Stick with Pro hoof or try something else?

Amye

Amye

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So a few weeks ago I bought J Progressive Earth pro hoof supplement to replace the top spec as I wanted to go with a balancer better for him with less sugar and fillers. And i wanted something to help his hooves as they're not in the best condition.

He wasn't all that keen at first (I guess because he's lost his sugar) and still isn't as eagerly eating it as he was the top spec.

He used to polish off his tea in 10 minutes, now I have to leave it in with him and he eats it overnight. Sometimes he starts eating it then wanders over to his hay, sometimes he doesn't touch it while I'm there but when I come back in the morning it's gone (and bowl still upright in the same place so hasn't been tipped!).

I need to order a new pack of pro hoof if I'm going to carry on using it, but I'm wondering whether it would be worth trying something else (thinking equimins) as he's not eagerly eating it?

Any similar experiences/opinions? I've heard people say their horse won't touch pro hoof but in this case he is eating it eventually. I don't want to upset him by changing diet all the time but then I don't know if I should change to something he finds more palatable... :confused:
 
I would stick with it for now, one of my liveries moved onto Equimins recently and is not eating normally, a bit like yours she eats a bit then leaves it, as she lives out it is a pain to have to keep bringing her in later to finish it, so you may find changing doesn't help matters.
 
Yes BP that was another worry - that he might not eat what I change it to!

At the moment he gets it with Dengie good doer, which I was thinking of changing too as it is coated in molasses but didn't want to change everything at once, he only gets a handful mixed with the supplement.
 
Damp bran was they key to my lot eating their Forageplus minerals. Now they don't even notice when they are added to Equibeet and Ready Fibre Mash
 
I use Dengi Good Doer too to add Pro Balance, but a handful would not cut it, I use 2 double handfuls to hide minerals.
 
If he is actually eating it I would stick with it. It took Frank a good while to deal with the lack of sugar in his life. I let him have a grass chaff which helped (previously using fast fibre or speedibeet), then I tried agrobs which helps even more! I do use the equimins now but add magnesium on top. At one point he stopped eating the pellets so went on the powder. Mum feeds hers the pellets and when he went back to hers he decided they were ok again!

(He's old, so he has earned a little right to be fussy now ;) )
 
Good on you for making the change. Like you say, it can take them a while to come round to eating a no sugar diet!! Stick with it. My new pony is very sniffy about her new food and supplements (Agrobs and equimins) but ive found something she's wolfing down - Thunderbrooks hay nuts. I've used a few 'normal' nuts mixed in to help her transition, which I'm ded against doing, as I won't touch most food with a barge pole but I only did it for a week or so to help her make the change. It's like hiding vegetables in a child's pizza I think!
 
Brilliant thanks all for your answers! I think i'll stick with the pro hoof as he is eating it just takes him longer then usual. It's not a problem really as he's in overnight ATM (as all his pals come in) so I just leave it in with him.

I might look into switching the good doer onto something more tasty - I'll see if I can get some samples of what's been suggested :)
 
I feed the straight minerals so make up my own version and the reality is the raw ingredients do not taste very nice - zinc is apparently especially evil.

So the really high spec ones that have high levels of minerals with no fillers to disguise, they are not going to taste nice.

Key is finding your own thing to disguise the taste, for me it was the Agrobs Musli.
 
My fussy one will only it her forageplus balancer when it's mixed with half a cup of fast fibre and half a cup of Dengie grass pellets (both soaked), fast fibre on it's own and she turns her nose up! My other one would probably eat the supplement neat, as she's so unfussy....and she's not the fat one!
 
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