Equihorse (formally Hoof Rescue)

Equi Horse mix (formerly known as Hoof Rescue) is a nutritional mineral supplement with copper and zinc plus iodine and magnesium and a small amount of calcium and phosphorus to help maintain optimal hoof, coat, hair and immune system health. Formulated to provide the most commonly deficient minerals – copper and zinc based on thousands of pasture and hay laboratory tests. Equi Horse is a highly bioavailable mineral mix containing proven premium mineral sources based on equine research.

2 sizes

Small: net weight = 2.9 kg – will last just under 6 months based on the standard feeding rate for one horse.
Large: net weight = 4.9 kg – will last 9.5 months for one horse based on the standard feeding rate – economical pack.

The standard feeding rate is 1 metric tablespoon. For horses under 300 kg, 1/2 metric tablespoon may be sufficient.

Elemental mineral Per *standard* feeding rate Per kg
Copper 250 mg 14566 mg
Zinc 750 mg 43696 mg
Iodine 2 mg 99.4 mg
Magnesium 6 grams 332.8 g
Calcium 14.5 g
Phosphorus 7.7 g

Copper: has a role in coat colour, iron metabolism, bone development, hoof quality and maintenance of elastic connective tissue.

Zinc: has a role in general growth and metabolism, required for normal bone and cartilage development, involved in maintaining the integrity of skin and mucous membranes, hair and hooves and in wound healing and has a role in maintaining a normal healthy coat. Essential for interactions between proteins and a variety of enzymes that all metabolically active cells require for cell multiplication and maturation. Zinc is a key component of ‘zinc finger proteins’ in the assembly of keratin, a hoof building material. A zinc deficiency can be expressed as slow hoof growth, thin walls and weak connections and horn.

Copper and zinc prevent the fats and oils in the protective seal on the hoof from oxidising. Oxidative damage causes over drying and weakens the connections between cells. When the hoof is weak, it is more vulnerable to attack by organisms via microscopic cracks. In cattle, deficiencies in either copper or zinc have been linked to soft feet, cracks, abscesses, thrush and laminitis.

Iodine: has a role in normal thyroid function and is a component of thyroid hormones which regulate metabolic processes including hair growth.

Magnesium: The symptoms of a magnesium deficiency are the same as for excessive ionised calcium compared to magnesium. Symptoms include twitching, irritability, and hypersensitivity. Magnesium has many different jobs to do in the body and one of the most important is to control ‘excitable’ tissue activity, including the nervous system, heart, skeletal muscle and smooth muscle in the intestinal tract, uterus, urinary tract and blood vessels.

Safe for laminitic prone or insulin resistant (IR)/elevated insulin horses.
Equi Horse mix can be fed with Mov-Ease, Diamond V XPC and Mycosorb A+, and can be fed in addition to Best Guess mix if needing higher copper, zinc and iodine levels but don’t need higher level of magnesium.

FAQ

What does a *standard* feeding rate mean?
It’s the amount to start with as your horse may need a smaller amount, or a larger amount if the iron level (or manganese) is excessively high in the intake. Since iron may interfere with the uptake of zinc and copper, the standard feeding rate may not be high enough. The feeding rate can be 1.5 to 2x. It’s safe to go higher than the standard feeding rate as horses have a high tolerance of copper and zinc.

Do I need to add salt to the mix, same as Best Guess?
With the Best Guess mix, a quantity of salt can be added to the mix so that the feeding rate is 1 metric tablespoon. If something like salt wasn’t added, the size of the feeding rate would be very small and challenging for some people. For the Equi Horse mix, Equi Horse +Se mix and HoofXtra mix, there is no need to add salt to the mixes, they are ready to go. The additional salt recommendation (2 tablespoons for an untested situation, more in hot weather) is there regardless of whether you add salt to a mix (Best Guess) or not.

Why isn’t there a scoop?
The aim is to keep the price as low as possible and a scoop wasn’t found that was exactly right. I’ve found from experience that a lot of products that come with scoops actually don’t match the feeding recommendations on the packaging. Usually the scoop volume is larger than the actual feeding rate!

Equi Horse mix is a nutritional supplement product for inclusion in horse’s feed. Product has no therapeutic effect and is designed to be administered in a feed for voluntary ingestion for horses.
Animal consumption only.