# SmartPak supplements



## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

Im thinking about putting Shaggy on Smart dark and Handsome and SmartBreathe. The first obviously cause Shaggy's black and won't be stalled this summer so i kinda want to stay black and the second cause Shaggy's allgeries make it hard for him to breathe especially with it getting hotter and he's coughing a lot when start trotting. So I was wondering has anyone used these before and has success? Im generally curious because i've never really used supplements before. I'm also think i might SmartFlex senior for my older guy Blaze he's 21 but would it do anything do him since he's founder before/might be again?


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

interested in hearing peoples opinions as im thinking of trying smartpaks


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## fkonidaris (Jan 26, 2012)

I'm not sure about the supplements you've mentioned, but I have used other supplements from SmartPak and have had a lot of success with them! Almost all the horses in our barn are on some kind of supplement from there and have had really excellent results! My mare is spooky, high strung, and marish and I had her on the SmartCalm Ultra pellets which did wonders for her. It was almost too strong, so I switched her to the SmartMare Harmony, which is perfect for her! She's been fantastic!


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## hhadavis (May 3, 2008)

LOVE Smartpaks...so convenient and a wide array of choices to choose from depending upon what you can afford. I havnt used their smart dark and handsome, but did use the black as knight in smartpak, it was great. I also have used their smartomega3's which does wonders for a horses coat and overall appearance. currently have all four of mine on the smart bugoff and so far yes it took me having them off it a week to notice how much it really does work. Also used the smart hoof product after my mare foundered, and it did great in getting hoof regrowth, my vet was actually surprised on how much growth she had in a short time and she recovered nicely from her founder. ALso trying metaboleeze right now for my easy keeper walker, hes a chunk and really doesnt get any grain so thinking hes got some metabolism issues..if I dont see a difference with it will try the smart control IR they have next. They have great customer service and at anytime you are unhappy they will go out of their way to work with you. Ive had my mare on the smartMSM for a couple years now too due to a past hock injury and I can tell she is less still with it, expecially during the cooler months.


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## HagonNag (Jul 17, 2010)

We've had our OTTB on SmartPaks now for YEARS. I seriously love this company. Anytime you call and talk with someone, you get people who actually know horses! I love ordering our wormers and other stuff...they just include it with our monthly smartpak for no extra shipping! These people are wonderful to work with. When a friend's horse died, she got a condolence card, a frame for his picture and they didn't charge her for her last month's supplements! Now THAT is a company that cares!


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## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

wow i keep hearing such great things about smartpak! I can't wait to actually try some! which brings me to another question. How do you give supplements to pasture kept horses who don't get grain?

Also that was nice of them to do that for your friend HagonNag


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I use the Magnesium, Vitamen B, and Smartflex smart paks. I like them. I would however double check the contents on the dark and handsome to ensure that it is show legal. Most smartpaks are but I'd double check. Sometimes the color ones have things like paprika in them.


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

I <3 SmartPak. My boy retired from a GP show jumping career before I got him - so he's had the joint abuse from that career and he's 18. I use the SmartFlex Senior and it's done some very nice things for him. I also have him on the SmartOmega, partly to make up for the fact that he gets relatively little fresh grass, partly to improve the quality of his coat. And they both have probiotics in them, which has definitely helped his digestion.

Huey gets them in his grain, but the pelleted supplements he would eat even if they were not in the grain. I know this because before I ordered them, I got three day trials from SmartPak and shot them to his without his feed. If you want to try the SmartPaks, I would definitely suggest requesting trials from them - they'll give them to you for free so you can make sure that your horse will actually eat them.

The customer service is terrific, and I've found the pnline customer reviews for the different supplements to be really helpful in identifying which ones are likely to help, and which ones might have a funky consistency or taste that the horse could be picky about.


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## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

farmpony84 said:


> I use the Magnesium, Vitamen B, and Smartflex smart paks. I like them. I would however double check the contents on the dark and handsome to ensure that it is show legal. Most smartpaks are but I'd double check. Sometimes the color ones have things like paprika in them.


 thanks I don't show so its no problem


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## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

ThursdayNext- I saw the three day trial thing and i may try it! My boys aren't very picky they wil eat just about anything you stick in front of their face lol


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

i just ordered my trials, because my horse is a bit picky ! they were very nice and helpful on the phone ! does anyone have experience with the smartflex II or III ? im not sold on oral joint supplements yet, but apparently people see good results.


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## HagonNag (Jul 17, 2010)

All I know is that our vet recommended weekly glucosamine injections for our horse's mild arthritis. He stated that the injection route is the method that has been clinically shown to be most effective. We've always listened to him and at 20, our horse is comfy being ridden. He gets an quick injection in his neck every week. We've never tried the oral supplements for him, but a lot of people use them.


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## corgi (Nov 3, 2009)

gypsygirl said:


> i just ordered my trials, because my horse is a bit picky ! they were very nice and helpful on the phone ! does anyone have experience with the smartflex II or III ? im not sold on oral joint supplements yet, but apparently people see good results.


I am new to SmartPak. Mine arrived on Friday. I am using smartflex II. My horse is a retired polo pony and has some major stiffness in her hocks and stifles.

I was away all weekend but the BO started her on them on Saturday morning. I went to see her last night and I am sure it was my imagination but she seemed to have more spring in her step! I will let you know if there is any "real" improvement.

