If you couldn't get your forage analysed, what supplement would you give footy horse?

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Due to my horse having different hay sources and about 5 different fields it was recommended that forage analysis would be a bit pointless. She is footy on stoney tracks but ok on tarmac etc. What general mineral supplement would you try first? Have started feeding her healthy hoof so I can give her biotin and add a supplement soon, but previously she was fed nothing.
I have read about pro hoof on here, does anyone use it? I don't want to waste money as it seems expensive!
 
Also forgot to say, farrier said she doesn't need shoes on and also she has an old injury on her hoof which shoeing would interfere with. Basically she is fine except being footy. She has been this way since we got her and have boots for her front feet but getting very sick of them, especially when only needed for the stones!
 
I've been using Pro Hoof from Progressive Earth for about 8 weeks. My mare was crippled. But I actually think that in the past week she has shown a significant improvement.....but a couple of weeks ago I changed her from Fast Fibre to Rowan Barbary Solutions Mash, so not sure if related to feed supplement or diet of just the fact that the ground has hardened up in the field! It's supposed to get warm again this week where I am so the ground will turn to mush again. I'll be interested to see how her feet get on when the ground changes.
 
How long has it lasted you? I am feeding 2 horses how long would it last for do you reckon? Hope your horse gets better. :)
 
Hi, I do forage analysis and balance diets at www.supplements4horses.co.uk
In my experience the best thing you could feed now would be Formula 4 Feet. I feed to my old mare who has cushings and a touch of lami now and again and my vet cannot recommend it enough. It contains a huge amount of mins and vits to make up the short fall from your forage.
Let me know if I can help further.
Jeni :)
 
Jeni Ball said:
Hi, I do forage analysis and balance diets at www.supplements4horses.co.uk
In my experience the best thing you could feed now would be Formula 4 Feet. I feed to my old mare who has cushings and a touch of lami now and again and my vet cannot recommend it enough. It contains a huge amount of mins and vits to make up the short fall from your forage.
Let me know if I can help further.
Jeni :)
Click to expand...

Hi thanks,
I might get it analysed in summer if I can manage to use 1 field! I have bought pro hoof just now but if that doesn't work I'll try Formula 4 Feet thanks. :)
 
I cut out Speedibeet and any alfalfa based feeds when my gelding was footy in varying degrees over the last three years. The last six months since I changed he hasn't been footy at all apart from lately on this frozen ground.
I couldn't let him have any grass at all before but now he is on daily limited grazing.
Incidentally, I haven't gone for the Formula4Feet because that is very expensive and is bulked out with alfalfa and soya and has iron added which is not generally needed anywhere in the UK, in fact it has been said on this forum that there is generally an excess of iron. The calcium seems very high to me as well which I think causes other problems with absorption of other minerals.
I am just getting to the end of a tub of Pro Hoof but I had to introduce it very slowly to my very picky TB, but I am so happy to say he is up to full dose and no signs of him turning his nose up:). So this first tub will have lasted much longer than the next will but I will reduce the dose to maintenance which is half a scoop. You can work out how long it will last by the instructions for feeding according to the size of your horse and work load.
I have had Equimins Metabalance recommended to me which works out cheaper and apparently has comparable vits and mins to Pro Hoof so I'm going to take a look at that as an alternative. There is a post on here with the analysis if you wanted to look. It's not on the Equimins website yet so you have to order by phone.
 
muff747 said:
I cut out Speedibeet and any alfalfa based feeds when my gelding was footy in varying degrees over the last three years. The last six months since I changed he hasn't been footy at all apart from lately on this frozen ground.
I couldn't let him have any grass at all before but now he is on daily limited grazing.
Incidentally, I haven't gone for the Formula4Feet because that is very expensive and is bulked out with alfalfa and soya and has iron added which is not generally needed anywhere in the UK, in fact it has been said on this forum that there is generally an excess of iron. The calcium seems very high to me as well which I think causes other problems with absorption of other minerals.
I am just getting to the end of a tub of Pro Hoof but I had to introduce it very slowly to my very picky TB, but I am so happy to say he is up to full dose and no signs of him turning his nose up:). So this first tub will have lasted much longer than the next will but I will reduce the dose to maintenance which is half a scoop. You can work out how long it will last by the instructions for feeding according to the size of your horse and work load.
I have had Equimins Metabalance recommended to me which works out cheaper and apparently has comparable vits and mins to Pro Hoof so I'm going to take a look at that as an alternative. There is a post on here with the analysis if you wanted to look. It's not on the Equimins website yet so you have to order by phone.
Click to expand...

Ok thank you. I will see how I get on with the pro hoof, I hope it works! My other one is a tb who has had shoes off for winter so I'm going to see if he would manage without too as he isn't in much work! He could do with it anyway though as has bad hooves. :) I will check out the equimins too next time, thank you.
 
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