Balancer brands poll, please help 🙈

[dogatemysalad]

Spillers or Baileys, depending on the horse.

 

[Tiddlypom]

This. Except I don't buy 25kgs at a time but do love that it comes with chocolate.

There is an option for 'no chocolate' to in be included in your order. As if I'm going to tick that .

 

[little_critter]

I used to use GWF Equilibra and mine looked good on it. Then last year I had an independent nutritionist out and she recommends Spillers because they are better balanced. (Apparently most balancers are low in something, can’t remember what now)

 

[Jeni the dragon]

I've fed mine Top Spec for years. She's pretty much always been on reduced grazing so I wanted her to be getting something. Everyone else has been put on it when they arrive and they all look great!

 

[scats]

Oddly, Baileys lo cal balancer sends Millie really strange. She starts getting dangerously spooky and acting weirdly. Tried it twice, a year apart and both times within a few days she was acting the same way. Removed it from her diet and within a few days, she’s back to normal.
Interestingly, a bit of internet searching and she’s not the only one who has had this reaction.

I’ve taken to just using powdered vitamins now, in a handful of light chaff.

 

[Carrottom]

Forage plus hoof and skin for my tbs.

 

[HorsesRule2009]

Gain opticare.
Best value, been using it for years.

I put other as I also use the above.
This year his coat has been insane don't no whether its the balancer or the agnus castus I've added

 

[JoannaC]

Progressive Earth Pro balance, mine are good doers so just get it with a bit of fast fibre.

 

[PSD]

Feed mine blue chip native. However in winter I’ll be going back to equimins powder with some chaff and pink mash if I can get him to eat it

 

[palo1]

I have been trying to decide how really necessary it is to be honest but I'd feel alot better if I knew they were getting all of the vits etc they are supposed to have. There is an equine nutritionist (One of the very few truly genuinely qualified in nutrition) on FB who is very vocal about the fact that all horses should, at the very least, be having a vit/mineral supplement. In fairness none of these look terrible, all have decent feet etc but I feel they could look better and it would put my mind at rest that they were getting all they need.

And thanks for all of the other replies too. It's certainly given me some options to look through

I fed a balancer for years - particularly because of one sensitive horse; I generally used Forage Plus which is low iron. However, since moving house I haven't wanted to balance what I don't know (ie haven't had a grass analysis) and they are on nothing. All are looking splendid so I am not feeding a balancer. Maybe you really don't need one? If I do get twitchy I would go for the basic Progressive Earth one which doesn't have linseed but is generally balanced to UK deficiencies. I actually hate to think of how much money I have probably wasted on fancy bags of feed and balancer over the years but the current horses have been quite tricky and shown me that very often less is more/what you leave out is as important as what you put in.

 

[blitznbobs]

Mine get suregrow and im lazy so everyone gets the same with the exceptionnof the thin one who just gets a massive load of stud cubes so doesn’t need a balancer

 

[Griffin]

I have used different Spillers balancers for years with different horses with good results.

 

[AntiPuck]

I've been using Feedmark Slim Aid pelleted balancer, as the powdered balancer they do had to be fed in huge quantities due to the size of my horse - she doesn't really like it, though, so has to be well mixed in with something tasty

 

[windswoo]

Use Heygates, but don't give anywhere near the amount recommended because I'm just feeding it to give horse her Inflacam, but had no issues and relatively cheap.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I've mentioned it a few times on here already but I use GWF's one cup. I have also fed their equilibria too but at the moment my horse is looking and doing well on the one cup so I've kept him on it.

This is what I’m using. It’s very cost affective especially if you go to viovet and buy 3 at a time. (Cheapest I’ve found and free post over a certain amount)

 

[EventingMum]

When we had our eventers I changed them from Top Spec to Equine Answers 365 and there was no difference in them that I could see. Since then I have used it for anything I have on a balancer, it's definitely cost effective.

 

[ozpoz]

Ive gone back to using GWF Equilibra because I like the no soya, no alfalfa, gm free. Horse loves it, and looks very well and is as level headed as he can be. It doesn’t look the same as the original Equilibra which I think was the first feed balancer on the market yonks ago.

 

[Orangehorse]

Progressive Earth Pro Balance, have been using it for years. You get just the minerals and vitamins, no fillers.

But I've used several Balancers over the years and have always been pleased with the results. Sometimes it is just availability that is the issue.

