Suitable for: all horses and ponies, particularly brood mares and youngstock
Appearance: white, dust-free powder
Package size: 2.5kg
Days supply: 2.5kg will last 33 days when fed at 75g per day
Does your horse need support during growth, lactation or pregnancy?
Calcium and Phosphorus are considered the most important minerals in the body. They are essential for creating the skeleton, giving bones their size and strength, but also for teeth and milk production. It is therefore essential that youngstock, and pregnant and lactating mares, receive adequate amounts of calcium and phosphorus. Calcium also has other important roles to play. It is an important electrolyte, essential for nerve and muscle function, and supports the role of many hormones and enzymes.
Calcium and phosphorus must be provided in the diet at the correct ratio for maximum absorption. The horse needs approximately twice as much calcium per day than phosphorus, and di calcium phosphate provides this optimum ratio. Should the diet contain more phosphorus than calcium, in the long term this will cause diseases linked to calcium deficiency, such as weak bones and poor muscles.
For most adult horses in light work, on a high forage diet, their calcium and phosphorus requirements will be met. A traditional diet based on straights tends to be very low in calcium. Oats are a poor source, and bran contains phytates, which prevent the body's ability to absorb calcium and phosphorus. This is particularly important for performance horses, whose diets tend to be lower in forage, but they have a greater need for calcium to support muscle function.
Straight Forward Dical is recommended to correct the levels of calcium and phosphorus in the diets of growing stock, pregnant and lactating mares and competition horses fed a cereal-based diet.