Description
Is Your Horse or Pony Struggling with Poor Hoof Quality?
Learn how Essentials Formula 2, can transform weak, brittle hooves into strong, resilient foundations for your horse in 6-9 months.
Essentials Formula 2, encourages a shiny coat, healthy hooves, and topline. It has the correct ratio of Zinc to Copper for maximum absorption.
If your horse or pony requires selenium – go to Essentials Formula 1 with Selenium
Specifically formulated for NZ conditions and Soil types
Essentials Formula 2 delivers essential nutrients often missing from many feed crops, pastures, and soils, and contains Biotin to support healthy hooves.
This formula includes no added iron, making it the ideal supplement for horses and ponies grazing on New Zealand pastures and consuming bore water with high iron content.
It is specifically designed for horses and ponies that receive premix feeds but still fall below the recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals.
Essentials Formula 1 with Selenium
Essentials Formula 1 – Selenium Free
Essentials Formula 2 – Selenium Free is recommended when:
- Lower levels of zinc, copper, and manganese are required but the full amount of amino acids and hoof ingredients are needed daily.
- Blood tests show high selenium levels, but your horse or pony still requires a vitamin and mineral supplement to maintain health with no added selenium.
- Is being supplemented with selenium from your veterinarian or other supplements?
- Grazing on a property that has high levels of selenium in the soil and pasture
The Importance of Zinc, Copper, and an Iron-Free Formulation
New Zealand’s pasture, hay, and feed crops have high iron levels which can reduce the availability of zinc and copper. The most common mineral imbalance in hay is too much iron combined with low zinc and copper levels. A high iron concentration can interfere with zinc and copper absorption, making already low levels of these minerals even less available to your horse.
Until recently, the veterinary industry has viewed iron toxicity in equines mainly as an acute condition—the result of overdosing on iron-containing supplements. However, researchers have found that equines exposed to high iron levels in water, grass, or hay over a prolonged period can accumulate the mineral in their livers, resulting in chronic iron overload.
Black-skinned horses which include greys need more copper and zinc than others. Bays and chestnuts will look washed out with lighter colors than normal coats, and the blacks will have a definite reddish look.
Horses need copper in their diets to properly utilize iron and to develop healthy connective tissue. It is also important for horses with allergies. It can lower the concentration of histamine in the body. Copper also helps to keep the central nervous system running correctly.
In adult horses, a deficiency of copper and zinc in the diet may cause limb deformities, bone thinning, joint swelling, blood vessel weakness, connective tissue weakness, saggy skin, and a lowered immune system. Copper is the main mineral for the body to produce T cells. It is also vital for bone integrity, heart health, skin pigmentation, and to prevent premature graying.
Horses showing signs of low Iron levels can be supplemented according to veterinary instructions. When copper deficiency occurs, iron levels fall too short and anemia can develop.
Avoid Added Iron
Avoid equine vitamin, and mineral supplements for horses that contain added iron as an ingredient.
Horses typically obtain more than enough iron from their diet, and excess intake could have negative health consequences.
Products with added iron will have one of the following ingredients listed on the label:
- iron oxide
- ferrous furmate
- ferrous sulfate
- ferrous gluconate
Magnesium
It does not contain Magnesium. Magnesium requirements are individual and a different magnesium product like Pazture Guarde or Pazture Mag can be added separately. Some horses already have good levels and don’t need supplementing regularly.
NZ Natural Zeolite
Essentials Formula 1 and 2 contain NZ natural Zeolite in the form of Optimate, an ACVM-registered toxin binder. This is a highly bioavailable natural form of silica that supports bone and connective tissue health. Performance horses and senior horses may especially benefit from Zeolite.
Are you looking for a way to improve your horse’s hoof health?
Essentials Formula contains high levels of Biotin. Each 22.5-gram scoop contains 10mg of biotin. This sulphur-containing B vitamin is essential for healthy hoof growth and plays a role in hoof horn quality and hoof wall strength. Biotin supplementation has become increasingly popular in recent years, as it can help correct biotin deficiencies, improve hoof hardness, and promote overall hoof health.
Features:
🐎 Essential for healthy hoof growth: Biotin is an essential coenzyme in metabolizing carbohydrates, protein, and fat, enabling support of growth, performance work, and reproduction.
💪 Improves hoof hardness: Biotin is used in supplements to improve the quality of the horse’s hoof and is also beneficial to the coat.
🦄 Promotes overall hoof health: By using a biotin supplement in your horse’s feed, it can help promote strong, healthy hoof horn growth.
How it works:
Biotin should be fed to horses needing to improve poor hoof horn and develop healthy hooves. It acts as an essential coenzyme in the metabolism of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, enabling support of growth, performance work, and reproduction. Biotin is particularly important for normal thyroid and adrenal gland function.
Jason –
Essentials Formula 2 is such a great supplement. My old guy is currently fed a premix feed but not to the recommended daily dose rate. When the grass is growing he gets less premix due to his weight. His hoof quality was not the best when i purchased him so I add Formula 2 to add extra hoof nutrients especially copper, zinc, l-methione and biotin and since its selenium free I know I am not doubling up on that.