My horse has a fractured navicular bone and my trainer says it would benefit him if l gave him calcium.

Calcium – about 99% of the calcium(Ca) in the body is found in the bones & teeth, with
calcium constituting about 35% of equine bone. Calcium also plays an important role in various
functions within the body such as muscle contraction, the function of cell membranes, blood
coagulation & the regulation of many enzymes. Calcium homeostasis within the blood is
critical. The skeleton can serve as a readily available storage location for calcium besides
serving as structural support. Calcium carbonate, sulphate & oxide r common inorganic
forms of calcium. Free choice feeding of calcium supplements is not an effective means of
ensuring adequate intake. Calcium supplements should be mixed with grain or other palatable
materials to help ensure consumption. The portion of dietary calcium that is absorbed varies in
order to maintain normal calcium homeostasis. An absorption efficiency of 50 % is used for all
ages of horses. The true absorption efficiency can be as high as 70% with young horses but
appears to decline as a horse matures.
Factors affecting calcium absorption include concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, phytate
and oxalate in the diet. Increasing the dietary concentration of magnesium increases calcium
absorption, while the absorption efficiency of calcium decreases as phosphorus increases in the
diet due to the competitive nature of calcium & phosphorus absorption in the small intestine.

Actually, l am a registered nurse & l worked in orthopedics for many years. When bone is fractured, calcium supplements r never given unless the patient has a defieiency such as in osteoporosis. Excesses can lead to kidney stones & other problems, & do nothing to speed the healing of fractures. Be sure ur horse is on a well balanced diet, & do not give anything based on advice from anyone other than ur vet. l am assuming that ur trainer has not earned a medical degree, & probably should not be dispensing medical advice.