# Balancers!



## ColouredDinosaur (6 December 2017)

What balancers do people recommend or supplements that provide mineral/vitamins?? My yard has really poor grazing, she's out during the day (7am-5:30/6pm) and has adlib wet hay overnight (hay is really good quality, she doesn't eat much dry hay prefers it soaked). I've only had her 2 months at she was on grass livery till 3 weeks ago (injured herself and needed box rest then moved yards) so is currently only on a small feed of cool&collected soaked pellet and healthy hooves chaff. Ideally want to put her on a balancer just to compensate for the poor grass but there's so many so wanted some recommendations! 
Thank you!


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## Leo Walker (6 December 2017)

Progressive earth/forgage plus or similar with no iron, high copper and zinc and added vitamin e, plus 50gms salt minus any in feed, and linseed. You can then put that in a token feed of grass nuts or similar.


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## Diddleydoo (6 December 2017)

Forage Plus do a great range of balancers specifically designed to compensate for common deficiencies in forage. Not just for those who want to keep their horse barefoot 

https://forageplus.co.uk/product-category/winter-horse-feed-balancers/


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## Shay (7 December 2017)

You may be feeding enough cool & collected?  You only need as little as 500g per day depending on the size of animal and level of work.  Its fully balanced so as long as you are feeding at least 500g then you may not need to add more.  (500g is roughly 1/3 a scoop).  Why not give A&P a ring and ask them?

By the way - you are feeding a molassed chaff with a molasses free feed?


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## HeyMich (7 December 2017)

Hi ColouredDinosaur! I totally understand your pain - the world of horse feed/supplements is a minefield! 

When I was younger, we fed plain rolled oats and pony nuts to all the horses/ponies, and they all thrived. Nowadays, the market is flooded with hundreds of products and it seems there are so many conflicting theories and opinions...

If it helps, I've just started my mare on Bailey's No 14 balancer pellets, and so far it seems a really good option (happy to hear otherwise from the HHO collective!). It is low in sugar, has added copper and zinc and no added iron. I feed it with a basic chaff once a day. 

I'll be watching this thread with interest (but probably letting most of the technical advice whooosh over my head...)! Let us know what you decide xx


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## Cortez (7 December 2017)

So, does your horse look poor or in any way needing additional condition? I have fed supplementary vitamins & minerals to horses in the past when they were in need (usually rescued starvation cases), but if horses look and feel fine then they don't need anything in addition to a good basic diet (in the case of the horses I have now that equals hay). Supplements are the most profitable products a feed company can sell you.


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## Darlabean (8 December 2017)

Feed something easy and balanced with a few calories. I like baileys high fibre plus nuggets at only a tenner a sack, with soaked grass nuts and linseed  if ad lib hay or haylage isn&#8217;t effective...


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## Antw23uk (13 December 2017)

I'm thinking of a balancer as well and its a minefield ... also there is such a price difference between the brands. pro earth seem extremely expensive?


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## Leo Walker (13 December 2017)

I use the cheapest progressive earth one. It works out about a tenner a month. Mine gets good quality ad lib haylage and access to good grass so I'm not compensating for a restricted diet. He gets that, salt, linseed as part of his feed and extra vitamin e in the winter.


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## scats (13 December 2017)

Pelleted balancers often contain fillers in order to form the pellets.  Nothing harmful, but just rubbish that the horse doesn't need.  The pellets are useful if you have a horse who is just eating the balancer and nothing else, or you intend to put it in a snak ball, but if you are adding it into a feed, you're sometimes better off just adding a vitamin and mineral supplement.


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## OrangeAndLemon (2 January 2018)

I'm doing the same research for mine and I like the sound of simple systems total eclipse. They have good doers using it and sugar looks low. Price looks good for buying in bulk.

If anyone has any feedback or thoughts let me know. He'll be grazing min 7 hours a day, and haylage overnight so I wanted to add a balancer, I thought I'd mix with a handful of unmollased chaf twice a day.


