FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

ORGANICS

Why do you not add iron?

Iron is not a commonly deficient mineral and its absorption is dictated by the presence of other minerals. Copper and cobalt work together to allow the absorption of iron. Iron should never have to be supplemented if copper and cobalt levels are optimum. Of course, supplementing them with a proteinate allows optimum mineral status.

Sometimes supplementing an anemic horse with copper AND cobalt proteinate is enough to rectify the deficiency without even supplementing with iron at all.
Why don't you add Sulphur?

Sulphur is not a commonly deficient mineral and although it can be beneficial to supplement it, it is a banned substance in some industries eg racing. For this reason we prefer not to include this mineral for the sake of it.
Why is the mineral ingredient list shorter than other products?

Do not be confused by a shorter ingredient list. The success of Elite Equine supplementation shows it is not how much you supplement but HOW you supplement. We focus on the most important minerals and supply them in the absolute highest quality, most absorbable form possible and supply these at 100% absorption rate. All minerals are in the same form. No one else uses exclusively and completely proteinate minerals. By doing this is makes supplementing other minerals unnecessary. For example, iron supplementation is unnecessary when copper and cobalt are supplemented in such a high quality form. Copper and cobalt regulate the absorption of iron from the environment. Iron supplement should never be necessary.

Excellent mineral profiles allow the horses body to absorb micro minerals from their environment. This is the same reason we do not supplement vitamins. Vitamins are perishable, found in plenty in good quality food and a well mineralized body can synthesize significant amounts as well. Our motto is to keep it simple, but use the very best ingredients possible!

It is interesting despite the shorter ingredient list, but because of the quality of the minerals, animals bloom with health, avoid anemia, mud fever, rain scald and warts. Some even ask us how do we make the coat shine like it does ..and we say "its the minerals!"
Why are there no vitamins in the Elite Equine formulas?

Vitamins are a perishable product and freely available to the horse through fresh feed, and sunlight and some vitamins are able to be synthesized by the horse itself if getting the correct mineral supplementation. Minerals are the foundation of correct nutrition. The building blocks. A horses mineral status will determine how many vitamins it will be able to absorb and synthesize in the body, and high quality organic minerals will assist in the absorption of vitamins from the diet. Inorganic minerals are much more poorer assimilated and horses may still require vitamin supplementation when being fed inorganic minerals.

Sometimes it is very beneficial to add certain vitamins to the diet of certain horses, but this is individual to each animal. Certainly for general health horses get adequate vitamins from good pasture, hay and feed.

It is also scientifically recognized that the practice of adding vitamins to inorganic or synthetic mineral supplements is largely a waste of time since the minerals are so unstable that the majority of vitamins are rendered useless before they are even fed. We prefer to focus on the very best mineralization possible and allow the rest to take care of itself.
Why are organic proteinate minerals so much better for my horse?

How an organic proteinate mineral behaves in your horses body is vastly different to a common inorganic or synthetic mineral. High quality organic minerals are selectively taken up by the body, are completely bio-available, stable in the gastric system and the tub, and are almost completely non toxic. Any excesses are easily excreted. They are body friendly.

Synthetic minerals are absorbed by osmosis, meaning the principal of equalization. They are taken in by the body indiscriminately, are far less stable under changes of pH, therefore are far less bio-available, and have a much higher toxicity level. In some cases even being highly toxic. For example, Selinium selinate was the synthetic form of selenium responsible for the deaths of 21 polo ponies in Florida in April 2009. This is why blood tests are only part of the picture.

Different mineral forms have different absorption levels. So, if you feed a supplement with different forms of minerals, the horse absorbs different amounts of each one causing imbalances. These imbalances my not be noticeable when the horse is young or not in extremely hard work, but in time they can result in unsoundness, the breaking down of body systems and loss of performance, whether your horse is a performance horse, breeding mare/stallion or pony club pony. More immediate signs that the body is not optimum may be not getting in foal, lack of muscle, staying focused, succumbing to opportunistic infections like mud fever, or fighting off a virus. In fact research has indicated that conditions like Cushings Disease are triggered by long term mineral deficiencies.

