Balancer/supplements - any recommendations?

cobwithattitude

cobwithattitude

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My horse is out for night and comes in late morning - she has hay whilst in but am concerned that having cut back hard feed she now needs a supplement (grazing not varied) - now either a) feed balancer or b) feed supplement mixed in small hard feed. She is in regular 6/7 day work per week - 45 mins in school or 1 to 1 1/2 hrs hacking. As grazing gets less good, i could continue on same regime. Any one got any good advice?! Thanks
 
I don't know if this help.

The Lo-Cal can be fed alongside reduced levels of other compound feeds to top up nutrient levels. Whatever the time of year, your horse will benefit from receiving a balanced diet – if your horse requires few, if any calories, because of reduced work load, or simply because he is a good doer, feeding Lo-Cal balancer to maintain nutrient levels without additional energy will help keep his body healthy. Balancing his diet will also help with his energy levels and because you will be boosting the protein in his diet you should see an improvement in his muscle tone and overall condition but not weight gain.
If you are using a traditional Stubbs scoop then he is probably receiving around 3 lbs of the Pasture Mix - you could top dress this amount of the mix with 2 mugs of the Lo-Cal and this will be the equivalent to 7 lbs of feed.

Alternatively if you feel that he may gain to much weight even on this reduced amount of Pasture Mix then you could put him just on the Lo-Cal. Not even very good grass will supply the full spectrum of nutrients at the levels required by the horse, so to ensure a balanced diet is provided (all the protein, vitamins and minerals he needs) the Lo-Cal can be fed as the sole concentrate ration. The Lo-Cal has been formulated when a low calorie feed is desired yet it will ensure a totally balanced diet is provided. Lo-Cal is a small, palatable nutrient dense pellet containing quality protein, vitamins and minerals which are essential to promote a healthy coat and hooves, maintain condition and maintenance of muscle. It is the protein in a horses diet that is essential to build muscle tone and top line, so the protein that the Lo-Cal will provide will help to build his muscle tone / definition but without the calories that his waistline doesn't need! The Lo-cal also has excellent levels of biotin, methionine, calcium and zinc all of which will also help to promote excellent hoof growth and repair. Formulated to be fed in small quantities, Lo-Cal balancer will provide essential nutrients, making sure that the good doer doesn’t miss out. If you feed the Lo-Cal on its own then he would need 3 mugs per day.

If you opt for the Lo-Cal on its own if you feel that you need extra sparkle then the Lo-Cal could then be fed alongside some oats. For good doers who need extra sparkle then we recommend feeding the Lo-Cal and some oats. This is the most effective way to generate more sparkle for the laid back good doer but without pilling on the pounds that their waistlines just don't need!

Straights such as oats are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, so straights must be fed alongside the Lo-Cal balancer. The Lo-Cal will provide all the essential nutrients and will balance out the deficiencies of the oats. The oats will provide an instant energy source which can be fed at whatever level is needed to generate more enthusiasm! You could start with a very small quantity - a handful and then this can be increased as necessary. On his days off or on the days where he isn't working as hard it is important, not to remove the oats totally, but to reduce the quantity right down to a handful - this way your not putting in any extra calories that he wont be able to burn off.
 
Thank you for the comprehensive answer to all my questions!
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You are obviously very good at equine nutrition! Off to find nearest feed stockist for stuff now.....
 
D&H Suregrow is fab. Have been informed by an 'expert' in the trade that it is the same as all other balancers but only £12 a bag! I do feed it to my brood mare's but also my retired pony and a Grade A SJ with great results.
 
Ditto for Low cal, Ralph is fed on it and he just won £10 as a runner up in there horse of the month competition......

So, cant plug it enough
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TopSpec, every single time. Call Nicola at TopSpec and she is very very good.

I'm always wary about Pasture Mix, sends everything I know into a ticking time bomb.
 

I'm another fan of TopSpec balancers. Fantastic stuff. All my TB's thrive on it year round with little more than the addition of decent hay.
 
I am not such a fan of lo-cal that I used to be. Although my horse looked very well on it, in the 6 months he has been on it the quality of his feet has deterorated badly and I now have him on a specialist hoof supplement. All the other horses at the yard have done well on lo-cal though. Previously I used equilibra and he had great hoof quality so I guess diferent products suit different horses
 
Love Topspec, and my horse looks fantastic on it. However, have been attracted by the cheaper £ by Lo-Cal, as my horse can be a bit of a fatty, but the main reason why i use a balancer is for his feet...so may well find myslef changing back to TS!!!
 
i use topspec comprehsive for all my 3.
15.2hh ISH 18yrs old lamanitic,very lively, can find it hard to keep enough weight on her.(fed with alfa a oil)
15.3hh 2yo WB filly- in good condition.fed with mix of alfa a oil and hifi
and a 16h 5yo coloured foreward going mare who is a good doer but looking good fed wiuth hifi alone.

i have used other suppliments- blue chip, baileys low cal, ultimate finish. all seem to do the same, just topspec seems to work out cheapest!until a few weeks ago the baby was on grow n win.
 
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