vitamin/supplement / balancer ... what's the difference??

[tanyajade]

As above.. went to the feed store today for a supplement because I'm starting to soak my mares' hay for 24 hours. Upon asking for advice, I was bombarded with lots of ..well, advice. Some recommend supplements, some balancers...what's the difference??

 

[Cortez]

The fact that nobody seems to know the answer to this question seems to just about sum up the whole nonsense that is feeding nowadays! People feed stuff and have NO IDEA what it does; they just follow the herd/like the pretty packaging/swallow the sales talk whole.

A balancer is supposed to supply all the vits/mins that MAY be lacking in forage/grazing/straights. A supplement, nowadays, is supposed to add specific "stuff" so may be a vitamin/mineral, may be a herbal remedy (such as a calmer, for instance) that does something "targeted" (love that one!).

The difference? Not a lot really.....

 

[HBB]

You've hit the nail on the head Cortez. The amount of money wasted on Balancers, Supplements and fancy feeds, when they are not required. It is now become the norm to feed them, whether your horse/pony is deficient or not.

I've worked for many years with cattle. If there was a problem, then cattle would be blood sampled and/or forage/soil would be analysed. If they were deficient, then they would receive the appropriate mineral/vitamin mix that was needed.

OP, is there a reason for soaking your hay for 24hrs? Studies have revealed that there is hardly any "sugars" removed after 12hrs, all you will be left with is rank tasting/smelling hay.

This is a fantastic course to do, very informative and it's free. I would encourage anyone who is struggling with understanding how/when to feed their horse to do it....

https://www.coursera.org/course/equinenutrition