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Post by fin on Jan 3, 2007 23:23:53 GMT 1
Nope, Cortaflex is glucosamine free. I had to check that one too although TBH my ned was fine on NAF Superflex, glucosamine or not. Still, better safe than sorry
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Anna*
Olympic Poster
IH Member
Posts: 923
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Post by Anna* on Jan 4, 2007 8:06:26 GMT 1
I've been reading this with interest. Cali has been on TS for about 6 months now but, since I increased the amount she was getting when the weather got bit colder (she was only on a tiny token feed in the summer) she has become less affectionate and much more grumpy.......her feet are looking lovely though.....!
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Post by june on Jan 4, 2007 10:41:23 GMT 1
The trouble is there are so many variables with horses. Ours (20+ of them so a reasonable sample!) have been on Top Spec for the last 4 years. For the last week or so they've been grumpy but I think that is because there isn't a whole lot of grass for them to eat in the fields at the moment and so they are getting hungry. Think they are telling us it is time to start putting out hay!
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Confuggled!
Olympic Poster
Who among us has not as a child asked Father Christmas to bring us a pony on Christmas day?
Posts: 968
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Post by Confuggled! on Jan 4, 2007 10:48:05 GMT 1
Im pretty sure it affected my boys attitude, he become depressed and unhappy. Hes been checked over my the vets until the cows come home but hes all heatlhy. Ive taken him off it now, its been about 4 days so im monitoring the difference- if any.
I had decided ages ago to try Bluechip as there is a 25yr old mare on my yard who looks about 5! Shes been on blue chip following colic surgery and the owner is adament that the blue chip made her what she is today!
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Post by Yann on Jan 4, 2007 11:19:35 GMT 1
I swapped to Blue Chip and one point to see if it made any difference, but if it did I couldn't tell
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Post by eskimo on Jan 4, 2007 11:29:53 GMT 1
Its been 2 weeks now since i came off Topspec with my WB & there has been big changes in his attitude. He even locked an ear on me when i was lunging him the other day, did floppy ears whilst schooling. 1st time thats happened in a year. I have changed all sorts over the last year finally culminating in getting him off the Topspec which i now believe quite firmly that was the cause to my problems. June there's no chance of my boy being hungry he's fed ad-lib haylage in the stable & field. I have used Blue chip in the past for my other 2 horses with good results, but i wouldn't use it on my WB. I'm going to let him continue off any balancers & keep an eye on him, if i feel he does need something i will probably try Feedmarks Forte so i have a better chance of tailoring the Vit/Mins to him, Rather than overloading his system. I really cant believe how many people have had the same problems!!
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Post by june on Jan 4, 2007 12:30:56 GMT 1
There was an interesting article in last week's H&H by one of the ILPH officers saying that an average horse in "happy hacking" type work didn't need any hard feed, just grass and hay. It could be that Top Spec, and other balancers for that matter, simply give horses too much energy for their work load.
Eskimo, that comment about horses being hungry wasn't directed at you. Sorry if it sounded if it was. It was more to illustrate that there are so many variables when it comes to horses that it can be difficult to pinpoint causes to changes of behaviour, although it sounds like you have been pretty systematic at working out what is affecting your horse. Our horses have been on Top Spec for the last 4 years and have been grumpy for a couple of weeks so it is unlikely to be the Top Spec that is causing it. My guess is that it is the lack of grass in the fields but it could be something quite different such as the amount of sugar in the grass at the moment or the change (lack of!) in exercise routine over the Christmas period. Our lot are in medium work so are exercised 5 or 6 days a week but they've done less over Christmas so that could be affecting their behaviour.
On average people ride their horses much less in winter than they do in summer and if that coincides with adding a balancer to the feed - which it often does as people tend to give more hard feed in winter - then there could easily be an imbalance in energy consumption versus energy expenditure which shows up as over exuberance!
Top Spec is now the leading balancer on the market so there are many people using it that don't have problems. It is easy to look at a thread like this and get things out of perspective. It is a feed that suits many horses very well although there are always the odd exceptions.
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Post by eskimo on Jan 4, 2007 13:04:20 GMT 1
No problem June & I do agree with you. I think that many people but not all are quick to judge a certain feed & not fully take in to consideration exactly what feeds are suitable for there particular horse. The trouble i find with balancers is many people are made to feel like they should feed them to ensure there horse stays healthy. My other 2 horses who are not competition fit are still on Topspec & i have not noticed any problems with them at all. There hooves in particular are brilliant. I will continue to feed them Topspec why try to fix something thats not broken in there case. So it does just boil down to one of my horses who has to be awkward, like i have said above I'm not going to worry ATM about feeding him a Balancer even though he does work quite hard. If i think he is lacking i will cross that bridge when i come to it, but so far so good now he's Topspec free.
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Post by june on Jan 4, 2007 14:08:19 GMT 1
The ILPH officer in H&H was making that point too about so much pressure being put on owners to give their horses hard feed when they don't need it. His comment was we were starting to killl them with kindness. They are seeing more horses dangerously overweight now than dangerously underweight. He said he had a hard job to convince owners that most really didn't need to feed their horses anything more than grass and hay so I guess the feed companies have been doing a "good" job with their advertising campaigns!
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