D&H Suregrow for older horses

Glokky

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Hello everybody,
I have 2 horses in their teens, they are good doers and in light work at the moment.
We recently changed yard and I have been thinking about adding a supplement as I do not rate the hay too highly.
They are at the moment on soaked oats and crushed barley and hay. No grass at the mo since they are in the winter (read sand) paddocks during the day.
I was thinking of adding D&H Senior Balancer for the older one, in order to replace the joint supplement he is currently on.
For the other one, who is a good doer, I was searching for something to supplment mainly vit & mins. I remember reading that suregrow can be used as a balancer for older horses. I had a look at the specs and I think it could be a good and quite cheap solution. I was just wondering about how much to feed (he has 1kg oats and 1.5kg of barley)
Thanks
 

Glokky

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Thanks! How much did you feed?
I cannot find anywhere feeding guidelines when used as a balancer.
Would 100gr/100kg of bodyweight be too much considering the diet he is currently on?
 

honetpot

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I had all of mine on it at one time, as buying different balancers for youngstock and fatties was too expensive. I rang D&H and don't quote me it was a long time ago, I think it was feed 50% of the adult breeding rate, really it's not that much when you weigh it out, about a half a mug to a mug a day, so it's really cheap.
 

milliepops

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100g per 100kg bodyweight is the recommended rate for early pregnancy so I reckon that would be about right, considering you don't really need to adjust broodmares intake at that point.
 

sunleychops

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I've reports chunmin78

A nearly-zombie post, but personally I would no longer feed anything that included iron in any significant quantity, I always recommend the barefoot type supplements and balancers to my customers for that reason - Forageplus, Progressive Earth etc.

Why?
 

sunleychops

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There's a ton of info about it if you search. Iron toxicity is a much bigger danger, horses have plenty of iron in forage.


You can only really make sweeping statements like that if everything in the diet is analysed including grass and hay.

I've recommended Suregrow to plenty of people, even using PCHorse it never shows up any dangerous iron excesses.
 

windand rain

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I use it for my youngsters but have used it for all it is the cheapest balancer as I feed at half rate so a cup a day. Have tried others but this seems to be the best for ponies that are out 24/7 so getting a fair amount of natural minerals and vitamins.
 

sbloom

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TPO

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You can only really make sweeping statements like that if everything in the diet is analysed including grass and hay.

I've recommended Suregrow to plenty of people, even using PCHorse it never shows up any dangerous iron excesses.

Testing and results were collated for the majority of the UK. Generally speaking the UK is high in iron and low in copper and zinc. Iron also inhibits the uptake of copper so intensifies the issue.

Just because you've recommended something doesnt mean that you are factually, or scientifically, correct.

There is plenty of information available about iron and why there is a move away from added iron with a move towards no/low iron feeds and supps.

Spiller lite and lean is an example of a low iron commercial balancer so the "big" feed companies are responding to an increase in educated horse owners
 
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