Copper

Mad Barn’s bulk Copper powder is a mineral supplement used to help horses maintain healthy collagen and elastin bonds in connective tissue. It is also used to help offset high iron levels in the equine diet.

This supplement contains Bioplex Copper, which is a highly absorbable form of the trace mineral providing 10% elemental copper per serving. The active ingredient is copper proteinate, which is a chelated form of this mineral complexed with an amino acid (or bound to a protein molecule). It has a higher bioavailability compared to copper sulfate.

Copper is essential for enzymes that produce melanin pigments that determine coat colour. Changes in your horse’s skin and coat condition may be signs of copper deficiency. For example, bays and chestnuts may look washed-out or sun-bleached. Changes in coat colour may also indicate zinc deficiency.

Copper deficiency could also put horses at higher risk for rain scald – also known as rain rot or mud fever. This skin condition occurs in humid conditions that allow bacteria that normally reside on the horse’s skin to multiply and irritate the hair and skin causing scabs. Adequate copper levels support equine immune health to help protect against rain rot.

Anemia in horses may also be a sign of copper deficiency. This is often thought of as an iron deficiency, but iron is usually high in horses’ diets. When horses are copper deficient, they are low in enzymes responsible for mobilizing iron stored in the body to make red blood cells resulting in anemia.

Copper is important for horses with allergies because it helps lower histamine levels to help modulate allergic responses.

Forages such as hay are generally low in copper, therefore forage-only diets are likely to require supplemental copper. Commercial mineral/vitamin premixes such as Mad Barn’s Omneity contain enough copper to meet your horses’ daily copper requirement.

Balanced diets require careful consideration of copper and zinc levels. Zinc should be provided at three- to five- times higher levels than copper.

Consult your veterinarian for assessment of copper or zinc deficiency. You should always consult a qualified nutritionist before altering your feed program. Submit your horse’s diet for analysis online and one of our equine nutritionists will be happy to provide a complementary review.