Equitop Myoplast vs Mad Barn Spirulina

[DarkBayUnicorn]

Hi all,

Looking for honest feedback and opinions, especially from the nutrition gurus that frequent the forums.

10 year old WB ammy hunter suffered an SI injury of unknown origin spring 2020. Vet put him on Equitop Myoplast as part of rehab program, and he’s been on it ever since.

Horse runs to the significantly chonkier side and does best on low NSC grain and first cut hay. We essentially treat him as if he’s IR or has strong potential to become IR.

Spirulina is the only active ingredient in Myoplast according to the label. It also includes fillers like syrup, corn starch and flavorings:

Algae powder (Spirulina platensis) 40.2%
Saccharose (37.3%)
Glucose syrup (14.1%)
Corn starch (8.0%)
Apple flavouring

So for every 25g scoop, there is 10.5g of spirulina with Myoplast.

Mad Barn Spirulina contains only spirulina according to the label. And the 20g scoop is 20g.

The Mad Barn product is infinitely cheaper. Money is not the main factor in my question, as this horse gets whatever he needs.

But is there something about the Myoplast that is better than the MB product to justify the huge cost? Better bioavailability of the formulation or something?

And given my horse doesn’t do well with sugars, is feeding him 14.5g of sugar-based filler actually undoing the benefit of the 10.5g of spirulina?

As I said, I will give this horse the best products regardless of cost, but if I can save a few bucks and get the same or better results, why not?

Any thoughts or experiences from the hive mind?

Edited for typo.

[Scribbler]

@DarkBayUnicorn

Hi all,

Looking for honest feedback and opinions, especially from the nutrition gurus that frequent the forums.

10 year old WB ammy hunter suffered an SI injury of unknown origin spring 2020. Vet put him on Equitop Myoplast as part of rehab program, and he’s been on it ever since.

Horse runs to the significantly chonkier side and does best on low NSC grain and first cut hay. We essentially treat him as if he’s IR or has strong potential to become IR.

Spirulina is the only active ingredient in Myoplast according to the label. It also includes fillers like syrup, corn starch and flavorings:

Algae powder (Spirulina platensis) 40.2%
Saccharose (37.3%)
Glucose syrup (14.1%)
Corn starch (8.0%)
Apple flavouring

So for every 25g scoop, there is 10.5g of spirulina with Myoplast.

Mad Barn Spirulina contains only spirulina according to the label. And the 20g scoop is 20g.

The Mad Barn product is infinitely cheaper. Money is not the main factor in my question, as this horse gets whatever he needs.

But is there something about the Myoplast that is better than the MB product to justify the huge cost? Better bioavailability of the formulation or something?

And given my horse doesn’t do well with sugars, is feeding him 14.5g of sugar-based filler actually undoing the benefit of the 10.5g of spirulina?

As I said, I will give this horse the best products regardless of cost, but if I can save a few bucks and get the same or better results, why not?

Any thoughts or experiences from the hive mind?

Edited for typo.

So what is in the seaweed or algae that’s beneficial? Last I looked they were mostly iodine and that’s covered in my VMS.

Ok I looked up Mad Barn spirulina. I really like the company and their products, they are affordable effective. I also like Herbs for Horses, another small Canadian company, they run a slight different line.

I am confident Mad Barn pure spirulina will give you the most bang for your buck, but they do warn it has a “unique” taste which may be why the other company uses so much sugar! I do recall we used to add kelp to our mashes and the horses didn’t care.

That said the Mad Barn spirulina feeding ratio is 20 grams or 7/10 th of an ounce. The stated benefits are protein, vitamins A and E, and omega fats. But no percentage given. I feel like a diet with an excellent vitamin mineral supplement (like Mad Barn Omniety!) and some flax is going to cover all this and more in a more quantifiable way.

I just feel like it’s easy to get on a roller coaster of feeding multiple tiny amounts of things that add up in fuss and cost, but aren’t at a rate to do very much.

[JB]

Spirulina has benefits beyond just magnesium, calcium, etc. It’s in the chemicals that make up the ingredient, which include chemicals that have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. At least one of those is the chemical that gives it the blue-green color, similar to the chemicals that make tomatoes red, and blueberries blue.

the MB spirulina is the same spirulina platensis in the Myoplast, so same same

[DarkBayUnicorn]

Thank you! This is super helpful!

