Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) measures the mineral and heavy metal content stored in your horse's mane. As the hair grows, minerals are deposited into the hair shaft, creating a record of your horse's physiology over time.

Because a single sample typically reflects approximately the previous 90 days of growth, HTMA provides a broader picture of long-term nutritional status, metabolic function, stress physiology, and mineral balance than tests that capture only a single moment in time.

Unlike blood, hair is metabolically inactive. Once minerals are incorporated into the hair, they remain there, creating what is essentially a physiological "time capsule." This allows us to evaluate patterns that may not be apparent through bloodwork alone.

HTMA is one tool among many. It is always interpreted alongside your horse's history, diet, management, and overall presentation to create practical, individualized recommendations.

HTMA and bloodwork answer different questions.

Bloodwork reflects what is circulating in your horse's bloodstream at the moment the sample is collected. It is an excellent tool for identifying acute illness, inflammation, infection, and many medical conditions that require veterinary diagnosis.

HTMA looks at a much longer window of time. Because minerals are stored in the hair as it grows, it helps us identify long-term physiological patterns, nutritional imbalances, chronic stress responses, and potential heavy metal accumulation that may not be evident in bloodwork.

One reason for this difference is that the body works very hard to keep blood mineral levels within a narrow range. If necessary, it will draw minerals from tissues and bone to maintain those levels. As a result, blood values can sometimes appear normal even when the body has been compensating for a longer-term imbalance.

No.

HTMA  should never replace veterinary care.

Instead, it is used alongside your horse's history, diet, and veterinary information to provide additional insight into physiological patterns.

One of the most valuable aspects of nutrition is its ability to support the body's capacity to adapt before challenges become more significant. While no feeding program can prevent every injury or illness, providing the horse with appropriate nutritional support creates a stronger foundation for movement, recovery, immune function, and overall resilience.

Sodium plays a central role in hydration, nerve function, muscle contraction, protein utilization, and maintaining normal cellular function. Because it supports so many fundamental physiological processes, it is one of the first things I evaluate when reviewing a horse's diet. Supporting these foundational functions can improve the body's capacity to adapt, making sodium one of the simplest and most impactful places to begin before considering more complex nutritional strategies. 

Not necessarily.

One of my goals is to simplify nutrition whenever possible.

Recommendations are based on your individual horse's needs rather than adding products for the sake of adding products.

I provide Foundational, Preferred, and Optimal recommendations whenever possible, allowing you to choose an option that aligns with your budget and comfort level while still supporting your horse's progress.

Once the laboratory receives your horse's hair sample, testing typically takes 10–14 business days. The laboratory I use is located here in Texas, which helps keep turnaround times consistent.

After I receive the laboratory results, I spend several days reviewing your horse's mineral patterns, evaluating the findings alongside their history and goals, and developing individualized nutrition and supplement recommendations.

Most owners can expect to receive their completed report and recommendations approximately three weeks after the laboratory receives the sample.

Because every report is personally interpreted and tailored to the individual horse, turnaround times may vary slightly depending on my current workload, but I'll keep you informed throughout the process.

Your report includes a copy of the lab results as well as an explanation of those results, individualized nutrition recommendations, supplement options when appropriate, and practical guidance for supporting your horse's long-term health and development.