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## Leo Walker (2 January 2018)

I wouldnt feed it if you paid me unfortunately. It contains iron which is a total no go for me. Zinc and copper arent balanced and are far too low, as is magnesium. 

Its a bit of a con to be honest as the ingredients are Micronised linseed meal, seaweed meal, stabilised dried yeast. You could feed that for a fraction of the price.


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## OrangeAndLemon (2 January 2018)

Thanks for the feedback. I'll call the feed companies and get some better options.


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## ILuvCowparsely (2 January 2018)

ColouredDinosaur said:



			What balancers do people recommend or supplements that provide mineral/vitamins?? My yard has really poor grazing, she's out during the day (7am-5:30/6pm) and has adlib wet hay overnight (hay is really good quality, she doesn't eat much dry hay prefers it soaked). I've only had her 2 months at she was on grass livery till 3 weeks ago (injured herself and needed box rest then moved yards) so is currently only on a small feed of cool&collected soaked pellet and healthy hooves chaff. Ideally want to put her on a balancer just to compensate for the poor grass but there's so many so wanted some recommendations! 
Thank you!
		
Click to expand...

I use D&H Ultimate balancer


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## Thornsett1 (4 January 2018)

I too am looking for a good pelleted vit/min supplement with good levels of lysine & methione but in pelleted form . I am trying to feed thunderbrooks daily essentials at the moment but he stubbornly refuses to eat it . Yes I have tried adding a tiny bit at a time but he has become difficult to add anything to his feed since he went to horse hospital which believe me is very difficult with regard to feeding any medicines etc but we just have to syringe it in . I do no want to cover t in sugar and tbh we have tried that previously to get bute in him absolute no go !!!! My problem is that the balancers are full of stuff that I would rather not feed and he doesn't need so anyone with any advice would be very grateful received. I should also add anything with a large amount of linseed in is also a no no as it sends him loopy !!!! .


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## maisie06 (4 January 2018)

Thornsett1 said:



			I too am looking for a good pelleted vit/min supplement with good levels of lysine & methione but in pelleted form . I am trying to feed thunderbrooks daily essentials at the moment but he stubbornly refuses to eat it . Yes I have tried adding a tiny bit at a time but he has become difficult to add anything to his feed since he went to horse hospital which believe me is very difficult with regard to feeding any medicines etc but we just have to syringe it in . I do no want to cover t in sugar and tbh we have tried that previously to get bute in him absolute no go !!!! My problem is that the balancers are full of stuff that I would rather not feed and he doesn't need so anyone with any advice would be very grateful received. I should also add anything with a large amount of linseed in is also a no no as it sends him loopy !!!! .
		
Click to expand...

Naf pro feet pellets may be worth a look.


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## Leo Walker (4 January 2018)

Thornsett1 said:



			I too am looking for a good pelleted vit/min supplement with good levels of lysine & methione but in pelleted form . I am trying to feed thunderbrooks daily essentials at the moment but he stubbornly refuses to eat it . Yes I have tried adding a tiny bit at a time but he has become difficult to add anything to his feed since he went to horse hospital which believe me is very difficult with regard to feeding any medicines etc but we just have to syringe it in . I do no want to cover t in sugar and tbh we have tried that previously to get bute in him absolute no go !!!! My problem is that the balancers are full of stuff that I would rather not feed and he doesn't need so anyone with any advice would be very grateful received. I should also add anything with a large amount of linseed in is also a no no as it sends him loopy !!!! .
		
Click to expand...

Equimins do a pelleted one. Progressive Earth/Equivita/Forage Plus all do powdered. Equivita will do a bespoke mix for you if required.

Thunderbrooks base mix isn't a great balancer and you have to feed huge amounts of it. I feed 50gms a day of powdered balancer which is much easier to get down a fussy horse.


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## Thornsett1 (4 January 2018)

Haha thank you Leo Walker it is the Daily Essentials that I am trying to feed him and he only requires 50 grammes a day but anything more than a teaspoon is a NO NO . !!! can I ask what is wrong with the daily essentials just curious I am a born sceptic which is never helpful .!!!!


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