Supplement - What Do You Use And Why?

[Elf On A Shelf]

Just being nosey really! I'm not a major fan of supplements. 3 of my oldies get Naff OAP Pink Powder but that's it.

What do you use and why?

 

[doodle]

Formula4feet and that's it. Self explanatory really. He gets a small amount of hifi molasses free with it.

 

[AppyLover]

Almost 5 year old nothing just feed and suregrow.

13 year old who has been having some problems recently is on MSM, Turmeric & Boswellia and it's worked wonders for her.

 

[Maybe?]

My sweet itch pony has the standard micronised linseed and brewers yeast which helps her somewhat, along with pro balance because our grazing is pretty poor and 50% of her diet is soaked hay as she's a very good doer.. My old retiree has relatively recently started to get micronised linseed, turmeric and pro balance now that I'm having to watch his diet more due to cushings.. there's notably better hoof growth, he's more energetic and playful and he's never been so shiny.

 

[KittenInTheTree]

Micronized linseed and salt. The unexpectedly in foal companion pony mare is currently getting Suregrow as well, to avoid her being pulled down by her foal.

 

[mynutmeg]

I use Hilton Herb's Gastrix as my mare tends towards ulcers. Currently because I'm a student and on an incredibly tight budget she only gets a tub when symptomatic and any symptoms dissapear within a few days of starting it. She generally goes months in between needing a tub. Once I'm qualified and actually have a proper income she'll just be in on it permenantly as a preventative. Much cheaper than omeprazole and very effective.
Have just started trying a joint supplement as well because we're doing a lot of miles on the roads so want to provide protection for her, also she's recently developed windgalls so wanted the MSM in to try and help support those (she's had a previous 50% lesion of her DDFT in a hind leg so I'm rather paranoid about legs)

Feed consists of Baileys performance balancer and their Eas&Excel for calories and energy as needed.

My usual way of testing out a new supplement (assuming for a problem and not just preventative) is to give one tub and then stop it. I usually notice more of a difference on stopping something than on starting it, presumably because the change can often be quite gradual when starting something new. If I see no difference when stopped then I don't use again.

 

[SO1]

Feedmark Biopro as he had a incident of gassy colic and was recommended that he go on a probiotic. Chose this one as it said horses on "Suitable for horses and ponies on a restricted grass intake" and he can't have too much grass as he gets fat so he either wearing is muzzle or in the paddock with less grass and then on hay at night.

He also has the Feedmark benevit advance which I got free when I ordered two biopro's so he now has that as well and probably will continue on it.

 

[Undecided]

Some are counting linseed so I'll add that. Have in the past fed a multitude of Tendon supps and Turmeric in a last ditch attempt to heal a tendon (not sure whether it was them or the 2 years off which did it!)

 

[Supertrooper]

I use.....

NAF general purpose vitamin & mineral

Global Herbs RigCalm

Global Herbs Hocks

I rate GH stuff and they've been very helpful when I've asked for advice. The RigCalm has def stopped the stallion behaviour and I think the joint supplement is helping ease his hock arthritis

 

[SEL]

Brace yourself:

PSSM mare - vitamin E, l-carnitine, l-glutamine, Thunderbrooks gut supplement, Equishure, veg oil, mag oxide.

Gelding - forage plus balancer, vitamin E, Alcar, mag oxide. He's been on a joint supplement but seems to be better off it than on it.

I prepare weekly supplements in advance and get covered in white powder. Always looks like I'm cooking up stuff a lot more interesting!

 

[chaps89]

Equimins advance complete for general vits and mins. Then a vet own brand gastric supplement after a bout of ulcers last year. Probiotics when the grass is too good as it currently is with all this damn rain. And natural rock salt. I have a thing about supplements being given for the sake of it and really hate it and now mine has multiple supplements not for the sake of it mind!

 

[Sparemare]

Nothing, but my old chap is stiff when he's stabled so think I need to sort out something to help him before winter comes on.

 

[Snowy Celandine]

Nothing except a tiny amount of feed balancer at the moment. I used to use Suppleaze Gold until mare started on Danilon (for arthritis) but I discontinued it as it made no difference whether she was on or off it.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Just being nosey really! I'm not a major fan of supplements. 3 of my oldies get Naff OAP Pink Powder but that's it.

What do you use and why?

Due to current conditions i am using way more supplements than normal

 

[MotherOfChickens]

salt in spring/summer-salt lick year round.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Forage Plus Hoof for DP, he has thin soles and is very footy without it. Not a supplement but dried mint because he likes the taste, magnesium, salt.

