AZ Regional Mix and AZ First Balance

AZ Regional Mix was formulated as a maintenance supplement to safely provide nutrients known to be typically needed with Arizona and Southwest hays without supplying excess amounts of any nutrient, and not include nutrients usually found in excess in regional hays (such as iron and, often, manganese).

I originally formulated this custom mix for my own horses. Several friends began using it with good results and my trimmer began recommending it to her clients. Rod at HorseTech agreed to call the it AZ Regional Mix and added a section called Popular Custom Products to his website so it could be ordered online.

AZ First Balance is a more intense version, supplying higher levels of minerals and some vitamins, with higher levels of biotin and added lysine and methionine for horses that need a "jump start", while still ensuring nutrient levels are kept withing KER and NRC guidelines for safety. After a cycle or two on First Balance, most horses can be transitioned to the less expensive Regional Mix for maintenance.

Both these flax-based supplements are similar to many of the standard supplements offered by HorseTech but have been "tweaked" to provide a custom supplement that reflects the needs of the Southwest horse.

The cost is comparable (and usually less) than many "off-the-shelf" supplements of similar quality. Despite the "AZ" in the name, these supplements are suitable for any part of the country where iron levels in hay are adequate to high and you want to feed a complete iron-free supplement without grain or alfalfa based fillers.

For a PDF file with a detailed comparison of AZ Regional Mix and AZ First Balance, email me at DesertEquineBalance@gmail.com. The file shows a complete analysis, cost comparison and explanations of each of the ingredients used in these two supplements. (Because these are "custom" formulations made to my specifications, HorseTech does not list the analysis for these supplements on their web site.)


Ordering
• By phone from HorseTech – 1-800-831-3309.
• Specify either CP-082305 AZ Regional Mix or CP-051506 AZ First Balance
• AZ Regional Mix can also be ordered online at HorseTech in the "Popular Custom Products" section at the bottom left of their home page (where you can also find magnesium oxide and spirulina)

Understanding Supplement Labels

Many supplements will show the actual grams (g) or milligrams (mg) of a mineral per ounce, scoop or pound. But many only show a “guaranteed analysis” – either “%” or “ppm”. So if you want to know how much of a mineral is actually contained in the scoop, you need to do some math. The math is not difficult, but can be confusing at first.
The same math can be used for converting bagged feed label nutrients and minerals into grams or mg.

Major Minerals

Major Minerals are used in large amounts and are usually shown as percent (%), which equals grams (g) of elemental mineral per gram of compound (or product).
The most confusing part is that the term “gram” is used both as the amount of mineral in a compound and as the total weight of the compound/product.
I will use the abbreviation “g” for the elemental major mineral.

For example, a supplement label shows it contains Calcium 6.5%

• The formula to calculate grams is
  percent ÷ 100 = g of mineral per gram of product or
  6.5 ÷ 100 = 0.065g calcium per gram of product
• There are 28.4 grams per ounce, so to see how many grams of calcium are in one ounce of the supplement, you would multiply 0.065 x 28.4.
  0.065 x 28.4 = 1.846
  There are 1.8g of calcium in each ounce of this supplement.
• The complete formula is:
  6.5 ÷ 100 x 28.4 = 1.846
• If the serving size is six ounces, then the complete formula is:
  6.5 ÷ 100 x 28.4 = 1.846 x 6 = 11 grams of calcium per serving
  

Trace Minerals

Trace Minerals are used in much smaller amounts – milligrams instead of grams. The term “ppm” (parts per million) is usually used to show how much of a trace mineral is contained in a supplement. PPM equals mg (milligram) of mineral per kg (kilogram) of product, so we will have to divide by 2.2 to get mg per pound and divide again by 16 to get mg per ounce.
You can use this to figure out how many mg of a trace mineral are contained in a supplement you use. Because supplement-feeding instructions are often “per ounce” (or per 1 ounce scoop), we will figure mg per ounce. (You may have to adjust this for your supplement.)

[1 kg = 2.2 lbs, 1lb = 16oz]

Example:

• Special Hoof contains copper at 540ppm
  ppm = mg per kg
• 540ppm = 540mg copper per 1 kg of Special Hoof
• 540 ÷ 2.2 = 245.5mg copper per 1 lb of Special Hoof
• 245.5 ÷ 16 = 15.3mg copper per 1 oz of Special Hoof or 91.8mg per six ounce serving

• Special Hoof also contains iodine at 4.7ppm
• 4.7 ÷ 2.2 ÷ 16 = 0.13mg iodine per 1 oz of Special Hoof or 0.78mg per six ounce serving
  

Trace Minerals rarely may be shown as percent (%). We treat it the same as for the major minerals above to convert to grams, then multiply by 1000 to see “mg”. [Note – if a supplement used this “non-standard” measurement for trace minerals, I would question if I really wanted to use this supplement.]

