‘Best Guess’ mix was developed for horse owners who can’t, or don’t want to go the whole effort of testing their pasture and/or hay.
- ‘Helps with hoof growth and quality, healthier and darker coat, mane and tail, immune system, and general well-being.
- The 1kg pack – mixes to a 4kg batch with the salt. (see the Specifications tab for instructions).
- Standard dose will last 6 months for one horse.
- For economy consider the Large (4.5kg) Best Guess to last 26.4 months.
- There is NO added iron and manganese which are harmful in excess and competes with the uptake of zinc and copper.
- The price is kept low by using a strong and durable, high quality re-sealable plastic bag.
Ingredients: Per dose.
- 200 mg copper
- 600 mg zinc
- 2 mg iodine
We recommend adding salt to Best Guess is to make the feeding rate very easy to measure.
Many horses are sodium or chloride deficient so the amount of salt added *per day* to the Best Guess mix is quite small. We recommended to supplement an additional 2 tablespoons of salt in one feed or split among a number of feeds per day, more in hot weather. Always start with a tiny amount and build up slowly to increase acceptance over time.
Add 3 kg (to the 1kg pack) or 4.5kg (to the 5kg pack) of plain salt and mix thoroughly.
The salt is a ‘filler’ so that each dose per day equals 1 metric (20 ml) level tablespoon, an easy to measure size.
Use plain salt, for example 20 kg bags Olsson’s Salt from your stockfeed supplier. Also available from hardware stores as Pool Salt (Bunnings, Masters).
Best Guess can be used to increase copper, zinc and iodine levels with Equi Horse +Se, Equi Horse and HoofXtra.
Best Guess can be fed with Equine Amino, Postbiotic Gut Support, Hydrate Support and the toxin binders Elitox and Mycosorb A+ in the same feed. This article on toxin binders explains their differences.
For more information on feeding minerals see this article on What to Do When Horses Don’t like Minerals.
Sonja (verified owner) –
My 2 horses took to it like ducks to water. Has only been a month and it’s winter but there coats are looking healthy. My 7y/o ASH is more settled in his training and showing good signs of muscle development and attitude . My 15y/o TB is also showing good health.
The mixture smells bad to my nose but my horses don’t seem to notice and have definitely not be turned off their feed by it. I like that it is what they need and not a whole lot of stuff they don’t. My farrier commented on how my two are a perfect picture of health. I’m happy , my ponies are happy. They are paddock only horses, no stables or shelters just trees but they don’t look like paddock only they look amazing
Toni Ramsey (verified owner) –
Have been using Carol Laytons best guess for 7 or 8 months now. I have 2 ponies living on a track system and 3 larger horses who are on pasture most of the time and on the track in the spring. They all have shiny soft coats and good healty hooves. I find BG takes all the thinking out and simplifys feeding. Also use mycosorb A+ at certain times when grass is rich or weeds are excessive. Really helps them digest the goodness andflush out toxins. Very happy with both products.
Jack (verified owner) –
I have found Best Guess to help stop hoof cracks and gives the horses coat a lovely shine .
Daryl Drew (verified owner) –
I have been giving my four horses your best guess mineral mix for several weeks now and I think they are doing quite well with this product. Our soil here is very acidic ( I live on Vancouver Island on the BC coast ) so I give them selenium and magnesium as well. At first I was a little concerned that the minerals looked like sand and we can have a problem here with sand colic, but I put some in a glass jar with water and it dissolved so I am sure it dissolves in the stomach acid of a horse. I mixed it with salt by putting it in a large plastic container with a lid and taking it to our local paint store who put it on their paint mixing machine and it is thoroughly mixed, cheers, dwd
katrina (verified owner) –
I bought a 5 kg bag of best guess, my thoroughbred been on it only 2 weeks , he looks amazing ….his coat really darken up hes got that wet seal look ……but hes got extremely hot ,and carrying on like a stallion if u know what i mean ……he bulked up really quick … now im not sure…….Is there any steroids or something that could react with him ……the results are too good too quick , no i havent changed his feed still the same as hes always had …..im stopping feeding him this , sadly as hes just too hot to handle now ……. but for someone looking for bulk and coat i would recommend for a show ….
Store Reply:
Thanks for taking the time to write a review for this product.
I wanted to let you know that it wouldn’t have anything to do with him ‘bulking up’ and being too hot to handle. It certainly has no steroids in it!
Most likely at this time of year with the spring grass, it has been too much for him along with whatever you’re normally feeding.
