Have you ever heard that soils in New Zealand are so different to the rest of the world that you need to choose horse mineral supplements specially designed for NZ conditions? Have you been advised to avoid equine supplements made in Australia or the US because they’re not suited to NZ horses?
It sounds quite logical, doesn’t it?
Then you’ll probably be very surprised to learn that horses all around the world suffer from the same mineral deficiencies despite grazing all kinds of pastures grown on very different soils.
And even the best grass you can grow on the best soil, anywhere in the world, does not give horses all the minerals they need. 
Basically all pasture is deficient in copper and zinc for grazing horses, as well as being iodine and selenium deficient in many parts of the world. Some pastures will not have enough calcium or phosphorous especially for breeding and growing horses, and magnesium imbalance is a world-wide trend.
EVEN when a grazing horse is apparently shining with good health, the diet will be mineral deficient unless supplemented with a mineral balancer or fortified hard feed. That shine comes from the naturally occurring oils in the grass regardless of the mineral balance of the diet.
New Zealand Pasture case study
“Hang on, that graph is from FeedXL – an Australian site – what about New Zealand?”
There have been a number of studies conducted in NZ looking at how well thoroughbred mares, foals and yearlings perform on pasture. One good example is a 2002 study conducted by Grace et.al which was published in the New Zealand Veterinary Journal.
Unfortunately this short-term trial concluded that a mineral deficient pasture was ‘adequate’ for growing thoroughbred horses but it certainly would not be optimal for long-term health and soundness. The graph below demonstrates the mineral deficiencies.
Even more concerning is the mineral ratio imbalances in the diets of horses grazing this pasture. Mineral imbalance causes further deficiencies by blocking the uptake of co-dependent minerals even when those minerals are provided at more than 100% of the recommended daily intake.
Fortunately these deficiencies and imbalances are easily corrected with the addition of Equine Vit&Min Premium Blend powder or pellets. If the horses were mature, Equine Vit&Min EVM Essentials powder or EVM Mineral Balancer Pellets would be the most cost-effective choice of supplement to achieve the same result.
Choosing the best horse mineral supplement
The best mineral supplement you can choose for your horse is one which fills the naturally occurring gaps in your horse’s diet and balances the critical mineral ratios.
Equine Vit&Min was developed specifically to do just that. After analysing hundreds of equine diets from Australia and New Zealand, scientists and nutritionists from Farmalogic Equine came up with a formula capable of reliably correcting the mineral levels. This was possible because the key mineral gaps are essentially the same world-wide.
Learn about the top ten reasons why every horse needs a mineral supplement here.
If you have broodmares, click here to read more about feeding pregnant mares.