BALANCER OR NUTS/CHAFF ETC & SUPPLEMENT?

[EquestrianFairy]

Which do you prefer and why?

A Balancer (topspec, low cal)or A Vit/Min supplement? (Equiminns, NAF normally fed with pony nuts/chaff)

 

[lauraanddolly]

I've voted supplement, basically because i can keep her on the feed she loves, so I just add the vits and mins. plus I spend less this way than if she were being fed topspec or low cal.

 

[EquestrianFairy]

What do you feed her?

 

[pocket]

I use baileys low cal, my horse is a good doer and find that this is perfect for him, along with dengi hi fi light. I also add in biotin, garlic, codliver oil and cider vingar, this seems to keep him fit and a coat to die for

 

[Cop-Pop]

I use a broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement. I've always used it (poor grazing) and tbh the balancers are more expensive and don't last as long.

 

[TGM]

Depends on the horse and what else it is being fed. A vit/min supplement is usually just vit/mins in a small amount of base, whilst a balancer usually contains protein, probiotic/prebiotic and sometimes oil as well.

If a horse has plenty of protein in its diet - eg good quality grazing in the summer, or plenty of good quality haylage in the winter, and is a good doer, then I don't feel the extras in the balancer are really necessary.

If the horse is mainly on a diet of low quality hay, then a balancer will make up the protein deficit, and a poor doer may benefit from the probiotics/prebiotics/oil in a balancer.

 

[tabithakat64]

One of mine is on Baileys lo-cal, the other has access to a Dengie Stable lick.

 

[Hippona]

I feed veteran chaff and 15+ supplement which has vits/mins and joint supplement tailored for the veteran - and he looks and goes fantastic on it, really noticed a difference- used to feed Blue Chip which is great but pricey, and didn't have joint supplement in it

 

[Doublethyme]

I used to feed balancers and was a big fan, but after discovering that Top Spec was sending my barefoot mare into low grade laminitis all the time, I stopped and now feed a vit/min supplement, some hifibre nuts (or slow response if in work) and some herbal supplements and my horse is sound, looks better and happier! (so's my purse!)

If I was to feed a balancer again (I do like them for putting/keeping condition on in the winter), it would be Blue Chip or Lo Cal as to be fair, I have had really good results and been very pleased with Blue Chip in the past and Lo Cal seems to do the job well too.

 

[Tamski]

Have got one of mine on Baileys Lo cal balancer (cos she's a fatty) and the other on Benevit as he gets a normal feed

 

[Ebbo]

Balancer - even on full rations (most horses and ponies do well on half) it is cheaper than buying the chaff/nuts/mix/general purpose supplement.