Yes, that is not easy to know because there are huge number of types of minerals in the market from all kinds of brands.
We sell the minerals from Okapi, among others, because the composition is good and there are no unnecessary products in it like brewer's yeast, apple, etc. that have sugars or other chemical flavourings. There are also no fillers in it like alfalfa or grains as is the case with many other mixes. They are pure minerals with a little grape seed meal as a base. Grape seed meal has a beneficial effect on the intestinal environment and on the horse's blood sugar levels. The 2% molasses in it is to reduce the dust otherwise they inhale the fines. This makes Okapi's minerals one of the purest mixes on the market.
Okapi's minerals are formulated so that the horse itself can easily get rid of excess minerals itself, which is important as many horses are overfed and may develop other problems as a result.
In the horse's gut, all substances are sorted; these do not go into the blood system like that. For example, if the horse is deficient in zinc, the zinc is absorbed into the intestinal wall and anything in excess is drained away.
By giving these minerals, I know I am providing the complete mineral package, what he needs can be absorbed and the rest is excreted, so there is no metabolic overload.
*There are different compositions of Okapi's minerals. Surely the favourite mineral is Okapi Mineral Pur G. It is crumbly, pure and has no vitamins. Why no vitamins? If you put your horse out to pasture daily and he always gets good hay then I don't need to feed vitamins, that is an 'over' supply for the horse. Be careful with that, many horses get too many vitamins, as they make their own vitamins. Unless your horse does not go out to pasture or we have a very dry summer with no grass, he does need certain vitamins.
Let the horses decide for themselves, that is, if I see that they do not eat it, they have taken in enough minerals. Then feel free to put it back in the cupboard for 2-3 weeks and then offer it again. Offer it in a plastic bowl (pure) before feeding it to see if they need it. They can decide this for themselves because there are no taste makers in these minerals that make it palatable and they will then eat too much of it.
Of course, soil quality is also a key factor because it is different everywhere. For example, if I have my hay from a sand or lake soil then there is not as much calcium in the hay. (Calcium is important for soil quality) So if I have a soil with low calcium then I need to take a mineral with a higher calcium content.
*There's OKAPI Mineral de Pâturage, especially for meadows with sandy soil. This mineral is also just a mineral without vitamins.
*For winter there is Concentré Mineral G(S). The S stands for sandy soil and Concentré stands for vitamins, this is also for horses that cannot go out to pasture for various reasons. So these two are for calcium-poor sandy soils.
*Then we have the Mineral Junior for the young horses that need a bit of a different composition than the adult horses. Young horses need essential amino acids, if these are missing it becomes difficult for the organism to produce proteins. So don't feed masses of protein but feed amino acids so they can produce the proteins themselves.
Minéral Junior has these 3 essential amino acids. Lysine + Methionine + threonine. The other amino acids that are important for humans, the horse gets from its own intestinal system.
So these 3 amino acids are very important for the young horse to develop. It is therefore a super mineral for:
. Young horses
. Horses going back to work (muscle building) .
. Sport horses .
. Pregnant mares
*Seniors cannot absorb all the minerals and vitamins, i.e. I have to add more so that the old horse can absorb enough. This is because the intestinal wall is no longer as fit and the intestinal system no longer works as well, so I have to offer more. For this, Okapi has the Mineral Senior. *Then there is the Mineral Pur P, which is very handy for feeders (feeding machines). To make a pellet, Okapi has used a small amount of wheat semolina, so horses with insulin resistance are better off giving the Mineral Pur G in crumbly form. *Mineral Bricks. These are ideal to give out of hand when grooming your horse or before riding and when you can't give them some because they are in a large herd. The Mineral Bricks are sticky linseed with mineral powder in them. Super convenient mineral food and they are insanely tasty, so herewith do stick to the dosage and never give too much. *Salt lick Okapi offers a salt lick that comes from Europe, called Bergkern. It does not come all the way from Pakistan like the himalayan lick, so it is very ecological.
Bac à Lécher (licking bowl)
The Bac à Lécher is very practical to put in the open stable when you do not feed every day and they are up to self 'selection'. Okapi's licking bowls are NOT stuck with sugars, as is the case with most licking bowls. It is a special compounding process with the same content as Okapi's loose minerals. It is mixed with water and then you get a hard mass for licking. When choosing a licking bowl, it is advisable to always give it under supervision first, when you are brushing your horse, for example. Because if you have a horse that throws itself on it and appears to be licking for half an hour, the horse has a mineral deficiency and you cannot leave the bowl, because that gives an overdose and is not good! Then take the bowl away and offer it again the next day for a short time until the horse says I have enough and then you can leave the bowl. As licking bowls there are .Mineral Pur G .Mineral du Pâturage .Mineral Junior You can order all these minerals through my website or feel free to send me an email, as the minerals are available in different quantities, 3kg, 10kg and even 25kg. With thanks to Dr Christina Fritz Karin Vervelde Equine Naturelle
Equine Naturelle, 47210 Montaut equinenaturelle@gmail.com
