Equimins and Forage Plus balancers

[palo1]

Please could someone tell me how to compare the specs of these two balancers (FP Summer hoof health and Equimins advance Complete specifically) as I find them really difficult to compare! I usually use FP but all our horses really struggle to accept the full amount and we also add in zinc and copper. If I could compare the two effectively I could work out what was what and whether it would be worth trying the Equimins pelleted balancer...Thanks for any help!!

 

[TPO]

Summoning the power of @Leo Walker !!

 

[palo1]

Summoning the power of @Leo Walker !!

Oh yes please!! I need those people with that scientific talent Hoping @Leo Walker can help me

 

[ester]

It's been ages since I have/I mostly was comparing to our forage profile but I don't mind doing so later.

Years ago I did point out to equimins that their spec on the website was different to what was on the tub, can't remember what I was doing to do so . The boss emailed me back on a weekend to say thanks lol

 

[palo1]

It's been ages since I have/I mostly was comparing to our forage profile but I don't mind doing so later.

Years ago I did point out to equimins that their spec on the website was different to what was on the tub, can't remember what I was doing to do so . The boss emailed me back on a weekend to say thanks lol

Thank you! I am a bit boggled because whilst I know they are considered similar, I have used the FP balancer for so long that I can't quite work out how to equivalate the spec of any others iykwim. Thank you so much if you have time to look at this Hoping I could potentially find a slightly cheaper, reasonable spec alternative for my good-doer mare who will eat anything and/or a more palatable alternative which I could add to for my slim, fussy whatsit!!

 

[ester]

It's definitely more palatable F is a fussy native! F stopped eating the pellets at one point but was then fine on the powder, been back on pellets for the last 4 years (at Mum's) fine.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I liked the equimins AC. Kia just stopped eating it as his cushings progressed.

I’m using equimins tip top now, didn’t try the Fp ones as I’d heard they were ant all that palatable

 

[palo1]

Yes, though I would be concerned that the reason the Equimins is so much more generally accepted is because it hasn't got enough of what we need in. Those are generally the elements that are unpalatable of course!!

 

[Polos Mum]

following with interest as just moving onto the Equimins pellets
They arrived with a leaflet and label strongly warning me how unpalatable they are and to introduce very slowly to avoid rejection.

 

[ponyparty]

My boy wouldn't touch Forage Plus. He would eat Equimins pellets quite happily though.

I bought a big tub of Advance Complete, and a respiratory tonic as he'd been coughing a bit, from Equimins on 20 May. Then on 22 May he was PTS. I hadn't even opened the box they were delivered in! I rang them today and they're collecting tomorrow, free of charge, and arranging a refund. Not sure if that's what they usually do or they're being extra kind because of me losing my horse but either way, fantastic customer service.

 

[ester]

Yes, though I would be concerned that the reason the Equimins is so much more generally accepted is because it hasn't got enough of what we need in. Those are generally the elements that are unpalatable of course!!

Nah, it pretty much fits quantity wise what I was hand mixing individual minerals for which took a lot of effort and more food than I would like to consume .

Good to hear they were so helpful PP.

PM I think everything is relative, they stink of banana to me.

 

[palo1]

Nah, it pretty much fits quantity wise what I was hand mixing individual minerals for which took a lot of effort and more food than I would like to consume .

Good to hear they were so helpful PP.

PM I think everything is relative, they stink of banana to me.

What do you need in your balancer esther? I am just trying to work out where Equimins sits really; I kind of want to review our feed plan but not head off on a wild goose chase as I need to keep to a similar spec as FP but ideally with either more copper and zinc included in the right ratio or far more palatable (and possibly cheaper!).

 

[ester]

I admit I forgot once I got home, doh! I have the what I need specs somewhere on the laptop. If I haven't got back to you by 8pm tomorrow shout at me.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I know when I needed barefoot gods they recommended equimins!!

 

[PSD]

I’m also interested to know as I’m torn between the two!

 

[ester]

Not forgotten will raid laptop when home but have in the meantime asked equimins to send me their full analysis as they are hiding it I don't think they've ever had the best website.

 

[PSD]

What’s the difference between the Equimins powder and pellets? Is it just the fact some won’t eat the pellets? I’ll be mixing with pink mash so thinking of getting the powder.

