Feed Balancer Poll

[TGM]

I don't feed a balancer as all my horses are feed good quality haylage, Alfa-A and a vit/min supplement, with added veg oil if they need it. I therefore feel that they don't need a balancer because the high fibre diet means they don't need probiotics/prebiotics, they get all the vits/mins they need and their diet contains plenty of protein.

As I understand it (but am happy to be corrected), the original balancers were designed to be fed alongside hay to make up for the lack of protein and vit/mins in such a diet, without having to feed vast amounts of concentrates. However, these days they do seem to be marketed as a panacur for every problem under the sun! Having said that I am sure they are useful for many horses in certain circumstances but I don't believe that every horse needs them!

 

[Vicki1986]

Feeding baileys Lo-cal as when i first got her she was in poor condition yet is prone to wiehgt gain so i had to balance her diet carefully.

I consulted several feed help lines and my vet before making my decision of what to feed.

Now she looks excellent and is in show condition, her feet and coat are fabulous, and it gives a little something more to her feed as she is only allowed hifi as she is prone to weight gein.

Once i finish the bag [which will probably take me another 6months as she only has 1 cup/day!!] i doubt i will buy another.


Yes it is expensive compared to a bag of mix etc as someone has pointed out above but its last a hell of a lot longer ??

Baileys lo-cal i got for under £20 for the bag and so far its lasted me about 4-5 months and ive got half a bag left, so if it lasts for around 10 months thats 50p a month, which no i dont think is over priced.

 

[hussar]

Yes, my 16yo very good doer doesn't get much hard feed but does need vits/mins so gets Baileys Lo-Cal. My 7yo endurance horse gets Equilibra during the three days prior to and after competition to help digestion.

 

[star]

[ QUOTE ]
Baileys lo-cal i got for under £20 for the bag and so far its lasted me about 4-5 months and ive got half a bag left, so if it lasts for around 10 months thats 50p a month, which no i dont think is over priced.

[/ QUOTE ]

your maths is interesting lol! It would be £2 a month if a £20 bag lasted 10 months (£2 x 10 = £20)

 

[Vicki1986]

ooh haha sorry t'was early this morning and i am blonde!! still cheap tho

 

[Capriole]

i feed my old man (20) blue chip, he looks great, his feet are fab as are his muscle tone and coat, and it costs me about 50p a day, saves me spending it on chocolate

.

 

[idefixbis]

I feed D&H ultimate balancer. I was told by the feed help line that it would give my horse all the vitamins and minerals my horse needs and so remplace a vit and mineral supplement.
Otherwise he is fed a mix provided by the stables to which I add alpha A oil. He gets hay and haylage.

 

[amandaco2]

i do
i have a mare and foal
they are fed either blue chip or topspec mare and foal balancer or baileys stud balancer.they are good doers so alli want is some mineral and vitamins and protein really to counter any deficiencies.
definately dont need any more calories.whizzy enough and fat enough as it is, esp the mare!

 

[Seahorse]

I can see your point Tia, and this was in conjunction with lots of work, lunging and long reining mostly. This was my ex boyfriends horse and he has a very bad parrot mouth and was finding it hard to eat.
I have some great before and after pictures of him!

Although a horse out on good grass would put as much weight on as he did in a few weeks I'm sure, and you can't get any more natural than that

Sam x

 

[KateStartin]

have fed topspec and will again if needed. don't find it much difference in price to mix when it is fed at proper rates for vit/min intake 1 bag of mix lasts about 1 week. Topspec bag should last 5-6 weeks.

At the moment finding D&H performance concentrate fab for fat competition horse, £10 bag lasts about 3 weeks, if anyone can suggest a cheaper option i'm all ears!

 

[Lucy_Ally]

Ok, shoot me down in flames here but:

To whoever it was - a bag of feed open for 6 months will surely have gone stale?

If you are feeding a bag of mix a week I personally feel that that is far too much cereal for a horses diet, bearing in mind that I don't know what mix it is - but if high carbohydrate then IMO thats just a time-bomb in the hindgut. Horses are not designed to eat so much cereal and plenty of good quality roughage combined with small amounts of protein, carbohydrate and oils are enough for most competition horses (not talking racehorses here).

Sorry only my opinion, but it does amaze me what some horses are fed

Edit to say: I am not totally anti feed balancers, I just feel that they are not the cure all that people often think and that sensible feeding and sticking to tried and tested regimes are often beneficial for most horses.

 

[Doublethyme]

I feed Top Spec and love the stuff. As far as I am concerned it means my mare can get all the vits and mins she needs and protein without having to feed her loads of cereals. She is on Top Spec and a fibre diet and thrives on it.

Grazing/hay/haylage nowadays mostly don't have as much goodness in them as they did in the "old days" due to modern farming methods etc, so I feel they need a good vit and min mix. Fair enough though, if people have horses who can do very nicely on just a vit and min supplement and fibre - brilliant diet. My mare needs the extra protein though, particularly for her feet, so balancer it is for me.

As for price, whilst balancers are certainly more expensive than a vit and min supplement, as someone has said above, to get the equivalent protein/vit/min levels in more standard hard feeds, you will most certainly be spending more than the balancer will cost.

The reason people find them more expensive, is that most people just feed a small percentage of the recommended quantity of hard feed and that doesn't give the best levels of vits and mins for a horse. Having said that, many horses, like people, can cope and seem to do well with this, its just if you have ones that can't that the balancers are a god send.

 

[merlinsquest]

Top spec is good, i am lucky it hasnt affected his personality at all... I got my first bag as a giveaway from horsey mag!! and kept buying it. I find he only needs minimal hard feed now and makes the most of the ad lib hay. Grazing is c**p at our yard so not too much grass generally.

I just feel it takes the guesswork out of whether he is getting the right amount of vits and mins.... and i dont have money to chuck at the mo... Irap bill 1K fast approaching!!!!!!

 

[jcberry]

Top Spec

 

[brighteyes]

Top Spec Anti-Lam as ponio has Cushing's and needs supplementation of her essential vits, mins and so on. Didn't feed it until I read up on her 'condition', and took advice. Pony thriving and very perky now!