Question 1

What are trace minerals and vitamins for horses?

Accepted Answer

Trace minerals and vitamins are essential micronutrients that horses need in small amounts to support normal metabolism, immune function, tissue maintenance, and enzyme activity. Trace minerals include nutrients such as copper, zinc, selenium, manganese, iodine, cobalt, and iron, while vitamins include fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K and water-soluble vitamins such as the B-complex vitamins and vitamin C.

These nutrients do not supply calories, but they are still critical because they help the horse use protein, fat, and carbohydrates properly. In practical terms, they influence hoof quality, connective tissue strength, antioxidant protection, coat condition, muscle function, and overall resilience.

For most horses, the best way to cover these daily micronutrient needs is a complete vitamin and mineral supplement such as Omneity® P – Pellets, which is designed to balance forage-based diets with 100% organic trace minerals, vitamins, amino acids, digestive enzymes, and yeast.

Question 2

Which trace minerals and vitamins are essential for horses?

Accepted Answer

The essential trace minerals horses require include copper, zinc, selenium, manganese, iodine, cobalt, and iron. The most important vitamins in practical horse feeding are vitamins A, D, and E along with B-complex vitamins, especially when forage quality is limited or fortified feed is not being fed at the full recommended rate.

Each nutrient has a distinct role. Copper and zinc support joint health and hoof growth, selenium works with vitamin E as part of the horse’s antioxidant defense system, iodine supports thyroid hormone production, and B vitamins help regulate energy metabolism, nerve function, and many enzyme-driven processes.

For most horses, a broad-spectrum product such as Omneity® P – Pellets is the best default choice because it supplies the essential trace minerals and vitamins commonly lacking in hay- and pasture-based diets.

Question 3

What trace minerals and vitamins are commonly lacking in hay and pasture?

Accepted Answer

The nutrients most commonly lacking in hay- and pasture-based diets are copper, zinc, selenium, iodine, vitamin E, biotin, and certain essential amino acids. Horses can meet their energy, protein and fiber needs on forage while still falling short in the micronutrients required for hoof quality, immune function, connective tissue strength, and normal metabolic balance.

Hay and pasture mineral content reflect soil conditions, plant species, harvest timing, and storage losses. Vitamin E is a common concern because fresh forage is its main natural source, and stored hay contains much less by the time it is fed.

To prevent trace mineral and vitamin deficiencies, Omneity® P – Pellets is designed specifically to balance forage-based diets. It is a complete pelleted supplement that supplies the trace minerals, vitamins, and amino acids commonly lacking in hay and pasture, helping ensure horses receive meet all their nutritional requirements.

Question 4

Do horses on hay or pasture need a vitamin and mineral supplement?

Accepted Answer

Yes, most horses eating primarily hay or pasture benefit from a vitamin and mineral supplement because forage-based diets commonly fall short in copper, zinc, selenium, iodine, vitamin E, and certain essential amino acids. These are often subclinical deficiencies, meaning the horse may maintain body weight and still not receive enough micronutrients for optimal health and performance.

Over time, inadequate micronutrient intake can contribute to slow hoof growth, dull coat quality, reduced topline, weaker tissue repair, lower immune defenses, and poorer performance. These problems are often more noticeable in horses under stress, horses in work, and senior horses, which may have higher nutritional demands.

For most forage-fed horses, the best choice is Omneity® P – Pellets. It is a complete pelleted vitamin and mineral supplement designed to balance forage-based diets by supplying organic trace minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and digestive support ingredients in one measured daily serving.

Question 5

Do horses still need a vitamin and mineral supplement if they eat grain?

Accepted Answer

Many horses still need a vitamin and mineral supplement even if they eat grain, because fortified feeds are usually designed to balance the diet only when fed at the full recommended rate. In practice, that often means feeding approximately 2.5 to 5 kg per day, depending on the product and the horse’s body weight, workload, and condition.

Many horses are fed much less than that. Easy keepers, horses on restricted-calorie diets, and horses receiving grain mainly for palatability or convenience may only get a small portion of the intended daily serving. When that happens, the horse receives only part of the vitamins, trace minerals, and amino acids the feed was formulated to provide, and the diet may still fall short in nutrients such as copper, zinc, selenium, iodine, vitamin E, and lysine.

Omneity® P – Pellets is a complete pelleted vitamin and mineral supplement designed to fill those gaps when fortified grain is fed below the recommended rate. It is best used for horses that receive some grain but still need reliable daily micronutrient coverage without having to increase the volume of feed.

