Supplements for CTR Horses!

[midwestrocket]

Supplements for CTR Horses! I'm curious as to what everyone uses on their mounts! I have my guy on a multi and joint combo...but I'm after whatever is best for him! A better multi..a better joint combo..biotin supps....whatever! I am considering veggie oil as a cheap fat supp but I can't find dosage suggestions anywhere...everybody seems to just drizzle and go! lol Thoughts?

[Painted Horse]

What shape is your horse in? Does he need to put some weight on? Why do you feel he needs some supplements?

When I did CTR, I never added any suppliments other than some electrolytes during the ride. I still don't feed anything other than good hay and occassional beat pulp. i leave a white salt block out in the corral.

I realize this will be a hot discussion. Lots of folks add suppliments, But I've never seen the need. My horses are slick have good weight and are in shape. They have good coats of hair and do well barefoot most of the time.

[chicamuxen1]

You should be adding Se/E to his diet unless you vit/min supplement has at least 2mg of an organic based Se in it. Selenium deficiency doesn't just cause tie ups. It causes muscle fatigue, getting tired earlier in a ride, skin sensitivity, girthiness, a whole range of vague sort of issues that frequently aren't understood to be caused by insufficient Se. This entire part of the country is Se deficient and the typical Se included in most feed and supplements is ground rock, not very bioavailable. I use Uckele's Se/E 10x to increase the Se in both my horse's.

Bonnie S.

[Eventer55]

I think it would depend on what exactly you are doing. CTR has a huge range from a one day 25 to a 3 day 100 mile. If you're planning on doing it seriously, you should look into e selenium as the previous poster stated. Barefoot is great, but again if you are serious, all your time and money can be wasted by one small rock and an abcess.

Your program will comensurate with your schedule ie: feeding, shoes, supplements and conditioning. Back in the dark ages when I was competing, my mare got 4 shoes fronts with pads, e selenium and a custom feed schedule. I was preparing (my goal)for 3 day 100s, so even doing the1 day 25s, I did all that.

You can certainly do a lot with less it just depends.

[midwestrocket]

The mount I am planning to use is a seasoned 1d barrel/pole horse looking for a new hobby :) As far as speed goes, he is spot on. After heavy work he returns to a resting heart/breathing rate relatively fast. He is not under or overweight. He is on a multivitamin/joint supp by manna pro. I am interested in supplementation because, as you already know, this is a totally new physical test for us. I am planning on doing my first ride in september and even though it is only a 25 miler.. I feel that is nothing to shake a stick at! I am interested in a electrolyte. But I am unsure as to what one... I have read about "Preform and Win" on this forum but I looked for it in country supply and came up empty handed... My horse will not be barefoot for this event. He will at the very least have his front two shoes....My mount is sleek, lean, and well muscled...the epitome of a performance horse in the speed ring...but after a series of emails with a wonderful lady already in the sport, she described her horses as fat and sleek, like seals...Rocket is not a seal...he is a bodybuilder! :eek: so I can't help but think he would also require some kind of cool calorie to get fat on him...any thoughts on wheat germ or veggie oil as a fat supp??????

[midwestrocket]

anyone use For-A-Flex or farnam platform???

[midwestrocket]

update for those who care lol I have decided to keep the mulit/joing combo by manna pro that I have been feeding. It suits him well so if it isn't broke why fix it right? :) Secondly I noticed that my supp already contained 1mg of selenium and and 200 IUsof vitamin e...with an assortment of a whole bunch of other fun stuff lol here is the label....

http://www.jeffersequine.com/ssc/assets/label_info/0029607.htm

should I still be investing in a vitamin e and selenium supp on top of what is already included in my multi/joint supp???? I know too much of a good thing can be a bad thing and I definately don't want to go overboard and shock his system with poisoning him with bombardment of vitamins but I want to give his body the tools it needs to suceed!!!!!!