Feeding top quality organic minerals is like an insurance policy on your horses future health and wellbeing. No its not a magic bullet, but it considerably improves the chances of your horse having a long and productive life with less vet bills! That's important when you have spend many years training.
My horse has Mud Fever/Rain Scald. Which is the best product to use?

Hands down Compete is the best product to use. The minerals in all the products improve the skin and its resilience to infections like Mud Fever and Rain Scald, but if you have an existing infection, Compete is definitely the one to use. The immune boost in the formula gives it extra effectiveness.
Are all organics the same? Do they have the same form?

No definitely not. There are different forms of organic minerals. The least stable and bioavailable of all 'organics' are what is termed a 'complex'. This not a chelate, although it is sometimes labelled as such. The difference between a complex and a chelate is the molecular structure and how it is bonded together. Chelates are much more stable in the gut and the tub and are therefore more able to be absorbed. There are two main forms of chelate. An amino acid chelate and a metal proteinate. One is bonded with an amino acid and the other with protein. Metal proteinate chelates are by far the highest quality organic chelate available, and are generally not used in large operations due to the expense. All Bio Plex minerals are in a high quality metal proteinate form.
How do I know if I what I am feeding is organic or synthetic?

As a general guide - if it does not say what it is then it will most probably be synthetic or inorganic. Even if it claims to contain organics, look for a list of minerals and the FORM they are in. It is useless to feed a product with only a few organics in it because you will be feeding minerals with wildly different absorption rates. Often cheaper minerals are hidden by listing a few organics at the start of a list. These are the cheapest, most common and least stable form of minerals, often containing contaminants and commonly interacting with other minerals and vitamins in the tub and the horses digestive system. By far, the vast majority of vitamin and mineral products available to the equestrian consumer are made of synthetic minerals. Why use inorganic minerals you ask? Because they are cheap.

If it is organic it will say it is. Some supplements are labelled organic when they only have one or two organic ingredients, however, it is extremely unlikely that a supplement with 'organic' ingredients will not say so because they are such a superior product to a synthetic product, manufacturers want people to know that!
Does pure mean organic?

No it doesn't. A drug can be pure but it does not mean it is good for you! Pure usually means highly processed or a single ingredient. A poison can be pure but you would not feed it to your horse!

Synthetic minerals generally are pure because they are man made and therefore highly processed. Pure does not refer to the molecular make up of a mineral. The word organic refers to the molecular make up and technology of a mineral.

Some substances are by their very nature, high quality when pure. Take glucosamine or HA for example. When we talk about organics we are referring to minerals. When it comes to minerals, the most desirable are organic not pure.
There is so much conflicting advice out there and everyone says their product is what I need! Why is your product any better than others?

Unfortunately there is a huge amount of misleading marketing information out there. When you consider that most nutritionists and vets will disagree on feeding advice and products, and then add marketing companies advice which is designed to sway you to their products, it is no wonder so many people are getting confused!

We like to keep things as simple as possible and we look at the whole picture, not just a small piece of the puzzle.

Our ingredients have 30 years of solid nutritional research behind them. Not biased marketing led research, but research in billion dollar facilities and conducted by the world leaders in animal nutritional research. Their superiority has been proven in laboratories over time.

The quality control is unparalleled and scientific fact places them well ahead of the competition.
But the mineral supplement I currently feed is cheaper. Why?

It won't be by much because we pride ourselves on a hugely superior product for not much more than an inferior product!

Synthetic or inorganic minerals are hugely cheaper as a raw material for a very good reason. They are of a much lower quality from a molecular stand point and they are much less stable. They can be toxic in large amounts and are generally not very body friendly or bioavailable. They have not been through the chelation process and their molecules are prone to breaking down and reacting with other minerals and substances in the tub and the horse. Generally, these minerals have not been exclusively screened for the common contamination of heavy metals, dioxins and PCBs and are more likely to contain contaminants since some synthetic minerals are made from recycling of metals.

But cheap they are, and using these minerals allows a cheaper end product and higher profits.

