Feed/ration balancers/suppliments

[Kay]

I am feeding a 7yo medium stocky pony in heavy work. He has pasture and wears a muzzle in the summer. I hay in the winter. Clean grass hay, nothing fancy. He still forages the pastures throughout the winter.
Healthy, easy keeper.

I want to make sure he gets the proper nutrition, without fattening him up. He is an athlete, and works hard, but is also a pony, that is the type that could “live on air”. So again, the nutrients is what I am concerned about.

I have been feeding triple crown lite for years. But he only needs a cup a day, which does not give him the vitamins and minerals he needs.

I recently purchased a bag of Buckeye Gro n win since it’s a ration balancer and seemed logically to be more in line with what I want. He is not thrilled with the taste - although its only been a few days. It’s very expensive, although they say you feed less. I have also heard mixed reviews of the company and the way they process their feeds.

I have had a few varied recommendations for supplements to add to his feed. But nothing simple or straight forward. I suppose I want sort of a “pony one a day” vitamin type of supplement. I guess?

So what are your opinions, suggestions and recommendations? Feed brands/types, supplements, combinations, etc. for a easy keeper healthy pony in heavy work?

[BLB_Racing_Stable]

Hi. I have had good success with sho-glo. I put the link below it is made by manna pro and cost efficient. Theres a few others i have in mind i will post for you later. But heres a start !
http://www.mannapro.com/products/equine/sho-glo/

[2tempe]

I have an Oldenburg 16’2" airfern. She gets Enrich 32 ration balancer and gobbles it right down. I do believe that this mare would eat ANYTHING, so maybe she’s not a good testament to the taste…but you might want to try that one.

[JB]

I wouldn’t put such a horse/pony on a ration balancer. Just use a regular vit/min supplement, or something like EquiPride, or High Point Grass from Horsetech, or something like that.

[pattnic]

[QUOTE=JB;7175896]
I wouldn’t put such a horse/pony on a ration balancer. Just use a regular vit/min supplement, or something like EquiPride, or High Point Grass from Horsetech, or something like that.[/QUOTE]

Is High Point a pellet or is it more powdery/crumbly like Equi-Pride and most of the other Horsetech products (BioFlax, Glaenzen, etc)?

[SAcres]

I would pick up a pelleted multi-vite and feed that. If he’s picky and doesn’t want to eat it a 1/2 cup of beet pulp soaked with the multi-vite should be more palatable. BP is a high volume, low weight option, so a 1/2 cup weighs practically nothing and has minimal calories.

I like Mega-Cell for a multi-vite, or anything from the HorseTech line. I LOVED smartpak’s EZ keeper grass multi-vite but it got to expensive and then they discontinued it.

[Nezzy]

i feed Gro and Win and it has kept my Appy at a decent weight for over 2 yrs. he gets a cup at each meal, and he also gets 24/7 hay, which is why he does not need grain. Good Luck to you.

[3Spots]

What about Life Data’s Barn Bag?

JB - why wouldn’t you use a RB?

jan

[SAcres]

[QUOTE=3Spots;7176048]
What about Life Data’s Barn Bag?

JB - why wouldn’t you use a RB?

jan[/QUOTE]

I’ve never seen the point of Barn Bag. It’s just a multi-vitamin in a bigger base. It is also more expensive than other multi vitamins.

Ration balancers have higher volume and more protein than a multi vite which means extra unnecessary calories.

[3Spots]

Hi SAcres -

I thought the main reason folks did a RB vs Vitamin mix was for the extra protein? I’ve gone back and forth myself, blessed with easy keepers, but now one in full time training.

If you wanted extra protein, what would you use?

jan

[JB]

[QUOTE=pattnic;7175994]
Is High Point a pellet or is it more powdery/crumbly like Equi-Pride and most of the other Horsetech products (BioFlax, Glaenzen, etc)?[/QUOTE]
It’s a meal type, but closer to a powder than, say, the meal type that rice bran can be, that Equipride is. You can also have HT flavor it.

[QUOTE=3Spots;7176048]
JB - why wouldn’t you use a RB?

jan[/QUOTE]
I simply wouldn’t for an easy keeper, or a horse/pony of a breed/type that is prone to metabolic issues, because of the soy.

[QUOTE=3Spots;7176070]Hi SAcres -

I thought the main reason folks did a RB vs Vitamin mix was for the extra protein? I’ve gone back and forth myself, blessed with easy keepers, but now one in full time training.

If you wanted extra protein, what would you use?

jan[/QUOTE]
RBs do have much more protein and lysine than a v/m, that’s true. But, it does come with the “expense” of extra calories, and the protein source is soy, and the combination is often detrimental to easy keepers.

Horses don’t often need more PROTEIN - they are much more likely to need extra lysine, and you can feed that for pennies by getting a straight lysine supplement. L-Lysine and Pure Lysine are 2, which are literally pennies a serving.

