Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Dr. Getty
The free choice minerals are actually made and distributed by A-B-C (Advanced Biological Concepts). Rush Creek is the name of just one of their many minerals. I have been feeding their Free Choice Stress System which is six of their minerals. I am also interested in your opinion of these minerals and feeding system. Thanks
Where are you from? Texas
How did you locate this forum? Internet Search
Hi Sue,
I believe ABC's products do not contain salt, so that is beneficial when offering free choice minerals. And the theory is that horses will choose what their bodies need when offered minerals in this manner, supposedly like they do in the wild. But, in the wild, horses eat grasses, leaves, seeds, flowers, tree bark, etc., and not individual mineral preparations. So, I don’t see this feeding method as comparable to living in the wild.
Since I don’t feel confident that a horse will choose to eat the right amount of minerals when offered free choice, I frankly prefer an overall vitamin/mineral supplement that is added to a diet.
All the best,
Dr. Getty
Hi Lisa,
Actually, your horses will do much better with a good overall multiple vitamin/mineral supplement. I would recommend Accel. It tastes good – I tried it, too! I try everything I give to my horses! And, it is an excellent comprehensive supplement. You can read about it on my website.
You can use this for a couple of months, and see how their feet are doing. If, at that time, you think you need a hoof supplement, you can always get Master’s Hoof Blend to add to it. But, I really don’t think you’ll need it.
Thanks for asking.
About the Born to Win – send me the ingredients if you can – I’ll look them over and let you know what I think.
Dr. Getty
Hi Lisa,
Generally speaking, if you feed a complete ration at the amounts recommended, you do not need to add a vitamin/mineral supplement. So you are correct -- if you are feeding 2 to 3 pounds of Born to Win, you should not add an additional supplement that overlaps the mineral content, and some of the vitamins in this product.
So, if you feed Born to Win, I would not recommend adding Accel. And, you should not add the mineral supplement, as well.
However, having said that -- there are two considerations:
1. If a complete ration is not fed at the amount recommended, your horse may not be getting all the nutrients he needs. And, often times, complete rations recommend feeding amounts that are just too large.
2. Depending on the overall health and activity level of your horse, he may require additional nutrients such as more vitamin E and omega 3 fatty acids, beyond what the complete ration offers.
Do you have the Born to Win website? I would like to see more about this product. It looks very similar to Buckeye's Grow N Win.
Hope this is helpful.
All the best,
Dr. Getty
Sorry, but I do not have a web site for the Purina Born To Win product. I just happen to have a brochure that lists the guaranteed analysis and ingrediants. I used to feed the Buckeye Gro N Win and yes, it seems to be very similar to it.
I have decided to feed my three year old the same that I am feeding my six year old, the Purina Ultium. However, the three year old will probably only be getting about 2 lbs./day since he is not being worked that much. This is considerably less than the 4 lbs./day minimum they recommend to get all of the vitamins/minerals they need. So I will supplement the Ultium with the Accel, adjusting the amount of the Accel as needed depending on how much of the Ultium I am feeding.
Does this sound like a good plan? 
Where are you from? Texas
How did you locate this forum? Internet Search
Hi Lisa,
About the Accel. The dosage is 1 to 2 ounces/day. One ounce/day is a good dosage for a horse who is not growing, performing, ill, or pregnant. So, if you are feeding Ultium, say anywhere between 2 and 4 lbs/day, you can feed 3/4 of an ounce scoop.
It's an estimate, true, but a good one. I could do an exact analysis of each nutrient for you, but that would be more time consuming than I can do within this forum.
All the best,
Dr. Getty