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Copper in Horse Diets: What Does it Do?
—Via e-mail
A.You are correct that many horses on forage-only diets benefit from copper and zinc supplementation. This is because the levels of these minerals in forages tend to be fairly low, and it can be difficult to supply the horse’s daily requirements with forage alone if a horse’s intake is restricted.
It’s also important to consider these minerals’ balance and relationship to each other as well as other minerals in the diet. Ideally, the amount of zinc a horse consumes is three to five times higher than the amount of copper. And, even if horses have access to unlimited forage and their basic requirements are met, supplemental sources might still be beneficial to ensure the amounts consumed are properly balanced to each other
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Written by:
Clair Thunes, PhD
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