Feeding supplements is investing in your horse’s health, and it is good to know that your investment is having the desired effect. Although it is often not possible to see the effects in the short term, there are ways to tell if your supplement is working...

Keep Records

KEEP RECORDS - Regularly maintain and update records for each horse to monitor changes to behaviour and condition, it's easy to miss subtle daily changes if you don't. List clearly what each horse is fed, including all types of forage and compound feed, and when feeding has begun. Dates are also easy to forget if you don't note them down. Pay attention to your horse through the seasons, consider changes in attitude and willingness to work, weight, coat and hoof health, stiffness, and respiratory.

Accurate records will allow both positive and negative effects to be identified quickly. 

Make Changes One at a Time

DON'T CHANGE EVERYTHING AT THE SAME TIME - For accurate assessments to be made ensure you manage your horse's diet and routine carefully so you can understand any changes and attribute them to the right variable.

Remember that simple changes to routine can also have an effect, these could be involuntary changes imposed by things such as bad weather, change of stable companions, or construction work nearby. Refer to a diary to note changes to both diet and environment and amend regularly to monitor.

Use common sense. It might not be the right time to assess a new calmative with a stressy horse who is travelling more than usual, pick a more consistent time in the routine to measure any difference in attitude. 

Understand Your Horse

DEVELOP FEEL FOR YOUR HORSE - Learn to know your horse so you become aware of small changes in him, this is both for better and for worse.

Pay attention to him when he's at work, rest and in competition. Look out for changes in things such as his outlook, changes to his coat, the quality of his feet, how freely he's working, his behaviour, and his appetite. 

Again, use your diary to note subtle changes so you can establish any patterns.

The benefits of understanding your horse will stretch far beyond nutrition! 

BE REALISTIC WITH EXPECTATIONS

BE SENSIBLE ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE - It is unlikely that an exuberant, extroverted sports horse will turn in to a quiet hack on a calmative. Consider the horse's challenges and environment carefully and ask for advice from professionals if you need further support. 

In the same way, a retired veteran with joint stiffness is unlikely to transform in to a free moving athlete on a joint supplement.

Be realistic about what you can achieve and focus on selecting the right support where needed. 

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SUPPLEMENT

CHOOSING THE CORRECT SUPPLEMENT IS NOT ALWAYS EASY - With so many products to choose from putting your horse on to the most appropriate and effective supplement is not always easy, and providing the correct 'balanced' nutrition for your horse requires attention to detail and some planning.

First and foremost you must ensure you are providing a well balanced diet, before supplementing for therapeutic effects. You must consider all feed provided including quality and levels, plus environmental factors such as access to forage, fasting periods, and routines. 

Ask us for advice if you are considering your options as we are always happy to help and it's important you choose the right supplement for your needs. 

INVISIBLE BENEFITS

YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE EFFECTS IMMEDIATELY - Remember that the effects of supporting better health and performance may not be visibly evident immediately so monitoring long term health is important. Typically hoof supplements take longer to reveal their benefits due to the slow growing nature of hoof horn, while calmatives can take effect within a couple of weeks.

Record keeping will help.