Talk to me about balancers that the horse

newforest

newforest

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2008
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Licks as oppose to a powder or pellet.

Just curious how effective this is going to be and how much sugar is needed to bind it together.
Have things changed where the horse doesn't look like it's got a face full of black tar.
I recall something years ago that was so sweet, I think boredom breakers. But they were swimming in sugar.
 
Yes boredom breakers were lethal, full of sugar as far as I knew. We bought one for Joe when he was on long box rest, oh dear. I came home one lunch time to find him laid down in his stable with a crazed expression and a blue mouth. (The licky thing was blue!). He must have worked how to get it down in a short space of time. I suspect he bit it - hard!
I know over the years I have offered up various licks in the field and all bar one were ignored. And yes, the one with the molasses was the only one they liked!
Things will have come on though. Its a while since I bought anything like that. I was at the local feed merchants today and noticed they had quite a few in the horse section. I think they are quite expensive but they do last. Only thing is - what happens when it rains? Does the lick get damaged / washed away?
 
Most balancers now come as a pelleted "feed" so certainly not bound togeether with a load of molasses. If you're looking at things like Horselyx they may well have vits and mins included but they aren't balancers and I wouldn't rely on them to supply everything needed.
 
It's a real tough one.

Everything seems to have some variation of sugar or (for my lot) the dreaded alfalfa/lucerne.

For balancers for the lami-prone ones, I use ForagePlus Laminae Plus balancer - https://forageplus.co.uk/product/laminae-plus-horse-feed-balancer/ - costs an arm and a leg but has no dodgy fillers and crud in it.

(from their website).....
Key Features
  • Under 1% in sugar & starch.
  • 3,000iu of vitamin E per feed.
  • Matched to grass, hay & haylage.
  • Optimal levels of key minerals.
  • Ultra-low iron formulation.
  • Free from fillers or additives.
  • Formulated using our own analytical data.
Formulated for the most sensitive of horses. Suitable for those on box rest, restricted grazing or winter pasture.

Specially formulated using analytical data from the thousands of forage samples that we test.

Magnesium Oxide, Lysine, Salt, Mycosorb A+, Yea-sacc, Monosodium Phosphate, Methionine, Bioplex Zinc, Bioplex Copper, Selenium Yeast, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Biotin, Pyridoxine, Folic Acid, Vitamin D, Micronised Linseed.
 
I’m glad you asked as I’ve been thinking recently about a lick type vit/min for the little guys.

They don’t need a feed as such, they don’t need more calories and don’t need the extra protein in pelleted balancers. I’m not sure they get tons from the licks, but more than nothing I guess. They have a salt block already.

Most seem to have some molasses in as vits/mins alone are not palatable but many seem to have minimal now as people are more aware of feeding less sugar.

I got a herbilix ages ago, they weren’t gorging on it and it wasn’t heavily molassed but by half way through the 2nd bucket they gave up on it. I got a hublick a while back and Monkey just destroyed it on the 2nd day, smashed it and the bucket to smithereens! D&H used to do vit/min treats, they were ideal but they stopped making them.
 
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