Bailey has Airways Extra, salt, glucosamine.

 

[DabDab]

Gelding has linseed, alcar and vit e (for pssm and general condition)

Mare has linseed, suregrow and salt (for general condition and because she attacks salt licks so I figure she's lacking)

They both have their respective bits in speedibeet, they used to have thunderbrooks chaff too, but little mare chucks it everywhere when there's chaff in it so I cut that out.

 

[cobsarefab]

Naf magic because she has spells where she becomes a nutter. Good hoof because our farrier told us to use it as hooves were chipping

 

[ozpoz]

I've gone back to Top Spec balancer as fussy beast will eat it with his turmeric, mixed with some agrobs aspero.

 

[milliepops]

Nothing other than salt/electrolytes when sweating freely.

Used to give Millie a joint supplement but decided it was more to my benefit than hers... has made absolutely no difference since stopping 18 months ago

 

[ycbm]

Salt
Limestone flour to balance phosphorous in bran that I feed
Selenium because we are low in it
Copper because we are too high in iron and manganese
Zinc to balance the copper
Brewer's yeast to settle the gut
Vitamin E and alcar for PSSM

 

[meleeka]

Yumove for stiffness and micronised linseed for skin health.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

My veteran has chaff and a balancer. He also has turmeric, linseed oil and Buteless for any joint issues. He has brewers yeast for gut, all year salt lick but add some electrolytes in hot weather.

 

[Theocat]

My name is Theocat and I am a supplement junky.

Brewers yeast for gut health / general wellbeing / flies in summer
Turmeric for mobility, and as a fingers-crossed preventative as she has a couple of tiny warts and I have seen turmeric have an excellent effect on those before
Magnesium
Selenavit-E as general vits and mins (dropped in winter when she gets a balancer, but she doesn't need balancer calories in summer!)
Nutri-quin for arthritis
Limestone flour - she bad reaction to bute and vet recommended an ulcer supplement (absolutely no other symptoms). As the extremely expensive recommendation was primarily calcium carbonate and Brewers yeast, I just added the CC.

I did buy mint to make it more palatable. She hates the mint but happily eats everything else!

 

[Wagtail]

Chaste berries for my hormonal mare. They all are fed on various Pure Feeds mixes depending on requirements. The mixes have a complete balancer included in them. One horse in his mid twenties is struggling to keep weight on and so he has a generous amount of micronised linseed in his feed which does the trick.

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

My mare who's in her early 20's gets micronised linseed, brewers yeast, turmeric, equimins flexijoint liquid, limestone flour and salt. She is noticeably stiffer when off the joint stuff and turmeric. The salt makes a massive difference to her head shaking. Not sure the limestone flour does anything, I had read it could help with head shaking, at 4 quid for a massive tub I'll just keep feeding it providing it's doing no harm!

 

[Auslander]

Alf has Science Supplements Flexability - it's the only one I've tried that has a marked effect on his stiffness, as in, I notice a difference when he's not having it. He's also test driving an "in development" anti-inflammatory supplement from SS.

I have a tub of SS ProKalm in the feedroom, which is used tactically. I like it because you don't have to load them to get the full effect.

He also has Equimins Advance Complete, which makes his coat bloom - so it must be doing him some good!

 

[Bav]

I've tried everything for my hormonal and sharp mare, particularly supplements in pure forms like agnus castus and valerian root etc as I was convinced it would be cheaper and easier as most branded supplements contain these anyways...

Unfortunately for my purse, it seems that Naf products agree with her (surprisingly) so she is on two feeds, each with Oestress and Magic in liquid form with a bit of garlic mixed in with a handful of molasses free hi-fi chaff and topspec low calorie balancer. I have found a noticeable difference since using the Oestress in particular with her girthiness when in season and she no longer squeals at me when I am riding xD

She's a good-doer and lives out overnight. I'm still surprised on my yard at the amount of happy hacker cobs that are fed large scoops of chaff and nuts!!

 

[splashgirl45]

my loan mare is now 20 and i feed glucosomine (owner wanted her kept on it) ,formula4feet (as her hoof quality got quite bad while it was so dry)and at the moment protexin as her droppings had gone like cow pats when the grass came through and she came in season. she is just on the maintenance dose now...

 

[rachk89]

Formula4feet
Rigcalm

I am tempted to put him on Equitop Myoplast for a while to help his back muscles grow on top of working him, but going to ask the vet tomorrow for her opinion. Just want to try and prevent the kissing spine from returning and for that, he needs to develop his back muscles which seems to be the only place where they dont develop.