Any thoughts on apple a day electrolytes by finish line? there was a previous thread arguing its use in CTR and endurance horses.... Is it a good supp? and platform, as I mentioned earlier, reads pretty good as well... I would like to know if anybody uses anything besides perfrom and win and acculytes! the only difference I can seee is perform and win has chloride in it and the others do not.

questions...questions...questions.... :) answers? :D

[rainechyldes]

Uhm..
ok first off, I think you need to calm down:) I know it's exciting but.. breathe:)

Mostly all I got out of your posts are:
New horse going into new career. (CTR)
Built like a bodybuilder?
Doing a 25 in september.

Ok now:

Does he actually NEED some weight gain?
If no, then no to oil, no to anything to make him fatter -keep him on his current diet. Don't mess with what is working - if he's holding a decent weight right now.

Electrolytes- what's the weather like there? Electrolytes aren't always a requirement.
I generally feed my endurance horses regular salt every day, (a tsp ) in their beet pulp, and then they may get a dose of pot & salt on ride day IF the weather requires it. (Ie, I tend to ride in very hot temperatures)

Any reasonably fit horse can do a 25 mile CTR with no 'extras' in reasonable weather. CTR is a timed ride, there's no racing like the wind from gate A to gate Z.

One of the biggest mistakes I see with new riders to CTR/endurance - is they get so excited, that they get supplement happy- and load up their horses with a pile of crap the horse doesn't need.

I prefer keeping horses to the basics. Only give them stuff IF you know darn well they absolutely need it- through either blood work/whatever (all my horses get tested every spring and every fall by an endurance vet- ad I adjust their feeds accordingly.)

[Painted Horse]

Well Said!

[midwestrocket]

My energy stems from an over abundance of caffiene and an overwhelming curiousity to something new to work toward!

Your cliff notes to my previous thread was spot on. Gold star for you :winkgrin:

I am in Baltimore, Md.
Today it was around 90 degrees come noon time...sticky and gross...definately not what I would consider optimal riding temperature.

yes, bodybuilder, lol :winkgrin: chiseled like the statue of david...but when it comes to his appendix self he can tend to show some rib now and again.. thus why I am toying with the addition of a splash of veggie oil to his grain.

I had not given any previous thought to vitamin e and selenium until a previous poster said something in reference to it...I only want the best for this horse. He has done nothing but win for me since I got his silly behind :) So I am in persuit for suggestions for the best fit for him.

I feel the electrolyte is something I should be thinking about given the current temperature... and I don't see it dwindling that much come september...and with schooling in somtimes pretty intense heat, I am curious as to what the favorite electrolyte of other competitive riders is....but if table salt will do the trick, than hey, that's fine by me!

Like I said, I only want the best for this horse.


Thanks so much!

[rainechyldes]

humid area back there so yeah I'ld probably electrolyte my horse (if he was a new horse and I didn't know how he dealt with weather yet) the night before the ride.

This is the electrolyte recipe I use
http://endurancegranny.blogspot.com/2008/02/recipe-for-homemade-electrolytes.html

The main things you want to ensure, is he's eating and drinking,all the time. No gas=no go.
I will always watch my horses' intakes on water and food before/during/after a ride.

As for the slight show of ribs well hmm.
Distance horses do tend to be a tad leaner then your average horse.
Think of the difference in muscle structure between a marathon runner, and a sprinter even.
A sprinter will have stockier muscles, for fast bursts of speed. while your marathon runner is leaner, you can normally see a tad more 'bone' .

It runs the same in horses as well. Not saying a distance horse should look like a skeleton, (definitely not)but I don't find it a surprise to spot a hint of ribs as I walk by one either. You can try adding a touch of oil, but being that he's from your desc fairly heavily muscled, I would be leery of adding too much 'weight gaining' feed to him right now, until you get a chance to see how he works at distances, and how his body reacts.

You will probably find if you do ride him at distances over a few seasons, his body type will change a bit also, and he'll get a bit lighter looking, simply because his muscles will develop a bit differently from what they are now.

[midwestrocket]

that looks very promising! i did just add veggie oil to his rations and I did purchase IODIZED salt.... iodine is an essential nutrient.. and I don't know how to tell if I am in an iodine deficient area....so I hope iodized isn't going to hurt anything... anythoughts on iodized salt vs. un-iodized???