Which balancer?

[ShadyMeLady]

I’m looking to put my horse on a balancer as he lost a lot of condition and weight last winter (he’s a cob). He’s currently only a vit/min supplement so will stop that in favour of the balancer. Last year he was on high fibre complete nuggets at the end of the winter but came off them in spring.

So which one? Not TopSpec. Was looking at the Spillers Daily Balancer. Any reviews on this? It can’t be heating cause it’ll probably counteract his calmer

Thanks

Copra Meal for weight without fizz.

Sounds good thank you. Did you feed any extra vits and minerals (currently on the NAF powder) as that was my reason for going to a balancer so he still had all of that. He probably doesn’t need them though, I just feels like it gives his insides a boost

Bailey's number 14 (Lo Cal) was amazing for my pony. Gave him the essentials but kept the weight off.

Fast fibre has nutritionally improved straw in it, which is chemically treated with caustic soda.

It's not about organic. It's about learning what you're really feeding your horse.

Spillers lite n lean is just oatfeed, wheatfeed and molasses. It's just sweepings off the floor bound together with sugar. It's awful stuff, especially for a horse with laminitis.

My normal doer Arab gets:

Hay, hay, hay when she's in. Adlib overnight (so that there's always a pile left in the morning) and additional in the field when the grass stops growing.

Allen & Page calm & condition
Graze-on
A general vitamin & mineral supplement

She's at a medium level of work - endurance up to 40km, hopefully further in 20km and this feed regime seems to suit her well. I am considering getting the hay and soil tested this winter so that I feed more targetted supplements.

Don't forget that topline comes from proper work - you can't feed for it. If your horse is doing less work over the winter, it's no surprise that he loses topline.

*2020, not 20km

He used to have fast fibre, chaff and Baileys low cal balancer which he looked really good on. Chaff was something light like alfa molasses free.

Baileys Keep Calm might be worth a look.

www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/products/general-leisure/keep-calm

Thank you, he was being worked approx 5/6 days a week over last winter, lots of long hacks and schooling as well, he didn’t drop workload.

Last year the hay wasn’t adlib unfortunately, on a DIY yard in a herd with tight people!! So he didn’t get as much as I would have liked him too. This year he’ll get much more, so that may be enough in itself actually.

I’ll do some research on all the ones suggested. Thanks

Ad lib hay might do the trick. One of mine events up to novice on hay, grass and a balancer.

Yes in an ideal world he’d had adlib hay, however whilst we’re on a much better yard this year he’s out in a very large herd and hay is included in the livery cost... he’ll have much more than he did last year, just not adlib unfortunately. They’ll get hayed twice a day.

If It was me i but the cob on a DH Be clam balancer and as much hay /haylage as you can get down him