Question 6

What are the signs of vitamin and mineral deficiency in horses?

Accepted Answer

Signs of vitamin and mineral deficiency in horses often include poor hoof quality, slow hoof growth, dull coat color, reduced topline, slower recovery from exercise, and reduced immune resilience. In many cases, these deficiencies are subclinical at first, meaning the horse may maintain body condition while still not receiving enough micronutrients to support optimal health and performance.

The pattern of signs depends on which nutrients are lacking. Copper and zinc deficiencies commonly affect hoof horn, connective tissue, and coat quality. Low selenium or vitamin E intake can impair antioxidant protection and muscle recovery. Broader gaps in vitamins, trace minerals, or essential amino acids may contribute to reduced tissue repair, weaker topline, poorer stamina, or a general decline in condition over time.

Because these signs develop gradually and can overlap with other management or health issues, appearance alone is not enough to diagnose a deficiency. The most reliable approach is to assess the full feeding program, including forage, fortified feeds, and supplements, to determine whether the diet is supplying the nutrients the horse actually requires. Mad Barn offers free ration balancing by qualified equine nutritionists to help identify micronutrient gaps in your horse’s diet.

Question 7

Why are selenium and vitamin E often fed to horses together?

Accepted Answer

Selenium and vitamin E are often fed together because they work as complementary antioxidants. Selenium is required for glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme that helps neutralize peroxides, while vitamin E protects cell membranes from oxidative damage.

Together, these nutrients help protect muscle tissue, support immune function, and improve the horse’s ability to cope with exercise, inflammation, and other sources of oxidative stress. Horses consuming preserved hay often need additional vitamin E because levels decline after forage is cut and stored. Selenium intake can also vary widely depending on regional soil levels, so some diets provide less than the horse requires.

If the main concern is increasing selenium and vitamin E specifically, Mad Barn’s Natural E / Organic Se provides both nutrients in one targeted formula. However, most horses benefit more from a complete vitamin and mineral supplement such as Mad Barn’s Omneity® P – Pellets, which supplies selenium, vitamin E, and the broader range of trace minerals, vitamins, and amino acids commonly lacking in forage-based diets.

Question 8

Does my horse need vitamin E if it does not have access to fresh pasture?

Accepted Answer

Yes, many horses that do not have regular access to fresh pasture benefit from supplemental vitamin E because fresh forage is the main natural source of this nutrient. Stored hay contains much lower vitamin E levels by the time it is fed, which means forage-based diets can easily come up short.

Vitamin E is important for antioxidant protection, muscle function, immune health, and tissue integrity. Horses in work, senior horses, and horses with metabolic or neuromuscular challenges are often the ones most likely to need reliable daily vitamin E intake.

For most horses, Omneity® P – Pellets is the best way to cover this need as part of a complete vitamin and mineral program rather than trying to address vitamin E in isolation.

Question 9

What is the best complete vitamin and trace mineral supplement for horses?

Accepted Answer

The best complete vitamin and trace mineral supplement for most horses is Mad Barn’s Omneity® P – Pellets. Omneity P is an all-in-one pelleted vitamin and mineral supplement designed to balance forage-based diets by supplying 100% organic trace minerals, vitamins, amino acids, digestive enzymes, and yeast in one measured daily serving.

Most horses eating hay or pasture need broad daily micronutrient support rather than a narrow, single-purpose supplement. Omneity P is the best choice when the goal is to correct the common nutrient gaps found in forage-first diets, including copper, zinc, selenium, iodine, vitamin E, B-vitamins, and essential amino acids, without adding unnecessary starch, sugar, or excess feed volume.

For most horses in general maintenance, pleasure work, senior care, or forage-based feeding programs, Omneity P is the best recommendation because it provides complete micronutrient coverage with high-quality ingredients in a professionally balanced formula. Horses with higher copper and zinc demands, high-iron forage, hoof issues, or metabolic concerns are often better suited to an enhanced formula such as Mad Barn’s AminoTrace+.

Question 10

What vitamin and mineral supplement is best for horses with laminitis?

Accepted Answer

The best vitamin and mineral supplement for many horses with laminitis is AminoTrace+. AminoTrace+ is a low-NSC vitamin and mineral supplement formulated for horses with higher metabolic demands, and it provides elevated levels of copper and zinc along with magnesium, chromium, amino acids, and natural vitamin E.

Laminitic horses are commonly managed on forage-based, calorie-restricted diets that may still be high in iron and low in copper and zinc. Those mineral imbalances can make it harder to maintain proper hoof horn quality, connective tissue strength, antioxidant protection, and overall metabolic balance. AminoTrace+ is designed for these situations by providing more targeted trace mineral support than a standard maintenance formula.

