14/10/2023
🐴 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙮 𝙊𝙛 𝙄𝙧𝙤𝙣
💠 You guessed it! I’m back with another myth-busting series and today it’s all about Iron (Fe).
🐴 Iron has a bad reputation where horses are concerned, and some people even view it as dangerous, harmful, and scary, but let’s settle some nerves and set some facts straight.
💠 Myth #1: Iron is bad for horses.
🐴 Truth #1: Iron is a vital nutrient in the equine diet as it is responsible for processes such as making haemoglobin that is required to transport oxygen throughout the body. Iron in the diet that has not been appropriately balanced to other nutrients that compete for absorption could be a contributing factor to oxidative damage and poor health.
💠 Myth #2: Equine blood test results that show anaemia (iron deficiency) means that the animal requires an iron supplement.
🐴 Truth #2: True dietary-related iron deficiency in horses is almost never observed. Horses recycle their iron stores, so unless the animal has experienced a significant bleed, anaemic blood test results are usually indicative of an underlying cause such as disease/infection, bleeding ulcers, or a heavy parasite burden. Adding an iron supplement to the diet is not necessarily going to rectify the cause of the anaemia.
💠 Myth #3: Feeding a commercial feed or mineral supplement with added iron is a good idea.
🐴 Truth #3: Horses are typically over-supplied iron by their base diets of pasture and/or hay alone, so it is not a good idea to deliberately feed a feed or supplement that contains added iron. Now… naturally occurring iron and added iron are two different situations. Iron naturally occurs in just about every feed, and even in some minerals, so while some feeds and supplements unavoidably contain a tested iron concentration, don’t be shy in asking whether it is naturally occurring or added iron!
💠 Myth #4: Beet pulp is unhealthy or dangerous because it contains high iron concentrations.
🐴 Truth #4: Beet pulp is an incredibly nutritious feed. It is high in digestible fibre and pectin which is good for digestive health and while yes, it is higher in iron than many other feeds, the benefits far outweigh the negatives. If you are feeding a balanced diet, you should be supplementing with enough copper and zinc to balance out the higher iron in the beet pulp (and pasture/hay). If in doubt, rinse the beet pulp prior to feeding which will help to minimise iron intake.
💠 Myth #5: There is no ideal iron:copper:zinc ratio for horses.
🐴 Truth #5: Many equine nutrition experts will enforce that the “ideal” iron:copper:zinc ratio is 4:1:3 and no higher than 8-10:1:3. Excessive iron in the diet is known to interfere with the uptake of copper and zinc, so the correct balance of these minerals is vital for optimal health and performance. Fading coat colouration and poor hoof integrity is often indicative of iron overload or copper and/or zinc deficiencies.
💠 Did you learn something? Iron is just as important as any other mineral, it’s perhaps just a little less forgiving if you don’t get it right.
