Gotcha Equine Horse Health Checklist - magnesium and calcium imbalances, myco-toxin affected, vitamin mineral shortage

The check list below is designed to help you find the base causes for the issues your currently experiencing with your horse/s. Print out the checklist and write your horses name next to the issues that best discribe what is going wrong. In conjunction with the Gotcha Equine Feed plan your horses over all health and behaviour can be greatly improved.

If you would like assistance working out what could be wrong with your horse, or a free copy of the full (updated) Gotcha Equine Feed Plan please email Gotcha Equine , please including your full name and phone number.
Below is a brief list of the some symptoms. There are MANY more.

(ALL Vitamins + Minerals)

See back label for dry grass and dry lot (yarded) dose rates

Vitamins and Minerals have a role in assisting with dull and off colour coat / no topline / gut health
Cracked and flaking hooves / thin hoof wall / slow growing hooves
Extended recovery time / ill-thrift
Developmental orthopedic diseases(DOD) and OCD/tendon contracture/knuckling under or weak behind
Lacking energy / reluctant to move forward / reluctant to canter or make transitions
Compulsive eating/can’t keep their head out of grass/failure to reach genetic potential/growing rump high
Prone to string halt / acidosis / abscesses / mud fever / sunburn / EPSM

Extremely high demand for minerals

(Oxalate/High Demand)

Supplementing calcium and magnesium is vital when grazing high oxalated grasses: Note the correct cofactors (vitamins + minerals) for maximum absorption must also be present.

DPI warns to supplement horses when grazing the following list of grasses; Kikuyu, Setaria,

Buffel, Green Panic, Pangola, Para Grass, Sand Bur, Guinea Grass, Signal Grass and Purple Pigeon Grass.

Or when in heavy or very heavy work such as: full endurance training or racing, 3 day

eventing, heavy sweating during daily work out of 6-7 days a week, full race training / racing.

Also for lactating mares and growing horses 0-24 months.

Horses grazing oxalated grasses or chronically lacking minerals may display the following:

Reluctant to move forward / reluctant to walk properly / reluctant to strike off into canter
Enlarged parathyroid gland (under the neck, just back from throat latch)
Unexplained lameness / Hind leg stiffness
Leg bone splints/bone demineralisation
Ruptured tendons, spontaneous fractures
Facial crest -bump on the bridge of the nose just below the eyes (often in growing horses)
’Big Head’ (Hyperparathyroidism) - swollen facial bones
Loose teeth / stiff gait / short stepping
Enlarged joints / joint and bone tenderness / ’clicky’ or noisy joints
Young growing horses fail to reach expected height / Very rump high
Obstruction of nasal passages, which may cause a noise and / or discharge
Developmental orthopedic diseases (DOD) or OCD / tendon contracture / knuckling under or weak behind

(MAG MAX)

When grass is growing rapidly such as during spring and autumn
Badly behaved /very skatty, spooky and anxious / over sensitive / violent bucking
Bolting off in short bursts / grinds teeth / tight and tense / claustrophobia
Sore back / cold back / muscle tightness
Unsafe / can’t handle pressure of competition, unpredictable
Can’t get a saddle to fit / discomfort with saddle
Weak behind / grass tetany (flush of grass) / appears lame behind
Head-flicking
Short stepping / tender hooves
Skips in canter with hind legs
Stressful situations - traveling / racing / competing
Herd bound (goes ballistic if paddock mate leaves)
Floating out / floating long distances (travel tetany)

It is important to note that myco-toxicity and magnesium deficiency have very similar symptoms.

(DE-TOX - Toxin Binder)

Autumn / Spring / Tropical conditions (Ideal conditions for fungus/mycotoxins) Grazing Rye Grass, Paspalum, Fescue and Phalaris

Spaced out / eyes glazed over / staring out at things not there (statueing)
Rye Grass or Paspalum staggers / dipping in the back end / appears weak behind
Skipping hind legs in canter
Low or compromised immune system due to mycotoxins
Badly behaved / very skatty and anxious / over sensitive (to noise) / unpredictable
Dislikes handling (ears, chest and sides) / head-flicking
Bolting off in short bursts / violent shying / violent bucking
Unsafe / can’t handle pressure of competition
Tripping and stumbling
Bloated and pot belly
Excessive aggressiveness
Herd bound (goes ballistic if paddock mate leaves), Fence walking
Excessive snorting / overheats when rugged
Small frequent manure / scours and diarrhea
Effect the reproductive system / raging seasons / prolonged gestation
Excessive sweating / sweating with very little exertion / smelly sweats
Sweating up in situation they don’t normally do, such as floating

Digestive - Imbalance

(In-Health)

Assist gut health/also contains toxin binder - (as listed above)

Assists with loose or soft manure by helping to produce well formed manure

Not coping well with the spring grass or green grass in general:

Very gassy / loose manure / very noisy stomach
Very sensitive digestive system / picky eater / slow eater / chews wood / wind sucks

Ideal for horses locked off grass at night or have limited acces to grass

Salt

Plain natural salt will need to be added to the diet if in heavy or very heavy work, or grazing Kikuyu grass.
Refer to the Gotcha Equine Feed Plan for dose rates.

Like assistance working out what could be wrong with your horse or like a free copy of the full feed plan. Please email Gotcha Equine, including your full name and phone number please.