Commercial Hair Analysis in Horses: A Tool to Assess Mineral Intake?
Authors: Wahl Lisa, Vervuert Ingrid
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Commercial Hair Analysis in Horses: Reliability Questions for Mineral Assessment Mineral supplementation decisions in equine practice increasingly rely on hair analysis as a non-invasive assessment tool, yet the validity of this approach under real-world conditions remains unclear. Wahl and Vervuert compared mineral analysis results from three commercial laboratories analysing mane hair samples from four maintenance horses, correlating these findings with calculated dietary mineral intake based on feedstuff analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Substantial inconsistency emerged across laboratories, with coefficients of variance ranging from 10% for selenium to 58% for iron, and critically, the same samples produced conflicting interpretations—two laboratories classified selenium status as inadequate despite intake exceeding requirements (1.83 mg/day against a requirement of 1.17–1.28 mg/day), whilst the third deemed it sufficient. These variations reflected both inter-laboratory differences in analytical results and divergent reference ranges used for interpretation, fundamentally undermining the reliability of hair mineral analysis as a decision-making tool. For equine professionals using hair analysis to guide supplementation strategies or diagnose suspected deficiencies, these findings suggest proceeding with considerable caution; standardisation between commercial laboratories and validation against functional biomarkers would be necessary before hair analysis can be confidently applied in clinical or nutritional practice.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Hair mineral analysis should not be used as a standalone tool for determining if horses have adequate mineral intake, due to inconsistent results between laboratories
- •If hair analysis is performed, results should be interpreted cautiously and ideally cross-referenced with dietary intake calculations and clinical assessment rather than relying on laboratory reference ranges alone
- •Consider alternative methods such as direct feed analysis and calculated nutrient intake when assessing mineral status in horses under your care
Key Findings
- •Hair mineral analysis results varied widely among three commercial laboratories, with coefficient of variance ranging from 10% (selenium) to 58% (iron)
- •Reference ranges for mineral status differed considerably between laboratories, leading to conflicting interpretations (e.g., selenium status classified as insufficient by 2 labs but adequate by 1)
- •High intervariation of results from the same sample suggests hair mineral analysis is not reliable for assessing mineral intake in horses