Product comparison

Only the daily amount makes products comparable

Anyone comparing complementary or mineral feeds for horses first meets content figures: zinc in milligrams per kilogram, vitamin E in International Units. These numbers describe the product, not the amount a horse takes in per day. Between the two sits the recommended daily dose — and depending on the product it ranges from a few grams to several hundred grams.

A worked example: product A declares 2,000 mg zinc per kg at a daily dose of 50 g, product B 8,000 mg per kg at 10 g. On the label B looks four times as rich, yet per day A supplies 100 mg zinc and B only 80 mg. The comparison therefore converts every figure from its reference basis — per kg, per 100 g or per daily dose — to the daily ration before placing them side by side.

Body weight comes next. Many dosages apply across the board to a large horse of around 500 to 600 kg. The calculator therefore sets the daily amount against reference values for the selected weight; if no weight is stored, it works with 600 kg.

Price per day instead of price per pack

A 3 kg bucket for 45 euros looks more expensive than a 1 kg tub for 30 euros. At a daily dose of 50 g the bucket lasts 60 days, which is 0.75 euros per day; at 10 g the tub lasts 100 days, or 0.30 euros per day.

It only becomes meaningful together with the content, though. A low daily price with little nutrient supply is no advantage, and neither is a high daily price for nutrients that another product already supplies.

What the declaration reveals

In the EU, feed labelling is governed by Regulation (EC) No 767/2009. For complementary and mineral feeds, the feed materials are listed under composition in descending order of weight. An ingredient far down the list is often present only in small quantities.

Analytical constituents list crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre and crude ash, and for mineral feeds also calcium, phosphorus and sodium. A mineral feed is a complementary feed containing at least 40 percent crude ash. Additives such as trace elements and vitamins are authorised under Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 and declared with their name or identification number and the amount added, usually per kg of feed.

What decides the comparison is the reference basis. Label figures generally refer to the feed as sold, that is to fresh matter. Requirement values and maximum contents, by contrast, are often expressed on a dry matter basis or for a complete feed with 12 percent moisture. For powders the difference is small; for pastes and liquids it is considerable. Figures per 100 ml cannot be converted into grams without the density, so the calculator does not score them.

The element, not the compound

Trace elements are added as chemical compounds, for example zinc as zinc oxide, zinc sulphate or zinc chelate. For the calculation it is the amount of the element that counts, not the mass of the compound. Zinc oxide is around 80 percent zinc, whereas an amino acid chelate, depending on the ligand, is often only 15 to 30 percent.

Carefully labelled products state the element amount and name the compound alongside it. Where only the compound and its mass are given, a direct comparison is not possible. Differences in the availability of different compounds are discussed in studies; the calculator deliberately does not model them and works with the declared amounts.

Reference values and overlaps

The daily reference values come from the recommendations of the National Research Council (NRC 2007) and the German Society of Nutrition Physiology (GfE 2014). They are guide values for populations, not targets for an individual horse. The fit-score shows what share of them a product covers by calculation at the manufacturer dose; roughly 80 to 150 percent counts as the requirement band in the calculator. The number says nothing about the quality of a product.

The basic ration is not included. Hay and pasture supply a large part of calcium and potassium; without a forage analysis, that contribution remains an estimate.

When several products are fed, their contents add up. The calculator sums the daily supply of all selected products and sets it against the upper limits. Selenium, iodine, copper and vitamins A and D receive particular attention, because the margin between requirement and maximum amount is narrow for them.

Legal classification and the limits of the comparison

Every product carries its legal classification. Complementary, mineral and dietetic feeds fall under feed law. Veterinary medicinal products, by contrast, are subject to Regulation (EU) 2019/6 and, in Germany and Austria, to the Veterinary Medicinal Products Act (TAMG); prescription-only veterinary medicines are not offered on the marketplace. For competition, each individual compound also shows its status under the FEI Prohibited Substances List.

All values come from the manufacturer declaration. Equiterna does not analyse samples, and actual contents may deviate within legal tolerances. The comparison makes no statement about any effect on the animal and is neither a purchase recommendation nor a ranking. Putting together the overall ration belongs with a feed adviser and the vet, who know the horse.

• NRC 2007 — Nutrient Requirements of Horses, 6th revised edition, National Research Council
• GfE 2014 — Empfehlungen zur Energie- und Nährstoffversorgung von Pferden (recommendations on energy and nutrient supply for horses), German Society of Nutrition Physiology
• VO (EG) 767/2009 — Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed
• VO (EG) 1831/2003 — Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 on additives for use in animal nutrition
• VO (EU) 2019/6 — Regulation (EU) 2019/6 on veterinary medicinal products