Measure Me

The directions clearly state “Feed one scoop per day to a 1000-pound horse.”  Is it a barely full scoop, an exactly leveled scoop, or a heaping scoop? Kentucky Performance Products (KPP) uses carefully controlled scientific studies to pinpoint exact feeding recommendations for its products. These recommendations are passed on to the horseman in the form of feeding instructions. Feeding more or less is unadvised.

When dealing with quantities as minute as one ounce, mismeasurement can quickly result in too little or too much being fed. A heaping scoop can contain almost 25% more than the daily recommended amount. Some misguided owners will categorize this generosity under the familiar heading “if a little is good, a lot is better.” However, this thinking is flawed. Take biotin, for example. KPP’s hoof and coat supplement Ker-A-Form™ contains 20 mg of biotin per maintenance serving, the amount most beneficial to hoof health, according to researchers. Horses given more than 20 mg of biotin had no differences in rate or quality of hoof growth than those given 20 mg. Therefore, a heaping scoop of Ker-A-Form will do nothing to help your horse’s hooves and will only add further expense to your feeding program. Likewise, when too little is offered, the horse might not reap the full benefits of a given supplement.

Read the feeding instructions carefully on all new supplements and make sure your scoop is just a scoop and not a “scant scoop” or a “scoop plus.”