# Boswellia serrata amount to feed - confused!



## lucymay9701 (25 September 2013)

I'm currently feeding my mare the liquid version of pegasus nature bute but want to change onto the powder and have been looking around to try to find the cheapest source.  Whilst doing this I have found that the companies are advising different doseage amounts.  I was just wondering does anyone know if the strength of the boswellia can be different from company to company (I am only looking at the pure powder) or do you think its just differing opinions?  So feedmark recommend 15g for my size horse.  Natural animal supplies recommend 5-15g - but say 10g is usually a good maintenance dose for a 500kg horse (my mare is about 550kg so that would be 11g) and pegasus say to feed 20-30g for a 400 - 700kg horse so that would be about 25g for my mare.  The amounts therefore seem quite different and I am unsure if anyone knows the reason?  Of course if one supplement is more concentrated that the other then that would make a difference when trying to compare the prices, than if they were all the same strength.  I'm thinking its more likely they are all the same but don't know if anyone knows more?  Thanks very much


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## claribella (25 September 2013)

I Buy mine from rahiiq.com and he also sells it on eBay. He's half the price of everywhere else but he mports a different type of boswellia. It's from a diff part of the world I think. I am pretty rubbish with amounts and end up giving about a heaped spoonful but I would imagine its what you said and the more concentrated it is the less you feed. Anyway I have a mare that's about 500kg and with this amount she's good on it although I am looking at feeding something else lngside it for extra support. Have you decided which balancer yet?


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## lucymay9701 (26 September 2013)

Hi Claribella, I haven't fully decided on the balancer but I tend to think that if my horse agrees (!) I'll go for the forage plus one.  I've had a response from there and also got back to ask about the iodine as it isn't in their balancer and did come up a couple of times on the other thread.  I haven't heard back from thunderbrook yet - I sent the e-mail on Sunday - I don't know if you found they took a while to reply?  I've got samples coming from progressive earth as I read on one post that this can be more palatable that the forage plus but it has wheatfeed in.  I'm sure its only a tiny amount and probably would be OK but I feel like if I'm going to do the whole 'natural' thing I'd rather get the one without wheatfeed in.  If my horse seems to prefer that one I would consider it though.  Seems to be taking a while to get all the samples together!  

I had a sample of the boswellia powder sent from feedmark and my horse tried it last night and to our surprise ate it fine!  She's been on the pegasus liquid nature bute (she usually has MSM but we were just trying the boswellia) and doesn't really like it - just picks at her feed slowly overnight but seemed to much prefer the powder.  I had been thinking of sticking to the MSM until I read that some people think it shouldn't be given with cushings so I'm pleased she ate the boswellia powder and we'll be able to give her that.  I wanted to take her off the liquid nature bute anyway as it has ethanol in and that doesn't seem very natural for her and I wanted to take it out because of her allergy problems.

I was just surprised by the differing amounts of boswellia powder being recommended and unsure if it is to do with the concentration or (as I found with the feeds and supplements!) it's just different companies are recommending different amounts.  I think I'll e-mail the companies to see if they may give me some information aswell.  I just had a sample of agnus castus sent from natural horse supplies (seem a very good company and sent it very quickly!) and wish I'd asked for a boswellia sample aswell as if I compared it with the feedmark maybe I'd be able to tell by the smell if the concentrations are different.  Pegasus wouldn't send a sample out and I hadn't initially looked for the boswellia at natural animal supplies.  I'm sure they wouldn't mind me contacting them again though.

Thanks for the reply!


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## Pasha (26 September 2013)

Give Thunderbrrok a call and speak to Debbie - you will probably find he has responded to your email but it's got lost on the way to you - it happens to me all the time! They also supply Boswellia so can advise on the amounts of that too


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## Pasha (26 September 2013)

she not he! lol!


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## Pasha (26 September 2013)

lucymay are you on FB? If so, add the Thuderbrook page as someone has just posted a lovely recommendation for Base Mix, Gut restore, Boswellia, Hawthorne Berries and White Willow that was recommended to her by Thunderbrook for her 18 year old mare who had suspected ulcers, colic attacks and arthritis.


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## lucymay9701 (26 September 2013)

Hi Pasha, thanks for your reply, no I'm not on facebook, I think I'm going to try the forage plus first if my horse will eat it and then try something else if necessary so if I don't get a response to the e-mail from thunderbrook I'll try ringing in the future.  I've contacted natural horse supplies about the boswellia so will see what they come back with - it would be better to feed my horse the least amount to reduce the chances of her being fussy but she did very well last night with 15g!


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## lucymay9701 (27 September 2013)

Just thought I'd add what I found out to this post in case anybody is reading it in the future and the info would be helpful.  I contacted 3 different companies and am fairly sure (although can't be 100%) that all the boswellia is the same concentration.  It seems the most likely thing, from the replies I got, is that it's just different companies recommending different amounts.  So from what I found out I have decided to start my horse (550kg) on 15g and decrease or increase if necessary.  She may be OK maintained on around 11g or may need slightly more, so will just see how she goes.


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## 4x4 (24 October 2013)

In ignorance as I have no gram scales approx. size spoonful for 15g please? Just got mine from Rahiq


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## claribella (24 October 2013)

A heaped tablespoon is about 10g-15 I think. I just guess which isn't helpful and I expect I give more than 15g sometimes. I don't think you can over dose on it.


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## lucymay9701 (24 October 2013)

Hi, Sorry not sure of the size in spoonfuls - hopefully someone else may know! We usually measure on the scales and then put a line on a little measure.  I could have seen what this was in spoonfuls for you but didn't keep my horse on the boswellia in the end as she is on micronised linseed so thought I'd see how her joints seemed with that and at the moment (touch wood!) she seems OK without the boswellia.


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## 4x4 (24 October 2013)

We are on micronised linseed as well.  It's so difficult - in the summer I have a well horse, the minute it gets cold/wet, hacking in the mud probably pulls the joints and the coldness probably gets into them or the damp - I end up with a miserable horse who doesn't want to go forward at all!  Last year I used Equimins Flexi join and the Devil's claw one so this year thought I'd try something different - will start with a heaped tsp thanks.  Any other remedies recommendations for stiff horses gratefully received (btw it was diagnosed as spavins a couple of years ago but we assumed it had fused in the summer)!


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