Barefoot feed question. How does this supplement compare??

[Nickles1973]

As title really. I currently feed Pro balance+ but was discussing feeds with a friend this evening and she has been trialing these feeds. http://www.lexvetsupplements.com/purchasenow.asp

She has had good results with her 2 barefoot horses and I just wondered if it might suit my horse too. I can also buy these from a fairly local stockist and so avoid the postage costs I incur with the pro balance.
I'm no feed expert so I wondered if any of the barefoot taliban would cast their eyes over the ingredients list and let me (and others that might be interested) how these supplements compare with the recognised barefoot balancers.

 

[Nickles1973]

Bumping in case I can get any replies from weekend peeps! I have had a very interesting reply to my email to the company behind these supplements and I can post it once I get back from putting my boys to bed if anyone is interested.

 

[Leg_end]

Just had a quick look and it doesn't contain
Biotin
Methionine
Lysine

Which pro balance does. It's also got much higher copper, mag and zinc levels plus manganese. I'm not an expert but if I remember rightly UK grazing is higher in manganese so you may not want to OD on that... But as I said, I'm not an expert and so am happy to stand corrected

Pro balance is also LOADS cheaper

 

[MrsNorris]

It seems to have a lot of iron too, I would be a bit worried by that especially if your horse is IR.

 

[Nickles1973]

This is the reply I recieved from LexVet when I enquired about how the balancers would work for my horse and his feeding regime. I have emailed a link to the Pro Earth Ebay page and requested that they do a direct comparison and breakdown of how their product would indeed be better for my horse and better for my pocket. I have yet to hear from them. However a friend of mine has been using the Mineral Mix for about 7 weeks for her 2 horses and she has been really impressed with how her horses coats and hooves have improved.

Thank you for your email about your thoroughbred. Trying to keep all our horse’s nutritional requirements covered can leave you feeling a little like a ‘mad scientist’ at feed time and be expensive to boot. I’m confident we can help simplify feed time and probably save you money.



"Lexvet supplements were developed as one complete supplement suitable for all your horses and ponies. They contain macro and trace minerals, vitamins, salts and electrolytes in balanced ratios but have No fillers, energy or protein. You are absolutely right, the balance in equine nutrition is very important. If you feed too much of one ingredient it can hinder or stop the absorption of another ingredient. If you look at the brochure I have attached all the horses in the before and afters are from good homes with owners who care for them. In each case the addition of LexveT to the diet corrected any imbalances and provided the missing vitamins or minerals needed which resulted in improved condition, coat and hooves. Very often if the balance isn’t right or there is something missing horses don’t convert their feed efficiently and lack condition, have poor hooves and coat.



I would suggest swapping the Pro Balance , gut balancer, biotin and magnesium for Lexvet Mineral Mix Or B1 Cool Mix, which cuts 4 products into one. I searched Pro Balance + but was unable to find a composition listing. We are happy to do a comparison if you would like because there are some ingredients that other companies may include that we don’t such as Biotin. Did you know that a horse with a healthy, well functioning digestive system actually manufactures their own Biotin? Most studies on the effectiveness of biotin were carried out on racehorses who tend to have high grain diets and restricted access to hay and forage resulting in poor digestive systems. (I would need an emailed picture of the Pro Balance + composition to do a comparison.) I also suggest that you stop feeding the magnesium because Lexvet contains adequate levels of magnesium and was originally developed as a hoof supplement. If you require higher levels of magnesium try the B1 Cool Mix which is essentially the same as the Mineral Mix but has higher ratios of magnesium and Vitamin B1 which can also help with calming.



In a nutshell:

1. Adlib hay, haylage, chaff, forage or a combination of these.

2. Supplementation with vitamins and minerals - Lexvet Mineral Mix or B1 Cool mix. Either of these will replace the Pro Balance, Magnesium, gut balancer and biotin. Keep feeding the MSM as it is good for tendons, ligaments and joint health.

3. Supplement with a minimum amount of concentrates such as grains, pellets, pre-mixed feeds or micronized linseed and oils as your currently are.



With regard to price the 12kg and 22kg bags are the most economical way to buy LexveT, however the 5kg bucket will (depending on the size of your horse) give you at least 7 weeks to trial the products. We often suggest people take a photo on the day your start feeding LexveT and another 6-8 weeks later so you can really see the difference in condition, coat and hooves. Keep in mind that it takes around 12 months for a hoof to fully grow out but you will see improvement as the new hoof grows down after a few weeks on LexveT. Back to cost –

As a guide a 15-16 hh horse on 1 scoop per day will get 10-11 months out of the 22kg bag. The 22 kg Mineral Mix retails for £88.80 delivered to you the 22kg B1 Cool Mix is £94.80 delivered to you."