Converting A Typical Supplement Label

SuperDooperPooper Supplement guaranteed analysis

Calcium 6.5%
Magnesium 6%
Vitamin E 5,600IU per lb
Selenium 12.7 ppm
Copper 1250 ppm
Manganese 2400 ppm
Zinc 2400 ppm
Feeding directions – feed 2 to 3 ounces daily

What it contains per ounce

Calcium 1.8g [ 6.5 ÷ 100 x 28.4 = 1.846 ]
Magnesium 1.7g [ 6.0 ÷ 100 x 28.4 = 1.704 ]
Vitamin E 350IU [ 5,600 ÷ 16 = 350 ]
Selenium 0.36mg [ 12.7 ÷ 2.2 = 5.77 ÷ 16 = 0.36 ]
Copper 35.5mg [ 1250 ÷ 2.2 = 568.18 ÷ 16 = 35.5 ]
Manganese 68.2mg [ 2400 ÷ 2.2 = 1090.9 ÷ 16 = 68.18 ]
Zinc 68.2mg [ 2400 ÷ 2.2 = 1090.9 ÷ 16 = 68.18 ]

For 3 oz serving, multiply the above by 3


Symbols for Common Minerals

Major Minerals

Ca - Calcium
P - Phosphate
Mg - Magnesium
K - Potassium
Na - Sodium

Trace Minerals
Fe - Iron
Cu - Copper
Z - Zinc
Mn - Manganese
Co - Cobalt
I - Iodine
Se - Selenium
Cr - Chromium
Mb - Molybdenum (considered contaminant from industrial pollution)
Al - Aluminum (considered contaminant from acid rain)


Some Handy Terms

Gram – g or gm
Milligram – mg
Microgram – mcg or µ
Kilogram – kg
Parts per million - ppm
IU - International Units (commonly used for fat soluble vitamins)

1 g = 1000mg (multiply g by 1000 to get mg or divide mg by 1000 to get g)
1mg = 1000mcg (divide mcg by 1000 to get mg, multiply mg by 1000 to get mcg)
1kg = 2.2 lbs
1lb = 16 oz
1lb = 453.6 grams
1oz = 28.4 grams

Calculating Protein Needs

Going back to the NRC tables we see our 1102 lb horse in light work requires 820 grams of crude protein (CP) a day. (A nutritionist will use a more detailed formula, but the tables provide a good starting point for most horse owners.)

Hay can range from a low of 4% protein up to 14% or higher. If you've had your hay analyzed or have been able toget a good idea of your regional averages, you can tell if your hay is meeting your horse's protein requirement.

For example, let's say your grass hay is 8% protein and your horse eats around 18 lbs of this hay each day.
8% / 100 x 453.6 = 36 grams of protein per pound. 36 x 18 = 648 grams of protein per day.
You can see this will leave your horse short 172 grams of protein per day which he needs for good feet and to rebuild muscle, strong tendons and just about every other working part.

So you go to the feed store to find him something to boost his protein - only to find that all the labels list protein as "%" with none of them telling you how many grams of protein there are in a "serving", and most likely the feeding directions say to "feed to condition" or "to maintain body weight".

But you brought your calculator and wrote down the simple formula we used to figure the hay protein, so you can now calculate that -
12% protein is 12/100x453.6 = 54.4 grams protein per pound
14% protein is 14/100x453.6 = 63.5 grams protein per pound
16% protein is 16/100x453.6 = 72.5 grams protein per pound
20% protein is 20/100x453.6 = 90.7 grams protein per pound

You also realize that he'll need at least 3 lbs/day of the 12% protein feed but only 2.3 lbs of the 16% protein feed so, with other things being equal, the 16% feed may be more cost effective.

Questions and Comments?

If you have questions or comments about anything written here please post them - just click on the Comments field at the end of the article (or at the end of this post) or you can email your comment to me at Desert Equine Balance.

I will answer questions to the best of my ability - if I don't know or if the reply is "my opinion", I will let you know that and we can continue to learn together.

I am not a certified or credentialed equine nutritionist but have spent most of the past six years learning all I could about equine nutrition - mainly by studying the wealth of material in the NRC, the KER library and publications, the Equine Cushing's group (under the guidance of Eleanor Kellon, VMD) and a select few "no-nonsense" websites. Working with owners of insulin resistant (IR), rescue and other problem horses has helped me expand and apply what I've learned.

The information is out there for all to access but for most of us, our first encounter with the basics of equine nutrition is a bewildering array of tables, math and new terminology. I try to use my medical background as a paramedic and RN to translate "nutrition-ese" into plain talk that can help others understand and develop a sound feeding program for their horses.

If I can help someone learn how to interpret feed bag tags and supplement labels, to understand their hay analysis, to develop a better working relationship with their veterinarian, to see the difference between magic bullets and sound nutrition, then all the hours I spend here will have been time well spent.

This is for all the horses who have graciously shared their lives with ours ~