So your horse’s supplement has zinc. Great. It also has copper? Perfect. Maybe even magnesium and calcium too — fantastic.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth no one tells you:

 If the ratios are wrong, your horse might absorb almost none of it.
And worse — some minerals can actually block others entirely, causing deficiencies even when they’re present in the diet. That’s why it’s not just about what’s in your supplement — it’s about how it’s balanced.

Let’s unpack what most feed companies don’t — and why Missy’s Bucket was formulated to fix this exact problem.

 The Science: Minerals Compete for Absorption

Your horse’s digestive system is pretty clever — but minerals behave like a pack of siblings fighting over one seat at the dinner table. Many of them use the same absorption pathways, which means they directly compete with each other in the gut.

If one is present in too high a concentration, it can outcompete or even block the absorption of others, leading to a deficiency of something that’s technically in the diet.

This is called mineral antagonism, and it’s one of the most common reasons why horse owners don’t see results from supplements — or worse, end up with new problems.

Real-World Examples of Imbalance

Let’s break down a few of the most common — and most misunderstood — mineral interactions:

 Zinc and Copper

• A typical horse in light work needs ~400 mg of zinc and ~100 mg of copper per day.
• That’s a 4:1 dietary requirement, but the ideal absorption ratio is around 3:1 zinc to copper.
•  If your supplement has too much zinc and not enough copper? You can accidentally cause a copper deficiency, even if copper is included.
• This can lead to coat issues, poor hoof quality, weakened connective tissues — and in young horses, even joint problems.

Iron, Copper and Zinc

• Too much iron (which is common in pasture and water in many regions) blocks both copper and zinc absorption.
•  This makes it even more important to not underdose copper and zinc — and to avoid adding more iron unless specifically recommended by a vet.

Magnesium and Calcium

• These two major minerals need to be kept in balance.
• Not enough magnesium leads to muscle twitching, tightness, and irritability.
• Too much calcium — especially from feeds like lucerne — can create a relative magnesium deficiency even if the numbers look fine on paper.
• A horse with a calcium-to-magnesium ratio that’s too high may show signs of tension, even if they’re getting enough magnesium in theory.
   

The Takeaway: It’s Not Just the Numbers — It’s the Ratios

This is why label reading doesn’t tell the whole story. A supplement can look “complete” at a glance, but still leave your horse struggling if:

• The minerals are out of balance
• The ratios are antagonistic
•  Or your horse’s forage is already throwing things off
  And that’s exactly what led to the formulation of Missy’s Bucket.
  
  

Why Missy’s Bucket Gets It Right

Missy’s Bucket wasn’t just built to “tick the boxes” of minimum requirements. It was developed from years of hay and pasture testing, reflecting real-world deficiencies and real-world imbalances in the average horse’s diet.

We focus on:

• ✔️ Correct therapeutic levels of each mineral
  ✔️ Carefully calculated ratios to support absorption, not block it
   ✔️ Targeting the minerals that are most commonly out of balance
   ✔️ Avoiding excesses that can create new problems

So your horse doesn’t just get “something” — they get something that works.
 

 Final Thought

• You can’t out-supplement bad ratios.
• And you can’t fix deficiencies by just “adding more.”
• Mineral nutrition is precision work — and potency + ratio is the combo that gets real results.
• "Most supplements ignore the ratios. Missy’s Bucket is built around them."