[JB]

@SAcres;7176057

I’ve never seen the point of Barn Bag. It’s just a multi-vitamin in a bigger base. It is also more expensive than other multi vitamins.

Agree, I don’t see the point either, as it doesn’t have major calories, but also doesn’t have much more than a v/m, yet costs a lot more than most v/ms.

Same with Omega Horseshine - expensive fortified flax supplement that isn’t even as fortified as a v/m supplement, yet you’re paying a LOT more than if you just got plain flax

[dangerbunny]

How about doing a hay or pasture analysis and then supplementing if necessary? You could also use a program like feedxl to compare feeds.

[3Spots]

Hi JB!

Thanks for chiming in. Actually, I am looking at Horseshine, too. It has the highest Omega-3 content of all the flax-based products out there. Most that I have looked at are 7-9 grams of O3 per daily dose. Heck I take that much myself. I think a horse needs 7x my dose, so I look for Omega 3 in the 50-60 gram range.

Horseshine is closest to that – if I did my math right (84000g/lb = 185g O3/g x 235g/cup = 43g O3/cup)

So I am looking at Horseshine for it’s Omega 3 content rather than it’s fortification. (It would seem that if folks were okay with serving 7-9 g/daily dose, they would feed 1/8 of a cup and the bag would last 8 times longer than it says – making it much less expensive.)

At least that is my logic for today, lol
jan

[3Spots]

Hi JB!

Thanks for chiming in. Actually, I am looking at Horseshine, too. It has the highest Omega-3 content of all the flax-based products out there. Most that I have looked at are 7-9 grams of O3 per daily dose. Heck I take that much myself. I think a horse needs 7x my dose, so I look for Omega 3 in the 50-60 gram range.

Horseshine is closest to that – if I did my math right (84000g/lb = 185g O3/g x 235g/cup = 43g O3/cup)

So I am looking at Horseshine for it’s Omega 3 content rather than it’s fortification. (It would seem that if folks were okay with serving 7-9 g/daily dose, they would feed 1/8 of a cup and the bag would last 8 times longer than it says – making it much less expensive.)

At least that is my logic for today, lol
jan

[Dune]

[QUOTE=JB;7175896]
I wouldn’t put such a horse/pony on a ration balancer. Just use a regular vit/min supplement, or something like EquiPride, or High Point Grass from Horsetech, or something like that.[/QUOTE]

This is getting boring, lol! I agree with JB on ditching the RB and just going with a vit/min supplement. I’ve been feeding mine Adeptus Augment, I mix it with a couple cups of Timothy pellets that I soak and they eat it right up! I’m curious, JB, why you recommended the 2 v/m that you did and how they stack up against the AA that I feed?? TIA!

[Kay]

So what supplements specifically would you use?

And would you stick with the triple crown lite?

I would prefer to not soak or add hay cubes or beat pulp.

I also just want to stress we are talking about a 13.2h drafty healthy pony 7yo that is in heavy work. But it’s still a struggle to keep weight off with a muzzle and next to no feed.

[fordtraktor]

I use Uckele’s SportHorseGrass pelleted vit/min. I also have used SmartPak’s but my horses wouldn’t eat that. I wouldn’t say they LOVE SHG, but they eat it.

The SHG pellets are 4-8 oz./day, so I would either not feed the TC Lite, or just put enough in there on top of the vitamin to top off your cup if you want to be generous to your pony. :lol: it won’t make much of a nutrition difference either way in the amount you are feeding.

[Dune]

[QUOTE=JB;7175896]
I wouldn’t put such a horse/pony on a ration balancer. Just use a regular vit/min supplement, or something like EquiPride, or High Point Grass from Horsetech, or something like that.[/QUOTE]

This is getting boring, lol! I agree with JB on ditching the RB and just going with a vit/min supplement. I’ve been feeding mine Adeptus Augment, I mix it with a couple cups of Timothy pellets that I soak and they eat it right up! I’m curious, JB, why you recommended the 2 v/m that you did and how they stack up against the AA that I feed?? TIA!

[SAcres]

[QUOTE=3Spots;7176121]
Hi JB!

Thanks for chiming in. Actually, I am looking at Horseshine, too. It has the highest Omega-3 content of all the flax-based products out there. Most that I have looked at are 7-9 grams of O3 per daily dose. Heck I take that much myself. I think a horse needs 7x my dose, so I look for Omega 3 in the 50-60 gram range.

Horseshine is closest to that – if I did my math right (84000g/lb = 185g O3/g x 235g/cup = 43g O3/cup)

So I am looking at Horseshine for it’s Omega 3 content rather than it’s fortification. (It would seem that if folks were okay with serving 7-9 g/daily dose, they would feed 1/8 of a cup and the bag would last 8 times longer than it says – making it much less expensive.)

At least that is my logic for today, lol
jan[/QUOTE]

Why would you buy a fortified, expensive flaxseed supplement when you could just by inexpensive unfortifed flax? The omega 3’s you want come from the flaxseed, so it would make sense to just feed whole or ground plain flax.