@MissAriel, if you want to try Hygain, I really like their ration balancer, called “Balanced”. I have used it a lot over the years, and my horses have always done well and looked great on it.
https://www.hygain.com.au/feeds/balanced/
There are also some nice before and afters of horses on Hygain here:
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Ok, fair point. But you are missing the reality of the situation,and the point I was making. There’s really a spectrum from rare to common/frequent/normal/typical/usual. Is selenium deficiency common? No. But it’s not rare/abnormal/exceptional/extraordinary either, which is the point I was (badly, apparently) trying to make.
Cheers.
The vast majority of horses aren’t allergic to soy and don’t have any nutritional deficiencies, and at $45 for a 40 lb bag I’d certainly call it a boutique feed.
I’m just saying that using non-soy protein sources makes things more $$ by default. You’re right, the vast majority of horses don’t have issues with soy. I have no problem feeding soy. But enough horses do, there are enough people out there who don’t want to feed soy because of the GMO and “soy is evil” notion, that there’s a demand for it. So many threads get started for soy-free ration balancers.
I would question the statement that the majority of horses don’t have any nutrition deficiencies (not sure why that’s an issue here, it’s just another fortified feed, no different from anything else). The question is just what, and is it an actual deficiency or is it an imbalance. I guarantee horses who only eat hay are Vit E deficient, and that’s a lot of horses in some areas of the country.
Triple Crown is getting ready to release a soy-free ration balancer - I have no doubt it’s going to be a huge hit.
I have no idea if that price is so $$ that I could feed significant soy-free, well-fortified calories for well below that cost. That’s $1.13/lb, and 5-ish lb would be $5.63. Certainly not cheap. But it may be very well worth it for the harder keeper who can’t tolerate soy.
I’ll chime in and say I have one of those rare horses that actually can’t have soy. I think more horses have soy sensitivities that go unnoticed because the symptoms can be vague. I’m glad I have an option in Hygain to avoid soy for her, even if it’s in a higher price bracket. I think the other one I have found was crypto aero, but there doesn’t seem to be much research readily available for that brand
Hygain feeds are fortified and balanced. CA isn’t. You can make your own CA for a fraction of the cost. Plus, at 28% NSC, well…
There’s a long, fun thread on CA in here somewhere 
I feed Hygain and it is one of the better feeds available on the market locally. However - I can’t compare it to what you have available in the US which I can assume is a much wider variety of feeds! Comparatively, it sells for around $45-55 a bag here which is probably a lot less than in USD. I have fed Showtorque, Balanced and Release which all my horses have looked really good on. Vets have also said that it is a good quality feed and have been impressed with the ingredients list. A large portion of the range is also soy free which can be difficult to find.
At the end of the day it really depends on what else other feeds you have available, how much you want to spend and whether it will fulfil a nutritional requirement that is currently not met.
Yes, I have tried to make CA on my own, but it’s a bit of a hassle. I do like the Hygain senior feed, but it’s cost prohibitive, so as long as I can get the TC naturals then I prefer to feed my one “hot house flower” that. ☺ï¸
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