Feed Balancers - advice

[LouiseS]

I have an old TB (26) who always drops some weight over winter but he has really not picked up so well this Spring. He is wormed and his teeth are done regularly. He is completely retired and does no work.

I asked the vet whether she would recommend using a feed balancer in addition to his other feed. She was pretty non-committal saying that some peple swore by them but others didn't notice any difference. She also more or less said he old - thats life!

I wondered what others experiences were with Blue Chip etc. before I shell out as it is quite expensive!

Thanks

Louise

 

[Lgd]

I found Equilibra better than Blue Chip and then found Fastrak which is even better (and cheaper), works out £25 for 3 months supply and my girls really bloomed on it, their coats are beautiful and I saw a difference in them within a week. I get it through my equine dentist's wife, not sure of other suppliers in the UK other than Egsport (sp?) at Hexham in Northumberland. If you are interested I will try and find out their number or the number of a supplier nearer to you.

 

[CarolineR]

You may be advised to speak to a nutrionist about your boy to see what they think.

We use Balanced Horse Feeds At Grass Mix for the TB whose 8 and is looking fantastic on it and has also regained his winter lost weight and condition. We find this very good as it contains all he needs and the pellets and mix are very paletable to him which is also a very important factor.

For the Cob whose 5 we use Top Spec again which is wonderful, and he looks great also.

The reason we have 2 is that the At Grass Mix is molassed slightly so not good for a greedy cob.

We have not got any experience with the older horses and I am not sure that Blue Chip will necessarily be a good idea for him as the horses we know on this have great coat and hoof condition but we have been told that it does not necessarily put weight back on.

There is a very good article about feeding an older horse in May's Horse magazine, these do appear quite frequently in all the horsey magazines so may be a good idea to contact them and aks for some back issued to be sent to you.

Good Luck and I hope all goes well, I'm dreading the time when my boys become old and we are trying to keep them in good condition as age ravages us all at some point.

 

[Lucy J]

blue chip worked well for my old horse when he was still in work, and my youngster is on it now, it does help them utilise their feed better. You could try a micronised feed such as micronised barley which is very fine and easy to eat but energy giving.

 

[Tina J]

I've used both Equilibra and Blue Chip on my TB. Liked both of them, didn't notice any difference except that fed at the recommended rates Equilibra lasted a bit longer, and was about three pounds cheaper to buy in the first place. So I now use Equilibra in the winter, as being better value. Both are expensive, but seem to last around a couple of months (about 10 weeks for Equilibra)

But I am interested in Fastrak Lgd. - anything that's good and even better value. If you find that phone number, or if they have a website, can you post it openly so that I can contact them to see if they have a supplier local to me. Thanks.

 

[ros]

Your vet has a point - old people and animals are often thin, but they can still be well in themselves and as long as your horse seems happy and active and his usual self then you probably needn't worry too much. However, you need to make sure he's getting all he needs from his feed, and it needs to be as easily digestible as possible. It certainly can't do any harm to try a feed balancer, and it would also be worth having a look around at special OAP feeds that are so readily available now (if you haven't already done so). And if you're really unsure, try phoning one or two feed manufacturers for their opinion.

 

[Lgd]

Tina - only just seen your post today. I will have a word with Debbie and get the supplier info from her and post it on the board.

 

[kerry Louise]

I have been wondering the same thing!
My part TB is 20 years old and very fit for his age, still able to jump 5ft easily and gallops whenever he gets the chance. He is a bit overweight, probably because I don't work him as hard as I should.

I have just bought a bag of Blue Chip Dynamic so will let you know how he goes on it. I wasn't sure if he really needed it but I want him to stay fit as he gets older so thought I'd give it a go.

By the way, when people have mentioned it lasts for 3 months etc, what size bag are we talking about? I've bought a 20kg bag so how long will that last? I have been advised to feed less than the amount recommended on the bag too.

I am also going to try him on Forever Freedom which is an Aloe Vera product suitable for humans and horses which delays ageing and aids joint suppleness etc, again quite expensive, it cost me about 25 pounds so I'll let you know how that goes too.

 

[Wally]

I have never found feeding anything other than hay/haylage and pony nuts or mix, beet and chaff to have any real difference.

I think the horse feed companies play on the fears of horse owners who want to do the best for thier animals, so they produce a high price high potency feed which 99% of pleasure animals do not need. High level competition is another story.

Ask any vet how much mal-nutrition he sees in horses, I don't mean starvation or lack of condition but true inbalances in vitamins and minerals, I bet very few ever see a lack like this. If a horse is getting adequate hay and access to a mineralised block to make good geographical shortages, (we have no copper or cobalt here) the odd hard feed, most horses will be fit and well.

My old horse is about 30 now, he's a bit pot bellied, sway backed and ribby now, but he's an old man and entitled. I would not expect a feed balancer to have effect on him at all.

 

[Mehitabel]

i can see your point wally, and none of the feed balancers we've tried have made any difference to horses in reasonable condition. but we have a 33 year old tb mare who went badly downhill a couple of winters ago, she got ribby and generally started looking old. we tried equilibra, although sceptical, as we didn't think she was going to make it through the winter. it started taking effect in a couple of weeks and after about 2 months she was looking better than she had in a few years. she's still on it and still looking very good.

 

[chev]

I do agree with Wally that most horses will do just as well without but I also feel there are "special" cases where feeds like Blue Chip are warranted. Wally's ponies are all "natives" and as such are designed to get what they need from the landscape; without meaning to sound derogatory, TBs are a "man-made" breed and do seem to do better with a bit of help, particularly as they get older. I'm sure Wally would be the first to admit that the average TB left to roam with no rugs and the same feed her ponies get in the Shetland winter would not do so well!

Have you tried talking to an equine nutritionist? Most feed companies offer a service of this kind. Its worth bearing in mind that a feed balancer is supposed to be just that - a supplement to balance a ration consisting mostly of straights, ie barley, oats etc. The majority of commercial feeds now are already "balanced" if fed at the recommended levels. It might be worth trying something like milk pellets instead - it sounds odd, but it worked wonders for an ld TB I used to know. Another good (cheaper) idea for weight gain is adding oil to the feed, good quality vegetable oils are best. They can do wonders for coat condition too.

This is not to say feeds like Blue Chip don't have their place - I've used them myself with good results on some ponies - it does depend on the individual horse.