Grasses that are high in sugars, along with clover will certainly cause that ‘stallion like’ behaviour.
In fact, feeding him the minerals is probably the best thing you could do to help him remain calmer but I’d also add some magnesium which you can do separately as magnesium oxide – Causmag is the best one and available from most stockfeed suppliers.
If you let me know what else you’re feeding him, I might be able to identify some other positive changes you can make, and also check his pasture for clover and let me know how much area he as access to – a photo of him in the pasture would be great 🙂
I hope this helps explain why he has changed so much – although the minerals certainly would have helped with the coat colour change!
Dominique (verified owner) –
Great product. Have been using for both my horses for over a year now and the results are excellent, especially in their feet!
Mandy lawrence (verified owner) –
I was feeding this product free choice and ran out so I just offered plain salt and consumption plummeted…..my ponies sent me a clear message, "we like it so you better buy some more mum!!" A simple product that is easy to use, ponies love it and thrive on it.
Jen (verified owner) –
WOW is all I can say. For 15 years I have tried to find something that doesn’t contribute to making my horse hot but still getting the right balance of minerals. This is the best mix I have ever used. My horse who is the fussiest ever, is even eating it without any problems.
Ingerlise Armand (verified owner) –
I would like to know the exact ingredients as it doesn’t say. I also wonder why – after adding salt – I only have to give each horse 2 teaspoons, whereas when I used Hoof Rescue Mineral Mix, I used 1 tablespoon (without adding salt) for each horse. I cannot rate this product, as it is too early. I don’t know which one of the two products is the best, as it is difficult to figure out.
Store Reply: The ingredients are listed under the specifications tab on the product page, and it is actually 1 tablespoon of Best Guess as per the instuctions: "The salt is a ‘filler’ so that each dose per day equals 1 metric (20 ml) level tablespoon, an easy to measure size. One level metric tablespoon of your salt should weigh approximately 22-23 grams. Start with 1 teaspoon and build up slowly."
Most horses will show continued good results after using the Hoof Rescue when they are switched to the Best Guess, unless they have particularly bad hooves, or are being ridden 4 or more times weekly. The hooves will show the full picture after a month or so with strong connected growth at the top of the hoof wall if its working well. Hope that helps explain.
Tania Piper (verified owner) –
This is my second batch. It lasts ages and my horses feet have improved in health immensely, he has gone from having dry cracked feet with uneven growth to healthy strong feet that also look so healthy now.
Emily (verified owner) –
Some of my horses were eating different soils all the time when out on trails that’s when I decided they might need added minerals. My 4 have been getting best guess mineral mix for about 6 months now & no more soil sampling along trails & they are happy to eat it mixed in their feed
Linda Jackson (verified owner) –
I have been using these minerals for the past 3 years after hearing a nutrition talk by Carol Layton. I have 2 mini ponies and an older horse. Since using them all the ponies have fantastic looking shiny coats and good strong hoof growth. The older horse came to me a year ago with feet in poor condition due to lack of trimming and they are now much improved and growing strongly. His coat is always smooth and shiny. I feed the minerals with dampened chaff and as long as they are mixed well into the feed have no problem with them being eaten. An added bonus has been that one of the ponies was prone to scouring and habitually had a dirty tail at various times of the year. Since feeding the minerals this has stopped completely. Same pony also had a locked stifle which showed up if not exercised regularly. This has also not shown itself in the last couple of years despite periods out of work due to owner illness in that time. I have not tried out every sort of mineral supplement on the market so couldn’t say they are "the best" but they work for me. They are also an economical way of feeding minerals when you only have a few ponies. I like that they come with full mixing instructions and I use a cheap lidded nappy bucket with the lid secured with tape for mixing with the salt and I also store them in the same bucket which works well.
Louisa Peelman (verified owner) –
Great Minerals, I can really see the difference in my horses, Highly recommend this product.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
I have been giving it to my 29yo mare who has arthritis in her hips and has been suffering from ring bone. I have seen a happier healthy horse and I am hardly ever having to give her bute where once it was daily.
Also giving it my 8yo who is looking fantastic, very dappled, shiny coat.
Will keep using.
Glen (verified owner) –
We have only been using for three weeks at this stage, so I can’t give a full review, but have seen a great improvement in my 18 year old gelding. He was a very sun bleached bay, light brown, and is now progressively getting darker, his once reddish mane is already almost all jet black. Impressed with the product will keep using.