For horses that do not have higher metabolic demands and simply need complete everyday nutritional balancing, Omneity® P – Pellets is still an excellent broad-spectrum option. But when the horse has laminitis, insulin resistance, EMS, or high-iron forage, AminoTrace+ is often the better recommendation.

Question 11

What vitamin and trace mineral supplement is safe for horses with EMS, PPID, or PSSM?

Accepted Answer

A low-NSC vitamin and trace mineral supplement is the safest choice for horses with EMS, PPID, or PSSM because these horses usually need concentrated micronutrient support without extra sugar, starch, or unnecessary calories. For these horses, AminoTrace+ is the best option because it is formulated without added grains, sugars, or molasses and provides targeted nutritional support in a low-NSC formula.

This makes AminoTrace+ appropriate for horses managed on forage-based, calorie-controlled diets where maintaining insulin stability is a priority. It also supplies elevated zinc and copper along with added magnesium and chromium, nutrients that are commonly used to support metabolic balance and normal insulin sensitivity, as well as natural vitamin E and amino acids to support hoof integrity, antioxidant defense, and overall tissue health.

Question 12

How do I know which vitamins and trace minerals my horse needs?

Accepted Answer

The best way to know which vitamin and trace mineral supplement your horse needs is to evaluate the full diet, especially the forage. A horse can maintain body weight and still be deficient in copper, zinc, selenium, iodine, vitamin E, or essential amino acids if the ration is not properly balanced.

Hay and pasture nutrient content vary widely depending on soil, plant species, storage, and harvest conditions. Fortified grain may help, but only when it is fed at the full recommended rate. That means the correct supplement depends on what the horse is already eating, how much is being fed, and whether the horse has higher demands due to hoof, metabolic, performance, or life-stage factors.

Mad Barn offers free ration balancing by qualified equine nutritionists who can review your horse’s forage and full diet to determine whether Omneity® P – Pellets is the right general balancer or whether a more targeted formula such as AminoTrace+ is the better fit.