It is well documented that inorganic minerals and vitamins interact often in a negative way when in contact with each other, and that electrolytes and vitamins should never be fed together let alone be in the same formula.
I have been feeding a popular synthetic/ inorganic vitamin and mineral mix and I think my horse looks good. Why should I change and will I see a difference?

Yes you will see a difference! Internal health shows on the outside and when your horse is getting the very best nutrition that is stimulating the correct and desirable gene expression, they show it and they bloom!

Trials have indicated that horses temperaments settle, they start conditioning and building muscle and condition very quickly and their coats bloom. In all cases we decreased feed quantity once the horses gained the condition and top line required due to improved feed utilization.

You will also have the peace of mind that your horse is getting a completely non toxic supplement, guaranteed free of contaminants as well as the added protection of enhanced gut health and better feed utitlzation, better functioning immune system, a better coat and general overall health. You have a performance horse ... why wouldn't you want that!
I have heard that minerals can be contaminated. How do I know if my supplements are contaminated or not?

You don't, unless the company that makes the supplement you use can guarantee they test every batch they make, because contamination is very common.

All minerals potentially contain dangerous contaminants such as Dioxins, PCB's and Heavy Metals, and in fact anywhere from 20 - 45% of minerals are affected all over the world. Minerals from developing countries tend to have higher levels of contaminants, and yes it is highly likely that these contaminants find their way into your horses supplements! Some people might not care about this, but if you are competing, breeding or producing horses, it is a real issue because these contaminants can effect performance, fertility, growth and life span.
So what does Alltechs guarantee of traceability mean?

This means that Alltech test every batch of minerals before and after processing to ensure that no contaminants reach the end product. They reject a staggering 33% of minerals before they even start because of dangerous contamination. Alltech is the only company that we are aware of, to offer this consistent assurance of traceability and clean end products.
I have heard that a chelate can be too stable and it does not break down to be utilised by the body?

A chelate that is bonded by an indigestible substance may indeed be indigestible. A metal proteinate is bonded by a protein which is highly digestible. You do not want your mineral to break down before digestion. A molecule defines a substance and you want it to be digested fully. Protein is stable in changes of pH and is easily digested by the body and so offers the perfect level of stability for a mineral.
I have had my horse blood tested and he was fine. Does my horse still need a product like this and will he benefit from it?

Blood tests measure the amount of mineral in the blood system at that point in time. It is a snapshot. When you feed an inorganic/synthetic mineral that is only 20-30% available to the horse you are not measuring the part of the mineral the horse can use, you are measuring all of the mineral in the blood stream. The fact that the horse cannot use the majority of it, and is trying to excrete it but hasn't yet, is not taken into consideration. When you consider this, it is easy to see how dangerous and toxic inorganic minerals can be!

Blood test can be very very misleading.
If I feed Compete - Is this all I need or do I need to feed additional supplements?

No you don't need to feed anything else but Compete. All our formulas except for Ultra Mag and Mega Build are designed to be complete without requiring any other supplementation. The only thing you may want to add is a toxin binder. Horses vary so much in how much binder they need and when, that we did not add this into our formulas.
Is Mega Build or Compete best for my horse?

Mega Build is an incredibly effective conditioner but it does not contain added organic minerals, including magnesium and selenium. For this reason we advise feeding either with Organic Plus (which is a mineral formula only) or as a boost to Compete at a lower rate if 1-2 scoops a day.

Many people start with Mega Build and Organic Plus or as a boost to Compete and then move onto Compete as the horses condition improves. Remember though that Compete does have an excellent conditioning action and is often plenty for a lot of horses. Mega Build's strength is in building significant muscle fast!
What is the difference between Organic Plus and Compete?

Organic Plus contains nothing but super high quality organic proteinate minerals and organic selenium.

It is the most effective purely organic mineral supplementation on the market and it is the best value for money as an all round supplement.

Compete has everything that Organic Plus does but with slightly more magnesium, a pro biotic, an immune boost and organic Chromium for muscle building. This is our formula for the hard working competition horse.