TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer

Introduction

TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer is a very palatable ‘Non-Heating’ pelleted feed that is formulated without cereal grains and contains only low levels of sugar and starch. It contains many supplements combined with good quality protein to promote muscle development and topline. The supplements include a top-specification broad-spectrum supplement and specialised supplements including a superb hoof supplement, generous levels of anti-oxidants and sophisticated digestive aids.

This superb specification allows horses to utilise far more nutrients from the forage and straights in their diet, which usually means that their hard feed intake can be reduced with many resulting benefits. A complete specification is freely available.

TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer is a very flexible, nutrient-rich feed designed to balance the rations of most horses and ponies simply by adjusting the rate at which it is fed and the products it is fed with.

When TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer is fed there is therefore often no need to add any further supplements, other than salt or electrolytes for sweating horses. The addition of e.g. blood tonics, yeast supplements/digestive aids, or hoof supplements is a totally unnecessary expense, ineffective and potentially harmful.

Zidante, winning the World Young Horse Seven-year-oldChampionships CCI** at Le Lion-d’Angers, ridden by Kitty King and owned by Ben Walde

TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer is the only feed balancer in the UK to contain all the following features: 

• A fully comprehensive range of the micronutrients needed to balance feed and improve its utilisation, even in the most demanding or stressful situations. 

• Powerful levels of Vitamin E and selenium, vitalanti-oxidants, to neutralise the presence of excess free-radicals and, together with high qualityprotein, to optimise muscle development andfunction. Important for broodmares, horses on high oil diets, and horses recovering from ‘tying-up’.

• The level of Biotin (15mg/500kg horse/day) thatis scientifically proven to improve hoof quality,plus the levels of methionine, cysteine, lysine, calcium, zinc, copper, iodine, vitamin A and soya  oil known to improve the efficiency of biotin alone.  Many of these nutrients also promote supple skin  and a shiny coat. 

• Effective levels of protein, vitamins, calcium, phosphorous, copper, zinc and manganese to develop and maintain strong bone.

• Constructive levels of amino acids, complex carbohydrates, anti-oxidants plus MSM to help   maintain healthy joints. 

• Raised levels of copper, zinc, B vitamins andassociated nutrients to optimize haemoglobin   levels in blood.

• Generous levels of B vitamins for efficient energy metabolism, vital for horses with compromised hindgut function. 

• Two advanced probiotic substances to create a healthy gut environment, optimise fibre digestibility and maintain a healthy immune system: - 

i) A pure, protected yeast. Research has shownthat the yeast used by TopSpec not only significantly improves fibre digestibility in the horse but also significantly improves the overall digestibility of feed when horses are fed a ration containing 70% forage and 30% concentrates. This allows horses to gain much more benefit from their diet. This pure, protected yeast has full  approval under the latest EU legislation for use in  feeds for horses of all ages, including foals. 

ii) A mannan oligosaccharide (MOS). This is a constituent of yeast cell walls. It bonds with pathogenic (bad) bacteria, removing them from the gut, leaving the beneficial bacteria free to multiply. The combined effect of the two yeast products is a healthy gut environment with optimised digestive efficiency. 

• Organic chelated minerals for improved availability. 

• Many factors to help calm certain horses

The Main Advantages of using TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer

The concept of feeding forage to appetite with a small amount of very concentrated feed is now being accepted as the way forward when feeding horses. The benefits of feeding in a way that tries to mimic how a horse will eat if living out in the wild are hugely significant to the welfare of the horse and the main ones are outlined here

Digestion and Utilisation

Feeding TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer improves the efficiency of feed conversion (the amount of useful nutrients that a horse can utilise from his feed) in three ways. In most cases this means that the amount of concentrate that needs to be fed can be significantly reduced, leaving more room in the digestive system for forage. This benefits digestion, is a more natural way of feeding and is more economic.

i) The amino acids, vitamins and minerals in TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer balance the deficiencies of these nutrients in forage and straights/blends, compared to the requirements of the horse, improving their utilisation.  

ii) The pure, protected yeast, sometimes referred to as pro-biotic, in TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer optimises the digestion of fibre in the hindgut, allowing the horse to gain more benefit from the diet. Research has shown that the specific yeast used by TopSpec significantly improves both total feed and fibre digestibility in the horse. 

iii) Another useful yeast product in TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer, sometimes called a pre-biotic, is mannan oligosaccharide (MOS). This is a constituent of yeast cell walls. It bonds with pathogenic (bad) bacteria, removing them from the gut, leaving the beneficial bacteria free to multiply and therefore digest fibre more efficiently.

The forage to concentrate ratio (proportion of forage in the total diet compared to the proportion of hard feed) is also improved because TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer is very nutrient-dense. It is fed in very small quantities, for example just 500g (approximately two beakers) a day for a typical 16hh middleweight weighing 500kg. A small amount of hard feed obviously leaves more space in the digestive system for forage than a large hard feed.

Optimum Muscle Development and Topline

TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer contains the highest quality vegetable protein, rich in essential amino acids e.g. lysine, which not only promote maximum muscle development, but also aid the regeneration of muscle tissue after work.

Other nutrients present in TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer in generous amounts that are important in muscle metabolism are Vitamin E and selenium, which are very important anti-oxidants for optimum muscle function, and also Vitamin A, calcium, magnesium and copper.

Topline is created by a combination of body condition and muscle development. Optimum nutrition will contribute to maximum muscle development in a horse exercised or worked in the correct outline.