[Pico_Banana]

I have been feeding my mare the Mad Barn spirulina. She is not overly picky but she is most definitely not a fan. I have to add lots of stuff to cover it up.

As the scooper, I hate it because it’s a super fine, very dark green powder, and it gets everywhere. Including staining my fingernail beds.

[sascha]

@Scribbler those of us that feed it are doing so for the anti-inflammatory benefits, or possible benefits because let’s face it, those of who are dealing with mostly non-compliant asthma WILL grasp at just about any and all straws.

@Pico_Banana I cut the top off the bag (below the zipper so the powder slides out with less poofy drama) and carefully dump it into a small lidded bucket. My horse needs however many scoops (2 iirc) equals 1/4 cup so I use a dollar store plastic baking measuring cup. Much less messy and it comes out of the flatter scoop shape much easier than the scoop that it comes with + only having to scoop once.

It is as nasty as Pico_Banana says it is. The most matte, nearly black green I’ve ever seen in nature. It’s kind of fascinating to look at … until you spill some and get it all over yourself.

My horse doesn’t care though. It goes as top dressing on her soaked cubes. The W-3 Oil she gets on top of the whole works seems to take care of any palatability issues. YMMV, with her array of issues over the years she has (more or less) just given in and realized when it comes to feeding her, I am more stubborn about it than she is about going without a late night snack.

[greywithchrome]

I will scream from the rooftops how overpriced Equitop Myoplast is. It’s sugar coated spirulina. Just buy spirulina. If your horse is picky and doesnt like the green powder, spirulina tablets are awesome and more palatable.

[SBrentnall]

@Pico_Banana

As the scooper, I hate it because it’s a super fine, very dark green powder, and it gets everywhere. Including staining my fingernail beds.

Would the Springtime Spirulina wafers help? https://www.springtimeinc.com/product/spirulina-wafers-horse-allergy-supplements/natural-horse-supplements

[DarkBayUnicorn]

Glad I’m not alone then! I mean, if it’s the best I’ll pay without complaining but the filler and sugar content being over half of each scoop???

[quietann]

@sascha

@Scribbler those of us that feed it are doing so for the anti-inflammatory benefits, or possible benefits because let’s face it, those of who are dealing with mostly non-compliant asthma WILL grasp at just about any and all straws.

Exactly. My mare was getting MB spirulina for a long time; I was worried about finances, so I didn’t get more when I ran out. Her asthma and allergy symptoms returned with a vengeance, and she can’t have steroids so I’m willing to try anything that might work. I just started her on it again, and am hoping it works. (She has been on Apoquel, which is $$$$$, but I honestly think the spirulina does more. Will be weaning her off the Apoquel, I guess.)

ETA: yes it’s VERY messy. I have to be careful when I’m doing the mare’s supplement containers, and yesterday came home with a dark green stripe on my nose, which amused DH. Luckily, my mare isn’t picky and slurps it right up in her “soup” twice a day.

Side note: my father was an academic, a blue-green algae specialist, and when spirulina started getting popular, he did some consulting with a company that was building a facility to grow it. Eventually he stopped working with them – I have no idea why – and in his later years really regretted it, because there is serious money to be made on the stuff.

[sascha]

@quietann

when I ran out. Her asthma and allergy symptoms returned with a vengeance, and she can’t have steroids so I’m willing to try anything that might work. I just started her on it again, and am hoping it works.

Fingers x’d for you! The fascinating mess of the gross greenness is worth it for abatement of the worst signs of asthma.

[Pehsness]

Anecdotal I know but no one will ever tell me that spirulina doesn’t keep my geldings allergies in check. Once ever year I also get worried about finances, run out of the supplements and then bam, hear him give a little cough. Kick myself for stopping the sprirulina, start it back up and the cough goes away. It’s like magic.

I added jiaogulan (sp) to the mix this year (and last year too I guess) and soon enough I’m going to be gooping it up with the W3 again.

He looks like a million bucks, and it’s thanks to Mad Barn. I hope they never get big enough to sell out because I love them.