What hoof supplement ???

I use Pro Balance + (from Progressive Earth on ebay). It is very reasonably priced and a 3.6kg bag lasts me for about 4 months. It does a brilliant job on hooves imo.
 
The best one I have used is Hoof First, it is ruddy amazing. Have tried so many others and they just haven't made much difference, this one is seriously brilliant. I have even contacted them offering to be a case study for them as i couldn't believe the difference it made! And no i don't work for them :)
 
2nd pro balance+ / pro hoof or one of the Forage Plus balancers. They really are the best spec on the market. The only way you can do better imo is to have your grazing/forage analysed and a bespoke supplement made for you.
 
TwoStroke said:
2nd pro balance+ / pro hoof or one of the Forage Plus balancers. They really are the best spec on the market. The only way you can do better imo is to have your grazing/forage analysed and a bespoke supplement made for you.
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Is there much of a difference between the two?
 
ShadowFlame said:
Is there much of a difference between the two?
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The Forage Plus balancers are the highest spec mineral-wise. Pro Hoof also has good mineral levels and some extras such as yea sacc. Pro Balance + is the budget version; it still has good levels of minerals (better than any mainstream commercial supplement) but has fewer added extras.

Pro Balance tends to be fine for fairly straightforward horses without any gut issues. Pro Hoof is better for those horses who are a bit trickier. The Forage Plus summer/winter balancers are good for those who require higher levels of minerals. The Forage Plus Hoof Health balancers are imo the crème de la crème of balancers, with the high mineral levels but also some additional ingredients to support a more compromised horse.
 
TwoStroke said:
The Forage Plus balancers are the highest spec mineral-wise. Pro Hoof also has good mineral levels and some extras such as yea sacc. Pro Balance + is the budget version; it still has good levels of minerals (better than any mainstream commercial supplement) but has fewer added extras.

Pro Balance tends to be fine for fairly straightforward horses without any gut issues. Pro Hoof is better for those horses who are a bit trickier. The Forage Plus summer/winter balancers are good for those who require higher levels of minerals. The Forage Plus Hoof Health balancers are imo the crème de la crème of balancers, with the high mineral levels but also some additional ingredients to support a more compromised horse.
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Ahh. Thank you for that :) Debating hoof supplements myself at the minute, seems to be a bit of a minefield. Gut etc is fine, but a boost for his hooves wouldn't go amiss.
 
How do these compare to Formula4Feet? My mare has pretty poor hooves at the moment so I too have been doing some research, I went for Formula4Feet balancer feed in the end
 
Formula4Feet contains iron and manganese, which are usually in excess in UK grazing and so best avoided unless you have a grazing analysis showing you need extra.

The most important ingredients for hoof health in this country are those minerals which are usually most deficient in our grazing (because horses require a balanced diet for optimum hoof health and general health). Those are copper, zinc and magnesium.

F4F provides about 100mg of copper per day for the average 500kg horse, 5g of magnesium and 200mg of zinc.

Pro Balance + on the other hand provides 175mg of copper per day, 6g of magnesium and 525mg of zinc. The other balancers I mentioned provide levels equal to or greater than this.

It's worth noting imo that the Forage Plus balancers are produced by a company that provides and interprets grazing analyses, and are based on the average uk grazing. They're also the balancers highest in copper, zinc and magnesium...
 
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We took part in a trial for Science Supplements 4Feet. All I can say is ask them for the results..... Amazing!!! It uses a different form of Biotin than anything else out there and the horses absorb it easier. Not sure if the results are public yet but give them a bell and see.
 
Healthy horses manufacture their own biotin (and the other B vitamins) in the hind gut.

In fact all minerals are either water soluble, in which case they are produced in the horse's body, or fat soluble, in which case they are stored in the body in times of excess to be utilised when needed.

Minerals however can neither be produced in nor stored by the body; the horse must have a regular balanced intake in order to ensure optimum health. For this reason, when considering supplements it it wise imo to consider first the levels and ratios of minerals, as this is what will have the greatest effect on hoof health and over all well being.
 
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