Frequently Asked Questions

Does pasture provide all that my horse needs?
Pasture alone does not consistently provide all the nutrients a horse needs. Every pasture is different depending on soil type, plant type, environmental conditions, weather and pasture maintenance. To put it simply, pastures have highly variable nutrient contents, especially when it comes to trace minerals and vitamins. Most, if not all pastures will be deficient in at least one nutrient that is essential to your horse’s nutrition. Supplemental nutrients are even more important when your horse has increased demands on its body such as growth, frequent exercise, pregnancy, or lactation. .

I already feed a fortified feed, isn’t that all I need?
When feeding a fortified feed (also known as a complete feed) there are three questions you should ask yourself. If you answer no to any of the following questions, you should feed a nutritional supplement.

1. Do I feed my horse recommended levels of fortified feed every day?
   If your answer is no, then your horse is certainly not receiving the recommended levels of minerals and vitamins that are meant to be provided by a fortified feed. When recommended levels are not fed, the levels of minerals and vitamins your horse receives are proportionally reduced as well. Many people do not feed recommended levels to their horses because fortified feeds add additional energy and protein to a horse’s diet that is not necessary for every horse. ‘Easy keepers’ are good examples of horses that are usually not receiving the recommended levels of fortified feed every day. Even these horses need to receive the recommended levels of minerals and vitamins each day. Furthermore, if you blend grain such as oats with your horse’s fortified ration, you are diluting and reducing the amount of minerals and vitamins your horse receives.
2. Does my fortified feed contain all the minerals and vitamins supplied in FUTURITY PRECISE® including biotin, methionine and organic trace minerals?
   Check your feed tag to make sure that each mineral and vitamin supplied by FUTURITY PRECISE® is also supplied by your fortified feed. Remember, FUTURITY PRECISE® is formulated to provide recommended levels of all of the minerals and vitamins it contains when paired with typical horse diets. If your feed does not guarantee one of these nutrients on the label, you should question whether your horse is receiving all the essential nutrients he needs.
3. Am I willing to risk leaving holes in my horse’s diet that could cause deficiencies and resulting health problems?
   FUTURITY PRECISE® is specially formulated to provide complete dietary supplementation when fed with typical horse diets including diets that contain fortified feeds. There are options in the FUTURITY PRECISE® supplementation program that do not contain supplemental protein and allow for just mineral and vitamin supplementation. This tends to be a good option for horses that are already receiving a fortified feed ration. At the same time, leaving room for mineral and vitamin deficiencies to occur by not feeding a complete diet supplement can cause underlying health problems, reduce production in the way of growth, reproduction and lactation, and can reduce performance.

How are these blocks different from regular salt blocks or trace mineral salt blocks?
Salt and trace mineral blocks (95-98% salt) are not complete dietary supplements. These blocks do not provide necessary macro-minerals such as calcium and phosphorus to the horse. While a trace mineral block does provide trace minerals, consumption is usually low due to the high salt content and horses rarely receive adequate levels of these trace minerals. In addition, these blocks do not provide any vitamins needed by horses. In contrast, FUTURITY PRECISE® supplements deliver balanced levels of both minerals and vitamins in addition to salt. FUTURITY PRECISE® auto-regulated consumption technology ensures that horses will consume proper amounts of nutrients to meet their needs.

When feeding a free-choice supplement, how can I be sure my horse is receiving the proper amount?
You can easily monitor consumption by observation and a little math. For example, a horse should consume 3-6 oz. of the Hoof and Health Block per day. Thus 2 horses should consume 1 block (25 lbs.) in roughly 1-2 months. Two horses should consume one Hoof and Health Protein Block in roughly 1 to 2 weeks (1 to 2 lbs consumption per horse per day). Use the equation below to help you out. Compare your answer to the consumption level that is recommended on the product label.
(Weight of product) ÷ (Days to consume product) ÷ (Number of horses) = Consumption per head per day

What if my horse eats more than the label recommends?
When horses have not been previously exposed to molasses based blocks, it is common for them to experience increased consumption for a short period of time. This is particularly true when horses have not received any type of mineral supplementation in the past or have received only salt blocks or trace mineral salt blocks. Higher levels of consumption may occur partly due to the novelty of a new type of block and partly due to an underlying nutritional imbalances or deficiencies. Once horses have acclimated to your FUTURITY PRECISE® supplementation program, usually within 2 weeks, consumption should fall within recommended label rates. If consumption rates are still, high you should reevaluate your overall feeding program. Occasionally, increases in individual supplement consumption can result from the overly competitive nature of one horse in a pen with other horses. If the dominant horse continues this behavior after a week or two, place another block in the pen a safe distance from the original block.

Will this period of increased consumption harm my horse?
As with any sudden change in your horse’s diet, it could result in a temporary period of loose stools. Always follow FUTURITY PRECISE® feeding directions. Caution: Selenium intake must be limited to 3 mg / horse; two lb of FUTURITY PRECISE® protein blocks contains 3 mg selenium and 6 oz of mineral contain 3 mg.