[imacowgirl2]

hey everyone~

We see all the time different lists of why ration balancers are good, and what results you can see in your horse, including calmer demeanor, nice shiny coats, better hooves, and a host of other good things, depending on what the prior nutrition was. But has anyone ever seen any different results that you never would have thought were nutrition related??

Peggy and I were talking the other day about some of the results we see feeding ration balancers to our horses. She was convinced her horses were going to practically keel over dead after our (unintentional) 4 hour ride on horses that aren't ridden hard or regular -- and both of them barely lathered up.

After that, I checked my gelding after our hard ride in the heat (2+ hours) two days ago...and he was BARELY lathered (he had a tiny bit along his breast collar). This is a horse that when on a grain diet was SO lathered after 20-30 minutes under saddle that my jeans would be soaked through where they touched him (can you say ick??) and he'd be lathered EVERYWHERE. Granted, some of the change is probably due to him not being so hyper/exciteable these days, but not all of it, as he was still on a grain diet after he started calming down somewhat, and was still lathering then. Mom's mare was also the same way...hardly lathered and hardly breathing hard after a ride like that -- she was sweating because it was hot but she wasn't dripping buckets like she normally would have been.

So, share your ration balancer results, particularly those that are problems/things you have noticed that you never thought would be nutrition related!!

[PeggySue]

What Michelle also does not realize is that last year with Babs she was colicing MONTHLY sometimes 2X a month and I fought skin fungus with her constantly....and I fought keeping her weight steady and down where she needed to be

[PeggySue]

Sassy Last Year on Grain based feed


Sassy this year on Ration Balancer

[JBandRio]

Peg, what time of year were the before and after pictures taken?

[PeggySue]

June of last year and this month

[PeggySue]

August 2006

[Sue B]

Peggy...was the horse in this last pic every body sore, reluctant under saddles or seem to be "cold backed"? The reason I ask is that the lack of even muscling (slight hind quarters/larger front end) is often seen on EPSM horses.

[Moostang]

Its really hard to say, but I think Scout has shed out more this summer. It always seems he has more hair than he should, but he appears to finally be a "California Summer Horse" instead of a "South Dakota Summer Horse".
I also think both our boys have shinier coats, which is hard to tell on a grey that loves to roll in the dirt.

[Sue B]

Just to share my experience....nutrition related...but I never would hav thought....

My Peruvian came to us 8 years ago severely insulin resistant and severaly foundered. He stabilized (from a laminitis standpoint) as soon as we put him on what was then a standard IR diet (forage only, BOSS - later switched out for rice bran, flax, Mg and Se+E supplements, kelp or Focus HF and vit/min mix). But, his insulin levels were still high...had to supplement chromium to bring them under control. Continued on this diet for several years...but he still suffered seasonal small crashes and was continually exhibiting damage from laminitis in one foot (although he generally rode sound in shoes or boots. Almost 2 years ago, he had a big crash in the winter...laid down a lot....had fat pads all over his body (very lumpy horse). Then I took him off everything except hay for a few months....I was just so frustrated...I wanted to see if something in the diet was causing him to continue to have health issues. Nothing changed except for the lumpy body turned to ribs. Then I put him on a ration balancer. It has been at least 18 months.....he only gets the ration balancer, hay, a small amount of beet pulp (about 1/4 of what he used to get, flax and rice bran....no alfalfa or rorage pellets or cubes, no Mg, no chromium, no Se, and no kelp...only supplemental vit E because there is not enough in the ration balancer He has been stable with no seasonal crash, no low grade laminitis....farrier says he has just a tiny bit of damage left to grow out...should be gone in the next trim. His cresy remains soft and greatly reduced....fat pads have been basically eliminated, ribs are covered and he looks and feels great. His whole personality has changed....he is much friendlier....and I have a lot more money to spend on tack!

[PeggySue]

Sue that horse is just LAZY We had saddle fit troubles that is the horse I bought five saddles for and tried prob 10X that many !! She went though some nasty "filling" out stages...