Magnesium Deficiency in Horses
Posted by Ken Wrigley, 21 Apr, 2010
Vitamins/Supplements, Horse Health, Grooming/Vet
Magnesium deficiency in horses is something we all know about – it happens in spring when pasture is growing rapidly, and it happens in cold snaps when the magnesium component in pasture isn't readily bioavailable. The risk of deficiency becomes higher at these times if the horse is in work.
How is a magnesium deficiency recognized?
Magnesium plays an important part in nerve and muscle function, and horses deficient in this important element can show signs of nervousness, wariness, excitability, and muscle tremors.
The term “tying up” is frequently used in Spring when horses are being worked, and training has significantly increased. What this commonly refers to is magnesium deficiency. Visually you may see the deficiency as spasms in the horses muscles, and the horse will misbehave, and quickly lose interest in being worked.
Although there are some cheap magnesium supplements, take care that you dose them at the right rate – small excesses of magnesium may cause some diarrhoea, while the excess is excreted in urine and faecal matter. Remember that you have paid for those excesses! This means a daily grind of monitoring how much is going into the feed, and making sure that magnesium DOES get added every day.
The other thing to watch for is feed refusals. Magnesium is very bitter so can easily put a horse off their feed. If this happens, it can have other implications – energy intake for one. Most importantly though, if expensive feeds are being made unpalatable, then not only is the food not being eaten, but neither is the supplement.
The most common forms of supplementation are magnesium oxide (MgO), magnesium carbonate (MgCO3), or magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) - also known as Epsom Salts. However, now there is also magnesium pidolate as well. For about 18 years now, magnesium pidolate has been drenched to dairy cows for magnesium deficiency, and now its being used in horses too. That product is MORE-MAG.
The key points of magnesium pidolate:
1. Its not bitter, so no risk of it putting animals off their feed
2. Its easy to use – 100mL dose poured onto the feed
3. Magnesium pidolate isn't excreted in urine or faecal matter, so the magnesium component is available to the animal over a longer period of time, eliminating the need to dose daily. Every animal is different but horses in hard work generally are using magnesium pidolate once every 4 days, in light work the magnesium can last between 7 and 10 days
Contact the seller
Contact: Ken Wrigley
Website: www.domhealth.co.nz
Address: 25B Lorien Place, East Tamaki, Auckland
Phone: +64 (9) 274 7676
DomHealth is a New Zealand owned and operated family business which was started in 1988 by Ken Wrigley and his wife, Alison. At that time the company was specialising in trace elements, travelling up and down the country providing farmers with the essential trace elements for their horticultural and agricultural needs. After 20 years of trading, DomHealth has grown and broadened substantially. By attaining many... More Info
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Magnesium Deficiency in Horses
Magnesium deficiency in horses is something we all know about – it happens in spring... More »
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