Should I give my horses a Selenium supplement?

From what I have read, too much Selenium can be much worse then not enough. Does anyone give their horses a Selenium supplement? The horses all have a mineral block in their stall, and all of them eat it (although some more than others.)

We had another episode of colic a few days ago, and a friend had mentioned that maybe it has to do with a selenium deficiency. But from what I have read, if it has to do with selenium at all, colic would be cause from too much. Is that correct?

It was a very mild case of colic, a walk and some gas-ex fixed her right up. But it's only been about 7 weeks since Rain died from a bad episode of colic. Another contributing factor, is the mare that had colic most recently is Rain's full sister, so it could be genetic. The two of them also used to chew the walls in their stalls pretty badly too. So I am thinking it has more to do with genetics/ wood chewing then it does Selenium.

I am just looking for any information and opinions about selenium and horses. Thanks :)

I give my horses a selenium supplement per my vet. Get your soil checked. Your soil may have enough selenium in it to keep your horses at a healthy level. Michigan soil is very depleted so when my ex barrel horse had issues with tying up, my vet checked his levels and they were outrageously low.

I would discuss this with your vet. If you want, you can have them draw blood and do a test to sew what your horses Selenium Levels are.

I wouldn't give Selenium without having them tested for it. As you know, it can be toxic.

The colic, more than likely was caused due to other reasons, not due to Selenium. Horses digestive systems are designed and require consistant access to roughage. The roughage aids in keeping their systems regular and regulated.

Maine is historically low in Se however, if you feed fortified concentrates and offer a good mineral supplement (not a trace mineral salt block) your needs should be met.

Se deficiency does not cause colic.

What type of colic are you dealing with? It could be from bad hay, it could be from barometric preasure changes, it could be sand related. What type of soil do you have?

I do give my one of my horses sand clear each month because he is prone to sand colic. How are you feeding your horse? On the ground? In a stall? Etc.

If you want to do a sand check, take a couple poop balls and put them in a bucket of water. Wait about a half hour for them to dissolve and then slowly dump the water out to see if there is sediment at the bottom of the bucket...

Thank you, I've done the poop test. My mare that died was prone to sand colic, but we also give everyone psyllium once a month. The episode with colic most recently was with a mare that's never colicked before. Just trying to figure out whats going on...

Thanks everyone for your responses.

Why horses colic can drive the owner nuts trying to prevent it's reoccurance. The gut is about 28' long and once it leaves the stomach it is not attached to anything until the exit so it's basically floating. A horse needs to be moving around in order to help prevent gas colic. Twisted gut is wholly another matter and can just happen - completely unpredictable. When the gut twists blood circulation is strangled, gut fluids build up, horse is in agony and sweats profusely. Unfortunately, when the sweating stops, the hemoraging has begun and the horse finds relief from the pain but is bleeding internally.

The gut is far longer than you realise being about 70' long from stomach to anus and is suspended in the body cavity by bands of muscle.

Selenium levels need to be checked by your vet as overdosing can cause a lot of problems. If you are feeding any processed compound feeds then selenium is usually included.