Magnificent Magnesium

*I want to preface this post by stating I am not a licensed medical or veterinary expert. Any opinion or suggestion on this blog is one that I have formed of my own free will through real life experience and shouldn't be taken in place of sound medical advice from your veterinarian. *

Tight, sore muscles. Inability to relax. Cranky about blankets, brushing, or anything else dealing with touch. Difficulty focusing. Always Worried. Girthy. Hypersensitive. 

The list goes on and on and on. And almost always, when you google symptoms like this, you come up with Ulcers as a possible cause. But this isn't another blog post about ulcers and their treatments. Remember how I mentioned that I have a going list of complaints that Maxwell has? Well, some of the very symptoms I listed above happen to be apart of that list. But that list actually has nothing to do with Ulcers. Sure, they can also be symptoms of Ulcers, but in this case it's something different entirely. 

About a month ago, I had an enlightening day spent learning and researching all there was to know about Magnesium deficiency in horses. It made perfect sense given my horse's past, his present diet, and his current symptoms. I knew Ulcers couldn't be removed from the list of possible causes, but I chose to place Magnesium deficiency higher up on the list. Partly because of the diet he eats, and partly because Magnesium deficiency is rather easy and cheap to treat. If symptoms persist past the 10 day loading dose period, chances are it's not a deficiency at all. Simple enough for $25 to try it out and see what you get. Magnesium is safe in high rates. No harm no foul. 

I don't think it's fair for me to sit here and rattle off all this information about Magnesium. I spent several hours digging into it, and I only think it fair that anyone else looking for more information find it where I did--at the source--not here where words have been manipulated but somewhat still seem plagiarized.  I'll start out by saying Magnesium wasn't even on my radar until I dug deep into my research and started reading up on signs of Magnesium deficiency thanks to a suggestion on an internet board. I know it seems so contradicting, researching deficiency of a nutrient on a website whose sole purpose is to sell magnesium supplements. However, they did put a lot of time and research into their information, and without the facts and solid proof, they wouldn't have a magnesium supplement company anyway, right? Anyhow, if you don't much care to read my information sourced from a website that also sells the solution, just research a bit further on your own to find a completely unbiased opinion which will ultimately lead you back to THEIR website anyway.

About Magnesium: The Mineral Superhero

Magnesium 101: This is a great resource which introduces signs of deficiency in your equine as well as causes, therapeutic amounts needed, why we should feed it, and how magnesium is important to our equestrian athletes. 

Magnesium Research: Provided by the same company, this page offers outside sources with regards to magnesium and horses. A totally unbiased look on the matter.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let me explain what my personal consensus is. I started Maxwell on MagRestore (a link with great FAQ about MagRestore) 25 days ago. He got the loading dose for the first 10 days, and while no real change seemed to occur, I decided to finish off the bag just in case. At least in my horse's case, it seems his symptoms are derived from a different source (likely a combination of stress and ulcers, one causing the other). This doesn't change my opinion about Magnesium. It DOES have a place for horses that are deficient. It DOES allow miracles to occur. Just get online and start googling. There are many miraculous accounts of difficult horses becoming the mounts their owners once just dreamed of. Some will see no results. Like me. This doesn't mean that the product "doesn't work". It simply means that more likely than not, your horse is NOT deficient. You can't pump magnesium into the body and expect it to provide you a calm, quiet horse, if that's not what's causing the horse unrest. 

If anyone out there thinks they might have a horse suffering a Magnesium deficiency, do your research. Magnesium is available in MANY different forms and in MANY different price points. Some of your marketed calming supplements from big name stores are really just magnesium with a lot of hoopla. The reason I chose MagRestore had nothing to do with the amount of research and help they provide on their website. I actually turned elsewhere to get a better idea of the "best" magnesium supplement available. I came to the conclusion that Di-magnesium malate is the best form of mag to feed horses. There are cheaper alternatives like magnesium oxide which may or may not be helpful, but aren't nearly as bio-available as the alternative. I chose to go with MagRestore because if I was going to do a trial to see whether this stuff really helped, I wanted to use the most bio-available from the get-go, not the cheapest. I'll leave that research up to you.

But that's not where the story ends....

Performance Equine Nutrition was PROMPT with their MagRestore delivery. I ordered it on a Tuesday and received it two days later, all the way from California (I'm in Florida). I was pleasantly surprised to see a free sample for another of their products. Magnesium Oil. This is a whole 'nother animal. At first thought, I couldn't think of a time where I would actually consider using mag oil on my horse. This past weekend I found good use of this stuff, and I LIKE it! If you are keeping up and saw my last blog post, it touched on Maxwell working his tushie off last weekend. He was tired, his body was tired, and I had very little Bigeloil left. I rubbed down his hocks, knees, stifles, legs and ankles with my remaining bigeloil, but scratched my head at what I could use to help his wither, shoulder, back and sacrum. I decided to give the mag oil a try, and boy oh boy am I glad that I did. 

I applied several drops of magnesium oil to Maxwell's withers, shoulders, back, and sacrum areas. I rubbed it in and let it sit. The directions say you can either rinse/wipe away after 30 minutes, or leave it. I chose to leave it. The next day my horse had such a swing in his step that I was actually taken aback. I went into the ride fully expecting a tired, sore, stiff animal. Instead I got one willing and ready to work, and work HARD just as he did the day before. I fully contribute his loose back and shoulder to the magnesium oil. I applied it again after the ride we had that day. I think it's too soon to come out with these great claims that this is a magical oil for sore and tired muscles. But I think it's a good indication that it's likely a great thing to add to your arsenal. Magnesium oil works much the same way that an Epsom salt bath would for an athlete. It absorbs into the body through the skin, providing therapeutic levels of magnesium while reviving tired, sore muscles after strenuous physical exertion. The oil makes it a convenient form to work with while applying to specific body parts. 

Don't take my word for it, but please, please, research, make your own opinion, and maybe give magnesium a try! Whether you think your horse might require a supplement, or maybe would benefit from the therapeutic effects that applying oil after hard work would offer. I'm not here to endorse or support any one product, brand, or idea. I'm here to simply tell you all what is or isn't working for me. After two uses, I really like the mag oil, and will continue to use my free sample until it's gone. Then, and only then, will I draw a conclusion as to whether or not I should order another bottle.