 

[ester]

Nothing constituently. F started to leave the pellets at one point so switched to powder, but the pellets are a small enough quantity that you can feed by hand if you don't want to give anything else.
They both smell of banana.

 

[PSD]

Nothing constituently. F started to leave the pellets at one point so switched to powder, but the pellets are a small enough quantity that you can feed by hand if you don't want to give anything else.
They both smell of banana.

thank you! I think I’ll get the powder to mix in with the mash then.

 

[palo1]

Not forgotten will raid laptop when home but have in the meantime asked equimins to send me their full analysis as they are hiding it I don't think they've ever had the best website.

Aw thank you for going to that trouble @ester !

 

[ester]

I have it if they haven't changed the formula since 2014 I'm such a loser!

 

[ester]

The loser returns, feel free to check workings, they like to complicate it by mixing up mg/kg and %

 

[PSD]

The loser returns, feel free to check workings, they like to complicate it by mixing up mg/kg and %

this is like another language to me ?

 

[ester]

So you only need the top table.
That tells you how many grams of each mineral is in a daily dose of each supplement (based on feeding a 500kg ish horse- which could be a bit less for the equimins but basically that is the size of 2 scoops )
and how much per day each one is.

 

[Leo Walker]

Hoping I could potentially find a slightly cheaper, reasonable spec alternative for my good-doer mare who will eat anything and/or a more palatable alternative which I could add to for my slim, fussy whatsit!!

Yup, that's equimins for me. Its been a long time since I compared, but FP is very expensive. Equimins is a cheaper, reasonable spec alternative. It costs me about £18 a month for a 500kg pony

 

[PSD]

So (I hope I’m right)

FP is more expensive and you have to feed more but you get more quantity of the different parts? Or is that simply because you’re feeding more?

 

[ester]

Yes so if you look at the last red column and the last blue column that gives you the absolute g/kg in the mix
But you can't compare them like that when FP recommended dose for 500kg is 300g and equimins is 60-80g (ish as they also include work level.

It does highlight what I say about equimins and magnesium though so that does need factoring in if either you have calcium rich forage (mine has always been) and/or you have a metabolic type horse.

I do hope that helps!

 

[PSD]

Yes so if you look at the last red column and the last blue column that gives you the absolute g/kg in the mix
But you can't compare them like that when FP recommended dose for 500kg is 300g and equimins is 60-80g (ish as they also include work level.

It does highlight what I say about equimins and magnesium though so that does need factoring in if either you have calcium rich forage (mine has always been) and/or you have a metabolic type horse.

I do hope that helps!

that’s fantastic thank you! I’ve just put my order in ? she loves the pink mash and grass nuts so I hope this also goes down a treat too

 

[palo1]

The loser returns, feel free to check workings, they like to complicate it by mixing up mg/kg and %

Thank you so much for this ester!! Hugely appreciated . I am struggling a bit though I am afraid as the info I have from my FP and Equimins seems different I currently use the FP Hoof and Skin health balancer and have been trying to compare with the Equimins Advance Complete which is what I think is here but I feed 100g a day for a 500kg horse (as advised on package and in feed plan) and that gives the following (I have missed a few things off here as was a rough compare!) :-

Mag - 12 g
Lysine - 10 g
Salt - 5 g
Phosphorus - 5g
Methionine - 3g
ZInc - 1200mg
Copper - 400mg
Iodine -2mg
Biotin - 30mg
Vit B1 - 100mg
Vit B6 - 100mg
Folic Acid - 20mg

The Equimins info I can find (for a daily dose for a 500kg horse) is really confusing as there seem to be various interpretations of copper and possibly zinc so I am lost again. I currently add a 10ml daily dose of copper and a 20ml daily dose of zinc as well as 10ml of Calcium Carbonate and extra mag to my 100g dose of FP. I am a bit too boggled by all the different measurements and varieties of copper to know what is what but I am really grateful to you for making the above comparison clear (it just doesn't look anything like my info lol!!) I would love to try the equimins and add in the extras that we need but no clue how to work those extras out now. God how I wish I had concentrated in science classes...

 

[ester]

It was the FP pellet I compared it to, partly as that's just what I picked
those are also equimins values from 2014 so might not be current. - I only had the minerals on the spreadsheet not the rest.
Before doing any more lets see if equimins get back to me and we can run it again (I did save the excel sheet )