Balancer suggestions

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maddielove

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Hopefully now coming to the end of box rest and looking to overhaul what I am currently feeding for a multitude of reasons

Previously feeding equifeast coolcore balancer, pink mash, and thunderbrooks chaff, plus chia seeds and a probiotic

I'd like to look at feeding a balancer (preferrably a pelleted one, but not the be all and end all) which includes a probiotic, bulked out with some sort of mash, soaked nuts of some sort maybe? I'm definitely going to be trying her on some Valerian too..

Trying to be as economical as possible after her running up massive bedding and vets bills!

Must be alfa and molasses free, had bad experience with thunderbrooks base mix as sent her loopy so none of that either.

Any suggestions gratefully received!
 
I think Equimins Advance Complete ticks your boxes. Really good balancer, but does smell strongly of brewers yeast, which some horses (or maybe just the one I tried really hard to feed it to) don't like.
 
I tried spillers lite but have seen much better results with top spec lite with my 2 older horses . Fantastic coats, hooves and general overall look
 
Another vote for TopSpec Lite (although admittedly I don't have to be careful about what I feed - so haven't checked for rogue ingredients)
 
Don't feed top spec - it's full of rubbish, as is everything Spillers. None of the good stuff is cheap - it's like wanting organic free range meat for Iceland prices! Best feed on the market barr none is Agrobs - better than simple systems and Thunderbrooks.
 
I liked agrobs unfortunately trying to get hold of it was a pain and inconsistent , if this company was better organised and you got your delivery when promised it would be great .
 
I also feed equimins advance - it comes in a pelleted balancer and you feed a tiny amount (2 scoops not much more than a table spoon for an 800kg Clydesdale in light work). I feed this with a handful of speedibeet, micronized linseed according to condition and oats according to workload. I try to feed molasses and alfalfa free as it makes him itchy and like the control feeding straights offers me.
This works out economically for me as the balancer is about 90p per day (I buy the 10kg tubs) then a bag of speedibeet every 2 months (about a tenner), a bag of linseed every 3 or 4 months (£22 ish) and oats about 3 times a year (£6).
 
I'm a big fan of bailey's balancers. Currently using the performance one on my mare in a decent amount of work and have used the lo-cal in the past. Always looked good on them
 
I have to admit, I have fed balancers like probalance and equivita for years but this summer I switched to spillers multibalancer as my horse refused to eat the powdered one when the grass came through, an I can honestly say that he's never looked better! He's shiney, got energy and his feet are great and never sore (barefoot). I always had problems getting him to build muscle before despite doing so much with him but now he's looking so much better
 
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Antw23uk said:
Im also looking for a balancer and now im even more confused, lol :)
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Don't be confused - just look at the ingredients. Avoid sugars/molasses and any cheap fillers. Most of the big name commercial ones are packed with the stuff. Disgraceful tgat they get away with it - they just have big budgets for marketing.
 
PoppyAnderson said:
Don't be confused - just look at the ingredients. Avoid sugars/molasses and any cheap fillers. Most of the big name commercial ones are packed with the stuff. Disgraceful tgat they get away with it - they just have big budgets for marketing.
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Can you give me some links to articles/information on balancer ingredients? I've used spillers for years and more recently moved to Topspec. Both of my horses have always looked great on them but if I can improve there feeding in any way I'm very interested to learn more.
 
I'd feed Agrobs through choice but supply is so unreliable. Mine didn't like Thunderbrooks at all so I'm currently feeding Spillers Lite balancer to the two natives. My Cushings pony won't eat it, so I am going to try the Equimins suggested above I think.
 
PoppyAnderson said:
Full of rubbish
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You know, I find comments like these really unhelpful. Pure opinion, no facts.

To give a (hopefully) more balanced picture:

Agrobs does great fibre feeds, but they don't do good balancers. The one balancer in their lineup ("Naturmineral") contains added iron and low copper levels, so not exactly a great mineral profile. It also contains apple syrup as part of the ingredients list. Imagine that! - a sugary by product, just like molasses! Apart from the occasional reports on poor customer service/long delays, I also question how great it is for the environment to import forage from the Alps when that's really something we can grow right here in the UK. I'd recommend a look at Dengie's meadow grass range, Thunderbrook's chaff, Halley's, Simple Systems etc. who all offer straight fibre products for some possible alternatives closer to home.

Not all by products are automatically "rubbish", and most horses have no problems eating cereals or molasses in small amounts. It's up to the owner to weigh the convenience of a pellet, the mineral profile and ingredients of the product with their horse's tolerance (or intolerance) for certain ingredients to choose the right product for them.
There are now plenty of no-filler powdered balancers on the market to be fed in a fibre feed, if that's the preferred option.

FWIW, I also feed Equimins, but the powdered version as my horse refused the pellets on taste grounds. My first choice for an alternative pellet would probably be Spillers Daily Balancer as the cheapest on the market at the moment (57p/day) without added iron. The mineral profile isn't optimal, but overall pretty similar to most of the other big (and more expensive) brands on the market.
 
im feeding pure fibre atm which is suiting my lot.
I fed a base like fast fibre plus pro balance before which was also fine but I found my horses weren't eating the fast fibre very well so I swapped. they clean the bucket now.
 
Mine has always done very well on Topspec. Used to feed the Lite one, now Senior Lite. Fed with either plain chopped straw chaff or hifi molasses free.

I see it no different to my cats - one of ours will only eat Whiskas pouches, the others have much "better" and much more expensive food. As long as they do well on it and are happy that's all that matters.

Horse is a very fussy eater (but very good doer) & won't eat any powdered balancers or any soaked feed. She like it dry and powder free and she is remarkably stubborn!
 
PoppyAnderson said:
Don't be confused - just look at the ingredients. Avoid sugars/molasses and any cheap fillers. Most of the big name commercial ones are packed with the stuff. Disgraceful tgat they get away with it - they just have big budgets for marketing.
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You don't actually have a clue do you!
You either work for Agrobs or you've been well and truly sold to! Did they agrobs people tell you all other brands are bad? Strange that.
 
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