Conditioning feeds

[Smile21]

I’m looking for a possible change in diet for my daughters 15.3 IDxTB weighs just under 500kg and lacking a little condition, probably due to not great grazing as so wet. He has ad lib hay, always some left in the morning, isn’t greedy at all. He is currently fed TopSpec Comprehensive Balancer and top chop lite. I have spoken to TopSpec and they suggest some conditioning cubes and keep him on the same chaf and balancer but to be honest he has been on the balancer for 6 months and hasn’t thrived on it, and so thinking about a complete change. Spillers have recommended their Conditioning Fibre and Digest + Conditioning cubes, has anyone anyone feedback on these feeds, good or bad? Would he get all the vitamins, minerals, biotin within these feeds? Thank you very much

 

[paddi22]

top spec feed would have your bank balance in tatters with the amount of feed and extras they recommend.

we get underweight horses in a lot as rescues and the best feed we found was equerry condition mash. it's super stuff and puts great condition and shine on without fizz. I just add a biotin support to the ones that need it.

 

[Smile21]

top spec feed would have your bank balance in tatters with the amount of feed and extras they recommend.

we get underweight horses in a lot as rescues and the best feed we found was equerry condition mash. it's super stuff and puts great condition and shine on without fizz. I just add a biotin support to the ones that need it.

Yes their products seem to have gone up in price too, especially the balancer and I’m just not sure a balancer can be conditioning with the small amount fed and few calories it contains. Thanks you, will take a look at equerry.

 

[My equine life]

I used to feed top spec feeds but stopped as you can never find the ingredients anywhere which is suspicious to me. I would say chaff (maybe Alfa A if he does well on alfalfa as that’s conditioning) , pink mash or speedibeet or some kind of soaked fibre feed like that, linseed and a balancer to make sure he’s getting all his vits and mins and biotin ect. I would say the spillers or baileys balancers as you can actually read their ingredients! This is a cheaper way of conditioning and I think better than feeding mixes or nuts which quite often have too much sugar and make some horses stupid!

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

Balancers aren’t meant to add condition they mainly just add vits and mins to balance the feed mainly when you are only feeding small amounts of low nutritional feed below recommended levels usually due to having to keep weight off or to prevent unwanted behaviour. Two things I’d say is 1) we are not far off spring now and as soon as that grass gets going most horses balloon 2) you are currently feeding virtually nothing bucket feed wise so I don’t see the need to jump straight to a massively conditioning feed.

I’d probably just add some micronised linseed and some low energy plain nuts to his current ration and see if that helps unless you know he has particular sensitivities to any of the ingredients. My younger horse does very well on a mug of Pink Mash soaked which has linseed and pre and pro biotics in it and chaff plus balancer twice a day. I usually buy Pro-Earth pro-balance it it was out of stock when last looked. It’s one highly recommended by a lot of people on here. I bought Equimins as also highly recommended instead but they won’t eat it.

For weight gain in my 26yr old veteran I’ve found Equijewel brilliant added to his Saracen Releve, conditioning cubes and micronised linseed. I’m not worried about him having a bit of pep but I’d be wary of my younger horse having all that. ?.

 

[Smile21]

I used to feed top spec feeds but stopped as you can never find the ingredients anywhere which is suspicious to me. I would say chaff (maybe Alfa A if he does well on alfalfa as that’s conditioning) , pink mash or speedibeet or some kind of soaked fibre feed like that, linseed and a balancer to make sure he’s getting all his vits and mins and biotin ect. I would say the spillers or baileys balancers as you can actually read their ingredients! This is a cheaper way of conditioning and I think better than feeding mixes or nuts which quite often have too much sugar and make some horses stupid!

Thank you, he is fine with Alfalfa so I’ll look into that, I have looked at the Alfalfa A Oil and thought I might contact Dengie tomorrow.

 

[Smile21]

Balancers aren’t meant to add condition they mainly just add vits and mins to balance the feed mainly when you are only feeding small amounts of low nutritional feed below recommended levels usually due to having to keep weight off or to prevent unwanted behaviour. Two things I’d say is 1) we are not far off spring now and as soon as that grass gets going most horses balloon 2) you are currently feeding virtually nothing bucket feed wise so I don’t see the need to jump straight to a massively conditioning feed.

I’d probably just add some micronised linseed and some low energy plain nuts to his current ration and see if that helps unless you know he has particular sensitivities to any of the ingredients. My younger horse does very well on a mug of Pink Mash soaked which has linseed and pre and pro biotics in it and chaff plus balancer twice a day. I usually buy Pro-Earth pro-balance it it was out of stock when last looked. It’s one highly recommended by a lot of people on here. I bought Equimins as also highly recommended instead but they won’t eat it.

For weight gain in my 26yr old veteran I’ve found Equijewel brilliant added to his Saracen Releve, conditioning cubes and micronised linseed. I’m not worried about him having a bit of pep but I’d be wary of my younger horse having all that. ?.

Thank you very much, your right him not on a high calorie feed at the moment I don’t want to make a sudden change adding lots of conditioning feeds. I’m not familiar with Pink mash so I’ll look into that, what chaf do you feed along with your balancer and pink mash if you don’t mind me asking? I’ll take a look at the balancers you have mentioned.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

Thank you very much, your right him not on a high calorie feed at the moment I don’t want to make a sudden change adding lots of conditioning feeds. I’m not familiar with Pink mash so I’ll look into that, what chaf do you feed along with your balancer and pink mash if you don’t mind me asking? I’ll take a look at the balancers you have mentioned.

I use hi-fi molasses free.