One
of
the
first
questions
that
I
get
asked
when
someone
looks
in
our
stalls
is
“What
are
the
little
black
cups
for?”
Each
of
our
hay
feeders
is
bracketed
by
two
small
two-part
mineral
feeders.
In
addition
to
feeding
a
daily
vitamin
and
mineral
supplement
we
put
out
four
different
mineral
products
for
the
horses
to
choose
from.
This
form
of
“free
choice”
mineral
feeding
is
often
ignored
but,
in
my
opinion,
is
one
of
the
most
valuable
facets
of
our
equine
nutritional
program.
Horses
are
brilliant
at
balancing
their
nutritional
needs
on
their
own
when
given
access
to
what
they
need.
They
chew
bark,
eat
dirt,
and
drink
from
corral
urine
pools.
Wild
herbivore
animals,
horses
and
especially
ruminants,
will
seek
out
lime
and
other
mineral
deposits
and
eat
them
readily
to
balance
their
body
pH.
Humans
have
chosen
to
restrict
our
domesticated
horses
to
stalls,
paddocks
or
pastures
with
limited
forage
options,
where
in
nature
they
would
roam
many
square
miles
in
search
of
natural
clays,
mineral
deposits
and
herbs/plants.
At
our
boarding
facility
we
offer
our
horses
two
separate
calcium
(Ca)
/
phosphorous
(K)
supplements
to
support
this
innate
behavior:
the
first
has
one
part
Ca
to
one
part
P
(1
to
1),
the
other
two
to
one
(2
to
1).
We
also
offer
Izmine
-
a
mineral
food
containing
more
than
70
naturally-occurring
minerals,
enzymes,
electrolytes
and
bio-nutrients.
Last,
but
not
least,
we
put
out
a
loose
unbleached
salt.
It
is
important
that
these
not
be
force
fed
because
the
horse,
through
its
instinct,
knows
much
better
than
we
do
how
much
they
need.
There
are
horses
who
will
barely
touch
the
products,
and
many
who
seem
to
cvcle
off
and
on
depending
on
estrus,
weather
changes,
stress
levels,
work
load,
growth
rate,
parasite
load,
etc..
Horses
may
ignore
them
for
months,
then
suddenly
empty
the
feeder.
The
recent
founder
cases
that
have
come
in
for
rehabilitation
can’t
get
enough
of
the
1
to
1.
Once
they
become
balanced
they
tend
to
take
just
a
little
once
in
a
while.
For
us,
the
long
term
benefits
to
free
choice
minerals
have
been
profound.
We
have
never
had
a
horse
on
this
diet
colic
(knock
on
wood).
We
have
zero
parasites
without
paste
wormers:
we
use
herbal
wormers
instead.
And
once
my
horses
went
onto
the
entire
free-choice
program
in
addition
to
their
daily
vitamins
our
hay
bill
dropped
from
11
bales
of
Bermuda
per
month
down
to
about
8.
That
is
more
than
enough
savings
to
cover
the
costs
of
the
minerals.
So
trust
your
horse’s
innate
knowledge
and
help
him
to
help
himself
-
and
decorate
your
feeding
area
with
little
black
cups.
This
information
is
not
intended
to
diagnose,
treat,
or
cure
any
person
or
animal.
The
opinions
given
are
my
own
and
not
intended
to
replace
the
advise
of
your
veterinarian.
I
am
not
a
veterinarian
but
a
Bio-
Nutritional
Therapist
specializing
in
alternative
approaches
toward
animal
health
and
well
being.
