Lightning
Well-Known Member
Balancers are expensive but are they more cost effective than nuts and a vitamin supplement?
Personally I have cut my feed bills to pretty much nothing! I have 6 horses of varying ages, shapes, sizes and breeds. - Dartmoor, Friesian, Welsh, Warmblood xTB, Connemara.....
At the beginning of last year I had a very serious problem with my Connemara I had bought a few months before. He was losing weight RAPIDLY. The whole yard is on a regular worming program and all the usual health management routine stuff you would expect. He was on ad lib hay, but gradually not eating it, to he point of not eating hay at all. Different hays were tried, haylage, chaffs, etc. Advice from nutrition companies were sought, vets were involved (HUGE vet bill!!!), different feeds were tried (HUGE costs!), herbs, different pastures with natural herbs etc. Vets report was that all they could find were some bots.
I have pics taken a year apart with no difference in his body score. I was just a little more than slightly concerned to say the least... I was about to call in the vets again when someone suggested trying a supplement by Alltech - Life Force. At that point I had nothing to lose. Because he was so bad I took fresh pictures on starting the supplement. By the end of the first month I took more pictures and handed them round to friends to assess. I was finding it difficult to assess because I was desperate for improvement, and didn't want to talk myself into something that wasn't there etc. ALL of my friends noticed a difference. Not huge, but it was there (just). So the decision was made to keep on the supplement and not call the vet out...
I now have a Connemara pony that looks like a Connemara, not a hat rack. What I definitely noted for sure was his change in attitude. He was severely depressed and very quiet. He definitely perked up.
At the start of trying the supplement he was on: Equijewel, Oil Chaff, Fibrebeet, Conditioning cubes, (Tried balancer - he wouldn't eat it!) Pink Powder and probably some stuff I have forgotten.
Since then I have put all of my horses on it. It has shown improvement across a wide range of "niggles", from behavioural to general health. Even my sweet itch pony has shown a marked improvement on the supplement.
My total feed for 6 horses / ponies, in a range of different work, for a month, consists of 2 bags of Alfalfa and 1 bag of nuts (if they have their nuts balls as treats. )
So I guess in answer to your question, for me, an absolute resounding YES! Putting my guys on a supplement has taken the worry out of feeding for me. I know my guys are getting what they need in the quantity they need it. They all look and feel fab.
It costs me less than £5 a day for 6 horses in supplement.
The most that they have in feeds is 1 scoop of chaff (cos I'm soft... ) - for my Friesian.
The rest is ad-lib hay...
I've tried various balancers - TopSpec, Pink Powder, Haylage Balancer - and still had to feed nuts/mix alongside them even in summer.
Like CF I've switched to Alltech Lifeforce, and now feed nothing alongside it but chaff. The improvement in my horse since going on the Lifeforce is immeasurable.