Firehorse
Well-Known Member
as above really. if a pony has good grazing and chaff as bucket feed, do they need supplements?
are balancers/vit min supplements necessary?
- Thread starter Firehorse
- Start date
monkeybum13
Well-Known Member
Depend on what you call "good grazing" ie what soil type, How much grass, density etc
teddyt
Well-Known Member
Im not a fan of balancers, i think a broad spectrum vit/min supplement does the same job for a quarter of the price. Most of the balancers available ae heavily advertised, with full page adverts and glossy brochures. Who do you think pays for it?!
If the pony is in work, thin, on a restricted diet, young or old then i would feed a vit/min supplement. Otherwise i would give free access to a chelated mineral block, such as the 10k one from rockies.
If the pony is in work, thin, on a restricted diet, young or old then i would feed a vit/min supplement. Otherwise i would give free access to a chelated mineral block, such as the 10k one from rockies.
Orangehorse
Well-Known Member
I think it also depends on the extent of the grazing. If you are talking about several acres of short grass, but with a good variety of grasses, hedge row (horses are browers too), like sheep grazing or moorland, and with a wide choice, probably not.
If stuck in a smallish paddock that has been only grazed by horses for years, even though there is enough grass, then possibly yes.
There is also a theory that constant fertiliser use depletes the mineral status of the soil, I'm not sure if that is a proven fact or just an opion.
Still, I think we overdo the extras.
If stuck in a smallish paddock that has been only grazed by horses for years, even though there is enough grass, then possibly yes.
There is also a theory that constant fertiliser use depletes the mineral status of the soil, I'm not sure if that is a proven fact or just an opion.
Still, I think we overdo the extras.
Firehorse
Well-Known Member
balancers didnt exist when i first got into horses!!! just reading the dengie website, which says if feeding hi-fi, to feed a balancer for the vits & mins.
he's in light work, good condition, 13 yrs old. grazing is on chalk soil. they hve oodles of space and it is strip grazed in summer. haylage feed in winter, so no supplement necessary then?
he's in light work, good condition, 13 yrs old. grazing is on chalk soil. they hve oodles of space and it is strip grazed in summer. haylage feed in winter, so no supplement necessary then?
teddyt
Well-Known Member
I would give a chelated mineral block. Plus salt, either in feed or via a lick.
Louby
Well-Known Member
I agree, just how did they cope years ago. My pony got fed bran and oats when I was a kid and thrived off it!
Saying that I now feed a token feed during the summer (ours come in at night all year round and Im afraid to say I do feed Topspec in winter with his Hifi if he loses too much condition. He does get good quality haylage. This year however Im trying to now get some weight off him as he piled it on during the snow when they were in 24/7.
Saying that I now feed a token feed during the summer (ours come in at night all year round and Im afraid to say I do feed Topspec in winter with his Hifi if he loses too much condition. He does get good quality haylage. This year however Im trying to now get some weight off him as he piled it on during the snow when they were in 24/7.
Firehorse
Well-Known Member
lol! i think its very much the same with dogs. yrs ago all they got fed was table scraps and bones, now they hve the most ridiculous choice of food. i used to work for a dog food manufacturer, its all aimed at the owners, made to look and smell like human food to appeal to those who want to spend money! altho, interestingly, cancers in dogs hve hugely increased over the yrs since the introduction of complete foods. makes you think really. less is more i reckon. but it doesnt help when the feed manufacturers are trying to tell u otherwise to make u buy more and more.
CBFan
Well-Known Member
I don't like balancers - they are a bit OTT IMO but supplements are good if grazing is depleated and horse looks to be suffering because of it... I do think we overdo it with feeding - plenty of grass / hay is really sufficient...
Spyda
Well-Known Member
Personally I like balancers! So there!!!
But seriously, I rear youngstock and think having something 'complete' to feed like Bailey's Stud Balancer is a god send personally. I too used to mix my own youngstock feeds 20, 30 years ago from straights, milling by-products, sugar beet, limestone flour, peas, beans, etc... but it's a lot easier now with everything balanced in one bag: And my youngstock growing well and looking fabulous.
That said, I definitely wouldn't pay the prices they ask for the other types of balancers; those for mature working horses. To fork out £30 - £45 for a pelleted supplement every 4 - 6 weeks - no way. If I've a mature good doer which can't be fed recommended levels of mix or cubes, I feed something like Spiller's Happy Hoof! Cheaper and does the job just as well as an expensive balancer IMHO.
And I always use a good quality general vit/min supplement if the horses aren't receiving hard feed - even in summer when the grazing is good. I'd rather be safe than sorry.
But seriously, I rear youngstock and think having something 'complete' to feed like Bailey's Stud Balancer is a god send personally. I too used to mix my own youngstock feeds 20, 30 years ago from straights, milling by-products, sugar beet, limestone flour, peas, beans, etc... but it's a lot easier now with everything balanced in one bag: And my youngstock growing well and looking fabulous.
That said, I definitely wouldn't pay the prices they ask for the other types of balancers; those for mature working horses. To fork out £30 - £45 for a pelleted supplement every 4 - 6 weeks - no way. If I've a mature good doer which can't be fed recommended levels of mix or cubes, I feed something like Spiller's Happy Hoof! Cheaper and does the job just as well as an expensive balancer IMHO.
And I always use a good quality general vit/min supplement if the horses aren't receiving hard feed - even in summer when the grazing is good. I'd rather be safe than sorry.