Vitamin & Mineral supplement suggestions..?

[Ashleigh_]

Hey everyone

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions of good vitamin and mineral supplements?

Ronnie cob is on a restricted diet even in winter (keeping his weight down is a never ending battle!) and doesn't get anywhere near as much nutrients as he should given his limited intake.

I normally supplement this with 'equivite original', in a handful of hifi lite, in the morning before turnout. It seems okay, but I wondered if anyone has any good experiences with any others and seen a difference in their horses coat/hooves/overall health?

I've heard global herbs is another good one?
Any suggestions/reviews, good or bad are most appreciated!

Thank you

 

[contestdancer]

D&H Equibites are very good and certainly stopped our wood chewers!

 

[noblesteed]

My good doer gets D&H equibites to supplement his sparrow's portion of chaff. They are little treats but contain everything they need. It tells you on the tub how many to feed. I put them in his bowl. My horse is a very picky eater and he turned his nose up at powdered supplements unless I give him a whole scoop of chaff - which is too much. He also has a mineral lick in his stable. He has done well this past year on that system, and is in good health - his coat is glossy, his feet are great, his eyes are bright and he has plenty of energy.

 

[Erin]

Pro-Hoof or Equimins Advance Complete Meta Balance - doesn't seem to be anything else on the market that comes close to these two.

 

[Supertrooper]

Used to use equivite for the shire x but now feed a scoop of fast fibre am and pm and this gives him all his vit/mins and is very low in calories but high in fibre so good for horses on restricted diets xx

 

[TigerTail]

I feed pro hoof.

The best way you could do it is have his forage tested then u only feed the minerals he is deficient in

 

[VioletStripe]

I was recommended D&H Equibites but my ultra-fussy good-doer wouldn't eat them xx

 

[Blacklist]

Hey everyone

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions of good vitamin and mineral supplements?

Ronnie cob is on a restricted diet even in winter (keeping his weight down is a never ending battle!) and doesn't get anywhere near as much nutrients as he should given his limited intake.

I normally supplement this with 'equivite original', in a handful of hifi lite, in the morning before turnout. It seems okay, but I wondered if anyone has any good experiences with any others and seen a difference in their horses coat/hooves/overall health?

I've heard global herbs is another good one?
Any suggestions/reviews, good or bad are most appreciated!

Thank you

Feedmark Benevit Advance

 

[itsonlyme]

Ditto Erin

 

[bex1984]

Equibites! Because they're not powdery as some supplements are, you don't need to add them to a feed, so perfect for good doers. You can even feed them as 'treats'.

They were recomended to me by D&H's top nurtitionist, who is a national specialist in laminitis and equine obesity - she suggested I feed them as part of a weight loss plan for my pony, so i'd be confident that they're low calorie.

 

[sam72431]

What about the horslyx? My horses have them in the summer when they are not being fed and they don't seem to gorge on them, I use d&h daily vits and mins in winter but it is a powder so may not be ideal for you..

 

[Dot2dot]

None of my horses would eat equibites. I use benefit advance from feedmark.

 

[Mare Stare]

I like those mineral block things that look like house bricks.

Can't think of the name.

 

[Kenzo]

Argo cod liver vit n min condiment, brilliant stuff, contains seaweed, spices,cod liver oil, good for the joints, a form of slow release energy, great for the coat, you can't fault it and its under eight pound a tub, horses look a nd feel fab on it, but introduce it in a small amounts as some horses will turn their noses up at it due to the smell.

 

[VixieTrix]

Hey everyone

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions of good vitamin and mineral supplements?

Ronnie cob is on a restricted diet even in winter (keeping his weight down is a never ending battle!) and doesn't get anywhere near as much nutrients as he should given his limited intake.

I normally supplement this with 'equivite original', in a handful of hifi lite, in the morning before turnout. It seems okay, but I wondered if anyone has any good experiences with any others and seen a difference in their horses coat/hooves/overall health?

I've heard global herbs is another good one?
Any suggestions/reviews, good or bad are most appreciated!

Thank you

Equivite is exactly what i was recommended for my chubber x

 

[Perissa]

Top Spec Comprehensive All In One

http://www.topspec.com/products/topspec-all-in-one/

 

[FairyLights]

I feed mine equimins.

 

[wizbit]

I used Global Herbs globalvite over the summer and it really improved my warmbloods hooves and coat. Also didn't fizz him up (as alot of the other vitamin/mineral supps do). He looked and acted really well on it. He is a (very) good doer so just had that in a handful of fast fibre to ensure he got everything he needed nutrient wise
Also the Topspec all in one is good.

 

[Oberon]

Hey everyone

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions of good vitamin and mineral supplements?

Ronnie cob is on a restricted diet even in winter (keeping his weight down is a never ending battle!) and doesn't get anywhere near as much nutrients as he should given his limited intake.

I normally supplement this with 'equivite original', in a handful of hifi lite, in the morning before turnout. It seems okay, but I wondered if anyone has any good experiences with any others and seen a difference in their horses coat/hooves/overall health?

I've heard global herbs is another good one?
Any suggestions/reviews, good or bad are most appreciated!

Thank you

Forage is the basic and most nutritious thing he will eat.

Forage, sunlight and his own internal bacteria and enzymes will provide everything he needs for maintenance to moderate work.

The trouble comes in when the horse is eating the same forage from the same fields which have been overgrazed and become unbalanced in minerals over time.

Apart from Vitamin E (which may be needed in elderly or IR horses) no other vitamins are proved to be needed if a horse can go out for 30 minutes a day. (Some studies suggest biotin - one of the B vitamins, MAY be beneficial).

What they do need is minerals (every cell in the body requires minerals to function). A trend seen in the UK (and US) is that forage is too high in iron and too low in copper and zinc. Some are also too high in calcium and phosphorous.

This means what low amounts of copper and zinc are present, don't get a chance of being absorbed because they are bullied by iron, calcium and phosphorous in the intestine
Copper and zinc are essential for tissue creation, insulin control, breathing...too many to list here! Obviously the lack of copper and zinc in the diet is interesting for a horse that struggles to deal with sugar when they play a role in insulin creation and control

Unfortunately almost all the vitamin and mineral supplements are too high in iron aswell!

There are currently two commercial supplements that have been created to try and bridge this gap;
Pro Hoof http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PRO-HOOF-...r_Equipment&hash=item415ecd69e0#ht_1466wt_952
and Equimins META Balance (order it from them via telephone as it's 'off the menu').

In winter I also recommend micronised linseed to replace the omega oils not present in the grass.

Anything else is just wasting your money IMO.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

I also feed Global Herbs Global Vite and find it very good.

Also it seems to last longer than the vitamin supplements I've previously used as only have to feed 1/2 a small blue scoop in am & pm feeds compared to a scoop of the other vitamins.