1. Additives & Supplements
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2. Additives & Supplements Overview
What are additives or supplements?
The do’s and don’ts of supplements
Electrolytes
Herbal Treatments

3. What are additives or supplements?
Additives and supplements are two different things. Additives are used to improve some aspect of the feed whereas supplements are used to enhance the nutritional content of feed.
Additives can be used to improve the taste of feed (e.g., molasses), to improve digestion, as mould inhibitors and to prevent oxidisation (anti-oxidants).
The choice of supplements available to horse owners is vast and in great numbers, coming in different forms such as powders, pastes, liquids and pellets.
Supplements can be brought for joint health, movement improvement, muscle maintenance, hoof condition, increasing weight, developing topline, improving breathing, growing horses, breeding horses, aged horses, reduce stress and nervousness and the list goes on.
The usefulness of supplements will depend upon whether a deficiency can be definitely determined. Without clarifying that a horse has a deficiency for certain feeding a supplement could do more hard than good. As with our own food intake supplements are not a short cut to be used instead of a balanced diet.
Supplements can incorporate a number of different vitamins and minerals like those discussed in workbook 4.H.05.
Molasses – An additive

4. The do’s and don’ts of supplements
As with most things horse related there are some basic guidelines to help maintain longevity and use of supplements and this should be among the priorities in maintaining the health of the horse and your bank balance as supplements can be expensive!
Do know your horse. Knowing what your horse needs for dietary and workload requirements will save you in time and money. Feeding the wrong supplement may have detrimental effects.
Do your research prior to buying. Read the label, learn about the supplements you intend to use. What is included in them? What is the dosage? How often will it need to be fed? Excess quantities of one mineral can lead to deficiencies in another and in some cases (such as selenium) too much can lead to toxicity.
Do choose to use supplements which are formulated to maintain potency during its storage and use.
Do store supplements in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Pastes and liquids may need refrigerating to maintain their integrity especially during periods of long storage. Tightly seal the supplement container after use.
Do read directions carefully. Follow the suggested dosage at all times.
Do introduce slowly into the feed. Also mix thoroughly with feed to ensure the supplement is not sifted out.
Do purchase a size of supplement that will be used within 60 days. This will help to prevent the quality of minerals and vitamins deteriorating.
Don’t mix supplements into warm feeds. Wait until warm feeds have cooled to room temperature.
Don’t mix supplements containing vitamin C and vitamin E into feeds containing added copper or iron. These vitamins will interact and be destroyed by these minerals.
Don’t add mineral oils into the same feed that contains vitamins E, D and A as they will be absorbed by the oil making them less available to the horse.
Don’t add minerals or vitamins to damp feeds which will be stored. Minerals may destroy some vitamins.
Don’t mix calcium into bran mashes. The calcium is likely to bind with the bran and limit its availability to the horse.
Don’t mix vitamins into feeds with large quantities of alkaline electrolytes. They will be destroyed before the horse can eat them.

5. Electrolytes
Electrolytes are lost through sweat and are essentially salt. This supplement is composed of sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, bicarbonate and chloride. Electrolytes are important to the body as they are involved in muscle contraction, nerve transmission and regulation of water in the body. During work or in hot and humid weather conditions horses will loose electrolytes through sweating and these may need to be replaced by suppling quantities within feed or by other methods.
Because electrolytes are not stored in the body they need to be provided for ingestion to the horse. Commercial electrolyte mixes are readily available but do your research as some can be expensive.
Electrolytes can be mixed into feed rations or supplied mixed with water. A sweetener (such as molasses) may be required to encourage the horse to drink, another bucket of plain water should also be offered so that if the horse chooses not to drink the electrolyte mix it does not become dehydrated.
Another ‘budget friendly’ way of using electrolytes is to mix your own (horses that have needs to meet specific electrolyte losses may need a specific, commercially produced electrolyte mix):-
40 grams of table salt (this is composed of sodium chloride)
30 grams of lite salt (this is composed of potassium chloride)
20 grams of Epsom salts (this is composed of magnesium sulphate)
Mixed with approximately 7.5 litres of water

6. Herbal Treatments
Herbal supplements are those which have been derived from herbs and plants. A herbal supplement is not necessarily a drug free supplement. Just as when choosing to use other supplements you should do your research into what the herbal supplement contains. This is because some herbs or plants can have similar chemical make up to those which may be prohibited from use, especially in the competition arena.
As with any type of supplement the wrong dose can be harmful and some my produce side effects or have negative interactions with other drugs that are being used, just because it comes from a plant, a natural source does not mean it is safe to use.
Of course herbal treatments are not all bad, after all plants and herbs have been used to treat ailments for many, many years, by various cultures long before their were veterinary surgeons. Different herbs and plants will have different actions on the body, natural therapies aim to improve the health of the horse as do pharmacological methods.
Herbal supplements and additives provide another avenue of options for the horse owner in maintaining optimal horse health.

7. References Publication:- Authors:-
Storey’s Guide to Feeding Horses Melyni Worth
Feeding & Nutrition of Horses: The making John Kohnke
of a champion
The complete horse care manual Colin Vogel
A healthy horse the natural way Catherine Bird

8. References Images:- Websites:- www.virbac.com.au www.equineink.com
Websites:-

9. After the Video Tutorial
View the Power Point Presentation and see if you can discuss each slide
View the Video Tutorial again, if necessary
Read the Workbook
Do the Homework/Extension Lesson
Complete the Online Quizzes
Complete the Practical Assessments
Join Phone Tutorials if available
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