Copper And Zinc Supplements For Horses

You are correct that many horses on forage only diets benefit from copper and zinc supplementation.

Copper and zinc supplements for horses. Melanin also protects against uv radiation and chemical damage. Zinc is often used to preserve the well being of several body parts and functions. Zinc plays an important role in improving the immune system and aids in wound healing better stress tolerance and fewer infections. Both zinc and copper offer a range of benefits that can help maintain overall horse health.

This is typically blamed on sun exposure which is true but horses with adequate levels of melanin the pigment that gives skin and hair its color will not undergo these changes. If feeding a lot of copper you may also need to include a little more zinc in the diet occasionally for balance as good nutrition is all about keeping a balance. Foals and other growing horses need sufficient amounts of calcium phosphorus zinc and copper along with other nutrients in order to form strong healthy bones and joints. This mineral can function as part of a balanced diet supporting hoof health coat health bone health and reproductive health.

For a 1 100 pound horse at rest this is 50 mg of copper and 200 mg zinc. If your horse has a shiny coat that feels great or they have a body full of dapples you probably don t have anything to worry about. Coat and skin pigment maintenance of joint cartilage tendons ligaments and blood vessel walls reproduction. We add zinc to our hoof health supplements along with several other types of products.

First of all copper and zinc are classified as trace minerals because they are required in far less quantities compared to ca p na cl etc. Note that relying on a trace mineralized salt block is unlikely to provide necessary levels. We will discuss them together as they are most commonly discussed in relation to developmental orthopedic diseases in young horses. Copper is a micromineral and one of the most important trace minerals for the horse.

Copper aids in utilizing iron and it is also important for horses with allergies as it is able to lower the concentration of histamine in the body. Zinc in combination with copper supports the production of melanin in darkly colored manes and coats. Copper deficiency can occur due to lack of copper in the soil which means the horse is not receiving adequate amounts from the roughage in their diet. This is because the levels of these minerals in forages tend to be fairly low and it can be.