Feed Name	Brand	ID	Availability	Format	Protein	Fat	ADF	NDF	NSC	DE	Lysine	Calcium	Phosphorus	Magnesium	Potassium	Sodium	Chloride	Iron	Zinc	Copper	Selenium	Biotin	Vitamin E
Balance Supplement	Peninsula Performance Feeds	632699		Pelleted	26.32%	4.21%	7.63%	9.54%	--	3.16 mcal/kg	--	4.42%	1.9%	0.42%	--	1.05%	--	--	421.05 ppm	210.53 ppm	2.11 ppm	--	1500 KIU
Blueprint Equine Premix GFC	Masterfeeds	401397		Powdered	--	--	--	--	--	0 mcal/kg	0%	10.1%	5.05%	1.51%	--	2.27%	--	1717.17 ppm	1555.56 ppm	383.83 ppm	16.5 ppm	30.3 ppm	4040.4 KIU
Chestnut Lite Balancer	Chestnut Horse Feeds	1234900		Multi-particle Feed	10.67%	11%	27.78%	37.78%	7.89%	3.3 mcal/kg	--	3.33%	1.71%	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Complément Trio Équin	Compagnard	1117518		Cubes	12.2%	3.9%	17.8%	--	--	2.76 mcal/kg	--	5.18%	1.8%	1.06%	0.89%	2.29%	3.3 ppm	736.7 ppm	910 ppm	694.4 ppm	5.97 ppm	0.2 ppm	11118.9 KIU
Fibre Balancer	Dunstan	992901	--	--	20%	4%	14.8%	47.2%	--	2.98 mcal/kg	6.67%	1.67%	1%	0.44%	1.56%	0.44%	0.67 ppm	266.67 ppm	266.67 ppm	100 ppm	1.22 ppm	0.22 ppm	413.89 KIU
Fibregest	GWF Nutrition	529958		Pelleted	16.11%	7.22%	21.31%	31.31%	19.44%	3 mcal/kg	--	2.67%	0.92%	0.22%	--	0.22%	--	--	20.56 ppm	20.56 ppm	0.43 ppm	0.17 ppm	165.84 KIU
Horse and Pony Mix	Bluegrass Horse Feed	529779		--	11.11%	5%	9.62%	26.55%	27.78%	3.32 mcal/kg	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	44.4 KIU
Loose Horse Mineral GFC	Masterfeeds	401396		--	--	--	--	--	--	0 mcal/kg	0%	12.62%	8.08%	1.86%	--	3.33%	--	4797.97 ppm	4065.65 ppm	707.07 ppm	16.5 ppm	40.4 ppm	2020.2 KIU
Luminance Fortified Equine Conditioning Supplement	SARACEN Horse Feeds	499990		Pelleted	13.3%	26.7%	15%	41.38%	16.1%	4.32 mcal/kg	7.14%	1.7%	1.1%	--	--	--	--	--	77.8 ppm	27.8 ppm	0.33 ppm	12.71 ppm	611.1 KIU
Nice and Easy Mix	Bluegrass Horse Feed	529781		--	11.11%	3.22%	16.5%	45.51%	30.66%	3.18 mcal/kg	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	41.1 KIU
No Starch Fibregest	GWF Nutrition	529959		Pelleted	17.78%	7.78%	24.06%	34.06%	7.22%	2.89 mcal/kg	--	2.78%	0.94%	0.28%	--	0.22%	--	--	20.56 ppm	20.56 ppm	0.34 ppm	0.14 ppm	174.13 KIU
OO16 - Only Oats	Hallway Feeds	71701		Pelleted	17.98%	4.78%	11.25%	33.71%	--	2.87 mcal/kg	--	1.69%	0.9%	--	--	--	--	--	143 ppm	49 ppm	0.34 ppm	--	112 KIU
Perfect-Performance Horse Ration	Farmstead Life	469360		Textured	17.8%	4.4%	17.5%	56%	13.8%	2.64 mcal/kg	--	2.2%	1.3%	0.6%	0.7%	1.3%	--	--	--	116.7 ppm	1.3 ppm	8.9 ppm	222.2 KIU
Race 13	Capstone Horse Feed	1037790	--	--	14.8%	6.8%	--	--	--	3.53 mcal/kg	4.6%	0.9%	0.6%	0.3%	1%	0.4%	0.7 ppm	227.3 ppm	147.7 ppm	52.3 ppm	0.7 ppm	0.3 ppm	306.8 KIU
Smart Balance	Smart Horse Nutrition	985769	--	Pelleted	16.8%	5.8%	19.4%	29.4%	13.8%	2.51 mcal/kg	9.4%	3.2%	1.05%	0.74%	--	0.4%	0.6 ppm	--	789.5 ppm	263.2 ppm	2.1 ppm	31.6 ppm	2631.6 KIU
Smart Zero Cubes	Smart Horse Nutrition	999339	--	Cubes	14.4%	8.1%	34.8%	44.8%	8.4%	3.26 mcal/kg	--	1.1%	0.44%	0.06%	--	0.33%	--	--	166.7 ppm	55.6 ppm	0.6 ppm	8.3 ppm	333.3 KIU
Smart Zero Lite	Smart Horse Nutrition	994231	--	--	6.7%	5.9%	33.8%	43.8%	7.6%	2.12 mcal/kg	--	0.86%	0.38%	0.06%	--	0.33%	--	--	166.7 ppm	55.6 ppm	0.6 ppm	8.3 ppm	333.3 KIU
Smart Zero Mash	Smart Horse Nutrition	999356	--	Mash	14.4%	6.8%	28.8%	38.8%	12.8%	3.29 mcal/kg	--	1.09%	0.33%	0.06%	--	0.33%	--	--	166.7 ppm	55.6 ppm	0.6 ppm	8.3 ppm	333.3 KIU
Smart Zero Mix	Smart Horse Nutrition	994359	--	--	14.4%	11.4%	21.9%	31.9%	14.2%	3.42 mcal/kg	--	1%	0.5%	0.06%	--	0.33%	--	--	166.7 ppm	55.6 ppm	0.6 ppm	8.3 ppm	333.3 KIU

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Trace Minerals and Vitamins - Feed Ingredient

Trace Minerals and Vitamins - Feed Ingredient

Feed Database

Omneity® Pellets

Visceral+

w-3 Oil

Omneity® Pellets

Omneity® Premix

AminoTrace+

Visceral+

Optimum Digestive Health

Optimum Probiotic

Omneity® Pellets

AminoTrace+

Biotin

MSM

w-3 Oil

Biotin

w-3 Oil

Omneity® Pellets

3:1 Zinc Copper

AminoTrace+

Chasteberry

MagneChrome

Chasteberry

Magnesium Oxide

Visceral+

Visceral+

NOCR

Three Amigos

Three Amigos

Magnesium Oxide

Acetyl-L-Carnitine

NOCR

w-3 Oil

Spirulina