Feed Balancers

[ponydreamersmum]

what feed balancers, if any, do people use? I want to put the ponies onto them rather than 'hard feed' to ensure they are getting everything they need now and then top up with forage through the winter. Do they come in pellet/nut form or powder like supplements? Is the Top Spec definitely the best or are there cheaper ones that are as good? I dont really know anything about them so all advice would be much appreciated.

[zeldalithgow]

I don't use any, I have a yellow and a red Rockies vit/min lick in the field for them though, years back I tried Blue Chip with Prince - didn't noticed any difference in him so stopped as it was pretty £££

[fran]

i use top spec. its like little pellets and prob use a couple of handfuls a day at the mo. i have noticed a difference in sam but then again it could be all the schooling and physio etc so cant be sure. sarah uses this and will be able to tell you more about it than me. i tend to use it as treats a lot of the time.

karen

[harleydales]

I haven't used them either, they look a pricey option to me! I use the rockie vit/min blocks so they can supplement themselves.

[ponydreamersmum]

Do the Rockies provide everything they need then, I would obviously prefer to have them available than forking out for expensive feeds. I had never heard of them til I saw them mentioned on here a few weeks ago but Ive just looked and my local supplier does them so I will give them a go. Is it best to have both yellow and red?

[kermie]

I use TopSpec - it's the one with the best breakdown of vitamins and minerals.

I don't think there are any licks that contain all that is needed and I've also read that it's not true that horses supplement themselves as necessary - they're like us and they eat it cos they like it!

TopSpec isn't THAT expensive. I feed 8 on it and a bag lasts me more than a month - I do feed alfa-a and sugar beet in the winter too, but if you look at other complete feeds, I think TopSpec is very cost effective.

I took my lot off it a year or so ago, but after about 6 months I put them back on it as they weren't quite looking right.

Edited to add that if your horse has no health/weight issues, you can feed TopSpec at half the recommended rate.

[ponydreamersmum]

I was considering feeding alfalfa and sugar beet in winter with the balancer. I had looked at the price and figured that whilst it is pricey compared to other 'feeds' I wouldnt have to feed much else and so it probably would balance out. If I can get away without having to buy anything expensive I will but I do worry that the ponies are not getting enough nutrients from the grazing, lot of grass but poor quality and I wouldnt want it rich because of Eeyore being on the 'heavy' side and possible lami risk. What sort of amounts do you have to feed Kermie?

[kermie]

ponydreamersmum said:

What sort of amounts do you have to feed Kermie?

The recommended amount is 1 gm per kg of weight, so you can "officially" feed half of that. I feed even less - probably half of that again.

My 2 year old Fell started eating TopSpec when she was 3 days old - she looks MUCH more mature than her cousin whom I bought as a weanling.

[harveydales]

I also feed Topspec but at half measures so 1 bag lasts me around 5 weeks for 3 ponies. I don't feed hard feed which is why I've gone for a feed balancer. It is expensive but would cost even more if I fed the required amount of nuts or mix to give the vitamins/minerals they supposedly need. I doubt Harvey needs the Topspec but I feel old Winnie (32) does and Quest (24YO laminitic) definately does better on it than anything else I've tried.

[juliansteve]

I've just rang Top Spec today - we fed Zoey and Cobweb Anti Lam at the beginning of the year and I'm going to give them the Comprehensive over the winter. I'm really interested to read you dont need to feed the full amount to get good results. We have rubbish grass though so I'm a bit wary about not giving them the full ration. To be honest its still cheaper than feeding the full amount of hore and pony cubes.

[kermie]

juliansteve said:

We have rubbish grass though so I'm a bit wary about not giving them the full ration. To be honest its still cheaper than feeding the full amount of hore and pony cubes.

I have pretty poor grass too - but I'm grateful for that given that my Fells would probably look like the side of a house on normal grass! Nicola Tyler will freely advise you can feed half the recommended amount, but I'm not sure if that is advisable for anything other than the original TS balancer.

I thought about feeding the anti lam one, but then opted for the original at half ration instead.

[juliansteve]

Thanks I'm going to do that. It will save quite a bit of money and its pointless feeding the full amount when you dont have to.Youre right about being grateful for rubbish grass! I've not worried at all about Cobweb or Zoey and they both look great on it! LOL!

[harleydales]

Re Rockies, you can offer any or all of them!! I use the yellow ones as the sdheep and horses graze together and the red ones aren't good for sheep.

Do they supply everything they need? Put it this way, it's all H gets (plus leisure mix,chop, a bit of beet and some oil) and he does 30 mile rides on it, so he can't be lacking much!!

[flintfootfilly]

I tend to feed topspec more as food rewards than as a feed, so each pony gets well less than the daily amount recommended as a balancer. I only up the amount if I think for any reason any pony looks a bit undernourished (doesn't happen often!!!). I opted for topspec rather than blue chip as topspec appeared more open about exactly what they were putting in their balancer. During winter, I opt mainly for sugarbeet/alfalfa/instant linseed from Simple System for a topup feed.

Sarah

[ponydreamersmum]

thanks all, that is really helpful and has given us something to think about