Feed balancer?

[mynutmeg]

I am going to be changing my mare's feed balancer in the next month or two. She's currently on the top spec stud balancer as she has a 4 month old foal but as he is weaned she won't need the same level of protein etc that she does at the moment, I've also noticed that she has some seperation on the white line so obviously want to get on top of that.
She's un-shod and certainly doesn't need shoes, was never shod even in full work. I do think that being out of work has contributed to her white line seperation as she's not out on the roads and mixed surfaces as she would normally be.

Apart from the feet thing (which is obviously important, and she is totally sound, no footiness at all) I've been pretty impressed with the top spec as she looks really good at the moment so I'm in two minds over whether to try the 'light' or anti-lam version (she's a good doer cob, never had lam tho) or whether to go for something totally different.

Suggestions please as to what you find good and why?

 

[flintfootfilly]

Personally, I would only give a balancer which contains organic selenium (aka selenium yeast or Selplex). I say this because it is only this which has addressed my gang's chronic dietary selenium deficiency. It took 4 to 5 months to make a significant difference to their muscle enzyme levels (which indicate muscle damage). 10 months on a balancer with inorganic selenium did not result in a sustained improvement.

Organic selenium is known to be more bioavailable than inorganic (sodium selenite).

Organic selenium is the form in which selenium occurs in grass/hay/haylage so is the "natural" form. It is required for muscle health as well as for good functioning of the immune system. In humans, selenium has been beneficial in cancer patients and HIV patients. It's really a remarkable mineral.

So, for me, my two favoured balancers at the moment are Blue Chip or Dengie Alfa A because of their organic selenium levels.

If you've ever had a forage analysis done, you'll know whether your selenium is low (anything less than 0.1mg/kg dry matter is deficient). It is estimated that around 70% of the UK is deficient, though there are some areas that are adequate.

Sarah