Hi All!

I came across a blog by Calinnova Ltd when I was sent EquiFeast May newsletter and they have raised a very interesting argument, one that I have not heard before. I am not very clued up on all the science and was wondering if anyone could shed and light on the topic? I have a very spooky horse and I am looking to use a calmer – any thoughts?

Is there anyone out there who knows a lot about calcium and magnesium? I have tried to look into it myself but there seems to be no studies/science about it at all!

Here’s a bit of the newsletter…

Is Calcium the new Magnesium?
Calcium set to take the equine industry by storm:

Over the past ten years, magnesium has become the most popular ingredient in horse calming supplements. As magnesium is so widely recognised as being an effective horse calmer, it is surprising that there have been no scientific studies into the use of magnesium on horses. Despite this lack of academic research, the experiences of many horse owners confirm that magnesium has an effect on a significant number of horses but also fails on a very large number.

Malcolm Green, horse behavioural & nutritional specialist from Calinnova Ltd, believes that any nutritional deficiency that impairs brain function can cause nervous or difficult behaviour, so he set out to identify other nutrients that could help improve animals’ brain function. What came out on top was chelated calcium. In fact, Calinnova have found that chelated calcium seems to help more than three times as many difficult horses as magnesium does. The supplement industry has begun to recognise the benefits of chelated calcium and how it improves brain function and more recently chelated calcium supplements have made an appearance, which raises the question whether calcium will replace magnesium as the preferred nutrient for calmers.

Malcolm Green, BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences; Grad Dip Agricultural Economics

Here is the blog:- Calinnova if anyone's interested