Nutrient requirements for horses is not something that is not very well known or even studied/researched. Many horses present problems such as colic, flounder, and laminitis and are given shots or medicine rather than looking into their diet and nutrient needs. Just like humans, horses have nutrient needs as well and similar with blood tests, it only shows at that specific moment what was going on within the body, not the tissues, which again is where minerals are stored. 

 

I can reflect on a time where my now 19 year old Morgan, OV,  had liver enzyme issues. The most notable reactions were his drop in weight and mane, tail, and coat had lost the shine and the texture was rough and patchy and he became more irritable. It should be pointed out that he was never a children’s horse but we bought him when he was four and I was six. This horse never had a mean bone in his body or temperament toward me when I was a child. There was really no work to be done in ‘taming’ him or calming him down to be respectful towards a child or to get him ready for a child to ride and show him. He had never coliced, always traveled well in the trailer, was clean, had stall manners, and was a very polite horse. His personality changed a bit, however I could tell that he didn’t want to act temperamental towards me. He just couldn’t verbally express how he was feeling or where he was hurting as humans can. This is why it is so important to look for other signs, not just in humans, but our beloved animals as well because they do not have a voice to tell us what the problem is. We found a veterinarian who ran blood tests and concluded that he had issues with his liver. A diet change was needed, however the barn we were at at the time refused to bring in new hay and grain. We moved him to a different farm, made diet and nutritional changes, and he improved significantly. 

 

The report will include:

Toxic Elements

Toxic Ratios

Nutritional Elements

Significant Ratios

Endocrine Index

Performance Index

Supplement Recommendations