Like people, horses can have a wide range of personality types and quirks. Some horses are always happy and easy-going, others are grumpy and not very social. When it comes to feeding horse supplements, some are perfect angels who will eat them up without issue. But, there are also those horses who can detect the slightest change in their feed and may refuse to eat because of it. That’s why we’re diving into some tried and true methods you can use to get your picky eaters their horse supplements.

Slow Introduction

One of the most effective methods for getting your picky horse to eat their supplements is to slowly introduce the horse supplement. Sometimes, when you try to add a full dose of equine supplement to your horse’s food right away, they may reject it immediately. By slowly introducing the horse supplement through small, mildly increasing doses, it gives your horse more time to adjust to the change in their ration. As you add more and more over time, eventually they become accustomed to the taste and will be eating their horse supplements like a champ.

Try Different Textures

Horse supplements come in a variety of tastes, textures, and forms. Every horse has different preferences, so learning what your individual horse prefers and choosing supplements based on that knowledge can be immensely helpful. This will improve the chance of your horse eating their equine supplements without issue— no matter how picky!

Add Other Ingredients

When your horse has been eating the same food for years and you suddenly throw in a different flavor into the mix by adding horse supplements, you shouldn’t be shocked if they are a bit skeptical of eating it at first.

Most horses love the taste of the horse supplements here at Arenus Animal Health. But if for whatever reason, they aren’t fond of the taste or smell of one of the equine supplements, you can always try mixing in other ingredients to mask or complement the flavor.

Water

Many times when feeding granular or powdered horse supplements, the physical product can sift through the grain to the bottom of your horse’s bucket, leaving a mound of supplement to be eaten alone. When this happens, most horses won’t eat the horse supplement on its own. By adding a little water to the mix prior to feeding, the supplement will stick to the grain, ensuring your horse has the best chance of getting their full dose. Water is great because it doesn’t add anything extra, like sugar, to your horse’s ration. Many horses are sensitive to sugar and, for those horses, water can be a good option for encouraging them to eat their equine supplements.

Vegetable Oil

Vegetable Oil is another great, low-sugar option to add to your horse’s food and mask any undesirable taste or smell. We recommend adding granular or powdered horse supplements to your horse’s grain, then mixing with a small amount of vegetable oil. This favorably changes the flavor and the texture, while also making the equine supplement stick to your horse’s grain better, ensuring they can’t eat around it.

Diluted Corn Syrup

Similar to vegetable oil, adding a small amount of corn syrup to your horse’s grain/horse supplement mixture can be a great way to mask the addition. Because corn syrup has a higher sugar content than some other add-ins, we recommend diluting it with water before adding it to your horse’s feed. Typically, using a 1:1 or 2:1 water to corn syrup ratio works well.

Molasses

Molasses is perhaps the most common add-in for horse supplement users. Again, much like vegetable oil, you can add the molasses to your horse’s grain and equine supplements to mask the flavor and smell. Many grain rations already contain molasses to enhance flavor as it is, so adding a little more to help your horse overcome their dislike of horse supplements is an easy fix. Of course, molasses also causes the supplements to stick to your horse’s grain which prevents sifting and sorting by your horse.

Have Patience

Adjusting to a new supplement can take your horse a bit of time! There are endless options to find the right method for your picky eater, so don’t give up.

Still Have Questions?

If you’re looking for the right supplement to give your horse, Arenus offers a wide variety of products! Contact our supplement support team here with questions! They are educated and available to help you select the best supplement for your horse.

This blog was contributed by the team at Arenus in an effort to get the information out about the benefits of using Arenus Supplements.