Green grass, hidden deficiencies: Vitamins and minerals are essential for grazing horses

The idyllic image of a horse grazing peacefully in a green pasture…. It seems like the epitome of natural horse welfare. After all, grass is rich in nutrients, right? Unfortunately, the reality is often more complex. While grazing is a valuable source of energy and fiber, it can also lead to hidden deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals. These deficiencies can negatively affect your horse’s health, performance and overall well-being. In this blog, we take you through the hidden pitfalls of grazing and discover why a balanced vitamin and mineral balancer is crucial for pasture-raised horses, so that your horse can take full advantage of the pasture without suffering deficiencies. We explain why ViMi’s from or Support Mixes are a smart choice.

The apparent perfection of grazing

Grazing provides undeniable benefits to horses. It allows them to exhibit their natural grazing behavior, which is essential for their physical and mental well-being. Grass is a good source of crude fiber, which aids digestion and supports intestinal health. In addition, fresh grass contains certain vitamins and minerals.

Nevertheless, the nutritional value of grass is highly dependent on several factors, including:

• Grass type: different grasses have different composition of nutrients.
• Season: the nutritional value of grass varies throughout the year. In spring, grass tends to be rich in sugars, while in summer and fall it may contain fewer nutrients.
• Soil conditions: the soil in which the grass grows affects the absorption of minerals by the grass.
• Fertilization: over-fertilization can lead to an imbalance of nutrients in the grass.

Hidden deficiencies: why grass alone is not enough

Despite the benefits of grazing, grass alone is unlikely to provide all the essential vitamins and minerals your horse needs. Some common deficiencies in pastured horses:

• Copper, zinc and selenium: these minerals are often present in insufficient amounts in grass, especially in certain regions with low soil quality. They play a crucial role in immunity, hoof health and muscle function.
• Vitamin E: grass contains vitamin E, but the amount decreases rapidly once the grass is cut or dried into hay. Vitamin E is an important antioxidant that protects muscles and supports immunity.
• Sodium: horses need sodium for proper fluid balance and nerve function. Grass is generally low in sodium, so horses need a salt lick or extra salt in their rations in addition to grass.

Overall, these deficiencies can lead to various health problems, such as decreased resistance, poor hoof growth, muscle problems and a dull coat.

Western grasslands under the microscope: causes of vitamin and mineral deficiencies

A major cause of deficiencies in Western grasslands is intensive agriculture. Years of fertilization with artificial fertilizers, often focused on high yields of grass rather than nutrient diversity, deplete the soil. Certain minerals are less well absorbed by the grass, putting horses grazing exclusively on these pastures at increased risk of deficiencies. In addition, soil pH can play a role. Too high or too low a ph can hinder the absorption of certain minerals by the grass. Also, the grass species found in many pastures are often less diverse than in the natural situation, limiting the supply of different nutrients.

The solution: a balanced ViMi balancer or appropriate Support Mix

To compensate for the hidden deficiencies of grazing, it is essential to add a balanced vitamin and mineral balancer to your horse’s ration. A good ViMi Balancer contains the right ratio of essential vitamins, minerals and trace elements to support your horse’s health and performance.

Why choose Florian Horsefood’s ViMi balancers or Support Mix?

• Feed more, fill less: our balancers are concentrated and low in fillers, giving your horse all the essential nutrients without unnecessary calories.
• Connection to forage base: our focus is on healthy nutrition with mixed forages as a base, and our ViMi balancers are designed to optimally complement this base.
• Quality and constant composition: we strive for constant quality based on good raw materials.

When which ViMi balancer?

At Florian Horsefood, we understand that every horse is unique and has specific needs. That is why we offer a diverse range of ViMi balancers, so there is a suitable solution for every horse.

The ViMi-Plus Balancer is an excellent all-round choice, a tasty and highly concentrated pellet that perfectly complements roughage. It is ideal as an extra vitamin and mineral boost, also in combination with other concentrate feeds.

The ViMi-Care Balancer is suitable for all types of horses, from recreation to sport, and especially for horses with allergies or sensitivities. This balancer is free of additives such as molasses, alfalfa, grains and soy, and contains timothy, esparcette and linseed.

For horses with additional protein needs, such as young horses in growth, sport horses that need to build muscle or older horses, there is the ViMi-Protein Balancer. This balancer supports building and maintaining healthy muscles and is also free of molasses, grains and alfalfa, and contains extra vitamin E and biotin.

What about the Support Mixes?

Our Support Mixes are basically concentrated mueslis formulated with only functional ingredients and mixed 50% with a ViMi balancer. This allows you to still achieve maximum nutritional value with a smaller amount of feed.

The Care Fit Support Mix combines the benefits of a muesli with the ViMi-Care Balancer. This mix is ideal for horses that can use extra support, for example, horses with sensitive digestion or skin, right after a deworming or antibiotic treatment or with a reduced immune system.

The Slow Fit Support Mix combines the ViMi-Care and ViMi-Protein, and is suitable for horses that need a combination of vitamins, minerals and extra protein, for example for muscle building and recovery, in combination with calmly released energy. For horses that you do need to feed to keep them at weight, but who become too fresh or hot when given too much energy.

The Power Fit Support Mix is enriched with the ViMi-Protein and is specially designed for sport horses that need extra energy and muscle support.

Practical tips for feeding vimi balancers to pasture horses

• Match the balancer or support mix to need: choose a vimi balancer tailored to your horse’s age, breed, activity and specific needs.
• Follow feeding instructions: stick to the recommended dosage of the vimi balancer.
• Offer plenty of fresh water: sufficient water is essential for proper nutrient absorption.

Conclusion

Grazing is a valuable but not always complete source of nutrition for horses. Hidden deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals can negatively affect your horse’s health and performance. By adding a well-balanced ViMi balancer or Support Mix to the ration, you can compensate for these deficiencies and ensure that your horse reaps the full benefits of grazing. Florian Horsefood’s ViMi balancers are specially designed to meet the needs of grazing horses and support their health and well-being. Choose more nutrition, less stuffing and let your horse shine with Florian Horsefood!

Want to make sure your horse is getting all the essential vitamins and minerals? Discover our high-quality ViMi balancers or Support Mixes on Florian Horsefood and find the perfect supplement for your horse’s ration! All with the goal: feed more, fill less.

Do you have questions about your horse’s nutrition or want advice on which ViMi balancer or Support Mix is best suited for your horse(s)? Feel free to contact us! We are ready to help you.