and serious problems that can be life-threatening (not to mention bone related problems).  These are just a few bits of information I hope you find helpful.  You sound like you want the best for your horse.  Too often the supplementation is "over done".  A balanced diet with good pasture and hay, and your horse should do well.  As a general rule, supplementation is a waste of time and money and is more harmful than helpful.