balancers are they good value for money?

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cellie

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I stopped using topspec because of the cost but have just realised it might be false economy.If Im paying out for joint supplements and hoof supplements plus feed maybe top spec is good value.
At about £38 per bag its about £1.10 per day .Hard feed doesnt last that long with greedy tb maybe 2 weeks at £12 per bag .I need to have rethink.Has anyone else worked feed prices out.
 
I feed my 2 horses the suggested amount of top spec complete. I pay £35 a bag, which lasts 3 weeks. So that's about £5 each a week. They have no other supplements except cortaflex for the old boy. Before this I was feeding conditioning cubes as well as high fibre cubes (which are provided as part of my livery charge), £10 a bag for the conditioning cubes which lasted a week. Now they just have a scoop of the the high fibre cubes and the top spec (plus a scoop of chaff which hasn't changed) - so the cost is about the same. They both look and feel really well so I'm happy with the balancer and it works out about the same price.
 
I used to use Blue Chip but the spiralling cost of that made me review what I was feeding my 2 horses. I changed to Baileys No 14 Lo Cal Balancer as part of the new feeding regime & they are looking extremely well on it. At about £14 a bag cheaper it's well worth considering.
 
I fed Bailey's Lo Cal balancer with oats for quite some time, until my stockist ran out - and then I just bought a normal bag of pasture mix and fed with mollichaff, sugarbeet and black oil sunflower seeds - to be honest, I haven't noticed any difference, she looks just as good now as she did on the balancer and her hooves are exactly the same.
 
Ours are on Top Spec Anti Lam and do really well on it. I think it's great value for money as they have the most comprehensive vits and mins compared to the other balancers.
 
I think it depends on the specification of the product and the individual horse. Balancers became very fashionable, and still are, because they simplify the feeding process. For many people this is great because feeding can be complicated with the huge choice of feeds available. I was once told by a senior nutritionist that they produced a balancer because customers wanted one from that brand. She actually admitted they werent the be all and end all that people think but the pressure of running a business meant they had to do it. With some brands you are definately paying alot more for the marketing than the actual product.
I think you just need to work out what the costs/pros/cons are for your individual horse and see if it suits you and your horse.
 
I keep a spreadsheet of every penny I spend on my horse. (Don't ask).
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I know that in winter 2005/6 it cost me more to feed my smaller gelding than it has this winter to feed my mare, even though the costs of items themselves have gone up.
As they were similar horses in similar conditions, (barring this winter being yukkier!) the only thing I've done differently is switch from "traditional" feeding with a supplement, to using Top Spec Balancer.
I switched "against my better judgement" because my mare won't eat supplements, having always thought balancers were a bit faddy!
 
i use Topspec but only feed around 3/4 of recommended rate and horses all look fabulous- really saves on hard feed costs and gives me piece of mind
 
I have had to feed my veteran ALOT less hard feed since adding a topspec balancer. I think it was going straight through him! He keeps his condition much better now (posted a piccie of him yesterday) and his feet and knackered legs are in muck better nick. I really wouldn't ever feed him anything else now. On the other hand, with my 12yo mare it didn't make much difference and ended up being more expensive so i guess it depends on the horse.
 
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