Inside This Issue
Horses and Hygiene 1
Demystifying Chelation 2
Are All Chelates The Same? 3
The Dirtiest Item in The Stable 3
Chewing Vices 4

Are All Chelates The Same?

The important factor in efficacy of chelates is size. Molecular weight is measured in units called daltons. With chelates the ligands (or binding agents) may be very small (800 daltons) or very large (500,000 daltons), resulting in many sizes of chelates. A mineral plus a ligand equals a chelate. The largest chelates are generally the most stable, and also the most difficult to absorb. Ionic minerals absorbed through the intestine are chelated to the carrier proteins in at least two different instances.

Minerals prepared in this way are sometimes described as "pre-chelated," since any ionic mineral will be chelated once the intestinal membrane takes it up.

Small amino acids, especially glycine, are the best ligands for chelating minerals.

There are three reasons why this is true:

The small amino acids bypass the entire process of chelation by the intestine's own carrier proteins.

The small amino acids facilitate absorption by an entirely different pathway of intestinal absorption, skipping the intermediate steps which ionic minerals go through.

With small amino acids, the chelate will be at the most absorbable molecular weight for intestinal transfer: less than 1,500 daltons.

It has also been established beyond controversy that certain pairs of amino acids (dipeptides) are the easiest of all chelates to be absorbed, often easier than individual amino acids. Proteins are made of amino acids.

Normal digestion presumably breaks down proteins to their amino-acid building blocks so they can be absorbed, but a total breakdown is not always necessary.

It has long been known that many nutrient chains of two, three or even more amino acids may be absorbed just as easily as single amino acids.

Food-bound copper, vitamin C with hemoglobin molecule, and animal protein zinc are some examples of amino acids chelates that are easily absorbed intact.

(Source: Intestinal Absorption of Metal Ions, Chapter 7.)

“The largest chelates are generally the most stable, and also the most difficult to absorb.”
Chelation with respect to mineral supplements refers to a very specific type of chelation. The idea is to bind the mineral ion to ligands that will facilitate absorption of the mineral through the intestine into the bloodstream, bypassing the pathway used for ionic mineral absorption

The Dirtiest Item In The Stable - The Shiniest?

What is the dirtiest item in the stable? Surprisingly enough it could well be that beautifully cleaned shiny leather harness that you spend so much care on. Outwardly it looks immaculate but how many harmful organisms does it harbour?

Wax on wax on wax – very often without cleaning with an anti bacterial leather agent first! This is just what the bugs love!

Many waxes are based on natural organic substances and provide a great nutrition based environment for bacterial and fungal growth that can mean danger for your horse.

MediChem, the makers of high quality hospital disinfectants such as TriGene have produced two cleansers to combat this.

EquiGene Anti-bacterial Leather Cleaner is a blend of deep cleaning agents with tea tree oil and c o n d i t i o n e r s t o clean away old waxes which harbour germs on leather. It leaves leather ready to polish and condition and all surfaces germ free

EquiGene Anti-bacterial Leather protector is a cream containing a blend of natural oils and disinfectants to discourage bacterial and fungal growth on leather.

Readily absorbed into clean leather, leaving it soft and supple it protects against cracking from water and moisture damage.

All EquiGene products have been developed by MediChem’s specialised veterinary hygiene formulation chemists and are manufactured in the Kent, UK factory under the same strict quality assured conditions engaged for Medi- Chem’s hospital and dental products.

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