 

[marmalade76]

I'm losing my mind slightly trying to decide on a decent but cost friendly balancer for 3 horses and a Shitland, all are good doers and all are in 0 - light work.
The problem is that I'm easily bamboozled by different brands and wondered what the most popular brand people trust is?? Or am open to suggestions?

Heygates is the best value balancer I've found, a 20kg sack for £20 odd.

 

[maisie06]

I'm losing my mind slightly trying to decide on a decent but cost friendly balancer for 3 horses and a Shitland, all are good doers and all are in 0 - light work.
The problem is that I'm easily bamboozled by different brands and wondered what the most popular brand people trust is?? Or am open to suggestions?

I used to use Heygates equibalance - decent spec fraction of the price of main brands, my natives looked great on it!

 

[Jenko109]

Used Blue Chip on a ropey youngster and dont think it made a shred of difference. He picked up properly when the spring grass came in.

I like Metaslim for native ponies that are on restricted grazing.

 

[SmartieBean09]

Baileys and Spillers sent my girl loopy. We’ve settled on D&H Go Lite.

Have used Saracen and Top Spec in the past and also recommend.

 

[HappyHackerK8]

I’ve just gone back to Progressive Earth after not feeding any balancer for awhile. Tried Equimins powder once and neither of mine would eat it.

These are the two that from what I’ve read on here over the years are the best bang for buck and have no fillers.

My last order from Pro-Earth arrived very quickly.

Did you notice a change in energy levels? I’ve a super good doer but want to give her what she needs now she is a bit older - Naf in the pink sounds perfect, although as she is a chestnut mare the last thing we need is the “extra spark” it mentions…just wondering if you noticed any difference?

 

[Jambarissa]

I am not really convinced about balancers. I've fed them and not fed them and never really seen a difference. If I identify a condition I tend to feed herbs and do usually see an improvement.

Despite not being convinced I often do go through a phase of feeding them, just in case. Bit of research and I go for one of :

Forage plus
Equimins
Equivita

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

Did you notice a change in energy levels? I’ve a super good doer but want to give her what she needs now she is a bit older - Naf in the pink sounds perfect, although as she is a chestnut mare the last thing we need is the “extra spark” it mentions…just wondering if you noticed any difference?

I can’t say I noticed anything energy wise. I’ve always fed for optimum safe riding so nothing that makes them more spooky or silly.

 

[paddi22]

agrobs balancer is very good ingredients wise and cost per feed wise. the best one I found ingredients/cost wise was https://bryanequine.com/special-vitamin-mineral-supplement/

 

[lynz88]

I've just switched from FP Hoof and Skin to trying Equilibra. I may try adding fhe Farriers Aid in addition if needed and trying to reduce ior remove altogether some other bits and bobs Ive been supplementing. Mine is a horse where a balancer makes a huge difference. I really like FP and will default back to it if I have to as it cleared up soft chalky soles and loss of pigmentation but not to the degree I would like for the cost. I could alwaya tell when he ran out and the yard staff forgot to tell me to bring more because his soles in particular would start crumbling away almost immediately. It's far far too soon to tell anything but I did notice that the little pink spots between his bumcheeks seems to have disappeared and tonight he did his fastest ever long line walk (I set my Garmin which counts speed and distance) and his slightly runny poo that for some reason he started getting recently looks more firm but he does look a bit tucked up (not sure if it's the colder weather as he will do that when it's colder).

I think like anything it's very horse specific and also I think condition specific - clay vs chalk; lots of grass/forage vs limited

 

[ApolloStorm]

Tried a few having done a basic content analysis none of the pelleted balancers were up to much!
Ones I’ve personally tried
Equimins AC - horse wasn’t a huge fan and needed a drizzle of molasses to eat and while he looked well enough in it I wasn’t 100% on it doing much

Progressive Earth - horse wouldn’t touch his feed with even a pinch of it in so never got to test it properly!

Science Supplements WellHorse Performance - so far the one I’ve stuck with - hooves and skin and muscles look good and he is happy to eat it with out any additions. Gives me a bit of peace of mind it has added MSM and glucosamine.

 

[HopOnTrot]

I’m a subscriber to “The Laminits Site” (highly recommend if you have one with it, membership is about a tenner a year and their advise and knowledge is second to none and independent) and they recommend Spillers Lite & Lean, I don’t want to screen shot their analysis spreadsheets as they’re in their subscription group but they’ve independently compared a range of balancers and that’s what they use and recommend: https://www.thelaminitissite.org/diet.html