The monthly charge is $40 but they gave me a new customer special and knocked the price down to $20 a month for the first two months!


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## Kayella (Feb 11, 2012)

I wish they had SmartPaks for weanlings/yearlings. :/ I'd love to use SmartPak with my new baby, but I apparently have to wait two years before I can do so.


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## crimsonsky (Feb 18, 2011)

while i do supplement my two riding age horses, i have never actually used the smartpaks as they just aren't cost effective for me. i spend less money buying by the bag/bucket than i would in the smartpaks. :/


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## HagonNag (Jul 17, 2010)

crimsonsky said:


> while i do supplement my two riding age horses, i have never actually used the smartpaks as they just aren't cost effective for me. i spend less money buying by the bag/bucket than i would in the smartpaks. :/


When I compared prices on the supplements we use, I was paying a penny a day, TOTAL for the convenience of the SmartPak. Since we board, it's the one sure way to make sure he's getting what he needs and if we leave town, it's easy to take them with us. AND I don't have to be running out to pick up stuff every time I turn around. It's always there.
I don't know what you are supplementing, but I'm surprised - usually they are priced very competitively.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

^^me too, they also have a lot of price comparisons on their website, so its worth it to check it out.


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## crimsonsky (Feb 18, 2011)

i give the following:
glucosamine
msm
u-gard
probios
farrier's formula double strength 

and it comes out to less a month for both horses by a significant amount than what it would cost me for one horse through smartpak. the convenience isn't the same, obviously, but i don't mind filling the cups every other week as it only takes me ~5 minutes.


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

I love SmartPaks. They are easy to change when you need to also. Cinny used to be on the "Dark as Knight" which is like the Smart Dark. As noted before, this could cause a positive on some drug tests and certain shows. Also the Paprika in them is in the Pepper family and can cause a little stomach irritation if your horse already has tummy issues such as gastric reflux or ulcers or might have these problems. The new stable I am moving to charges 25 bucks a month extra to feed a horse medication or added supplements UNLESS you have smartpak, then they feed it for free.

As for the coughing when your horse trots. How long does it last? This is what my vet has told me and says it is normal in a lot of horses that are in stalls and you may not necessarily need a supplement. When horses sit in their stalls they breath in a lot of dust usually. This settles in the windpipe and airways. The more days without running or exercise, the more dust build up. Then you go to work the horse and it coughs... this is just his system getting rid of the settled dust and debris and can last through your warmup process. It normally starts up when you begin to trot or canter your horse and can last about 10 to 15 minutes, and then goes away. If you exercise your horse daily at at least a trot, you will notice it isn't as bad.


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## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

Cinnys Whinny said:


> I love SmartPaks. They are easy to change when you need to also. Cinny used to be on the "Dark as Knight" which is like the Smart Dark. As noted before, this could cause a positive on some drug tests and certain shows. Also the Paprika in them is in the Pepper family and can cause a little stomach irritation if your horse already has tummy issues such as gastric reflux or ulcers or might have these problems. The new stable I am moving to charges 25 bucks a month extra to feed a horse medication or added supplements UNLESS you have smartpak, then they feed it for free.
> 
> As for the coughing when your horse trots. How long does it last? This is what my vet has told me and says it is normal in a lot of horses that are in stalls and you may not necessarily need a supplement. When horses sit in their stalls they breath in a lot of dust usually. This settles in the windpipe and airways. The more days without running or exercise, the more dust build up. Then you go to work the horse and it coughs... this is just his system getting rid of the settled dust and debris and can last through your warmup process. It normally starts up when you begin to trot or canter your horse and can last about 10 to 15 minutes, and then goes away. If you exercise your horse daily at at least a trot, you will notice it isn't as bad.


Hes not stalled anymore and it is from allergies he had a reaction to the pollen back in march and his breathing his still elevated some especially with the weather getting hotter so he coughs when i first start trotting him it only last a little bit and then he's fine. when his breathing was really bad the coughing was horrible so i didn't trot or work him at all for a couple weeks.


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## MakeYourMark (Feb 10, 2012)

SmartPaks are pretty stinking awesome. Yeah, you can find supplements for less if you look hard enough – but you get out what you put in. I love the convenience, especially since I always have to pop in and rush around before school and sometimes I'm feeding really late at night. Also, if you ever have to have anyone else feed for you, it's incredibly relieving to know that your horse will get its supplements even if you're not there.

Lunar is on SmartFlex III, Mare Magic, SmartShine, and Grand Hoof. I love all of them, and they make a big difference for her. It can get a bit pricey, but like I said, you get out what you put in, and I want her performing and feeling her best!


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## Lexiie (Nov 14, 2011)

I have smartpak joint supplements for my mare
They're so easy, and more cost efficient than going to tractor supply and buying it
My friend has smartpaks for her mare, she has multiple and it makes caring for her horse way easier.


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## ThursdayNext (Oct 18, 2011)

shaggy said:


> Hes not stalled anymore and it is from allergies he had a reaction to the pollen back in march and his breathing his still elevated some especially with the weather getting hotter so he coughs when i first start trotting him it only last a little bit and then he's fine. when his breathing was really bad the coughing was horrible so i didn't trot or work him at all for a couple weeks.


Huey does this too. We start trotting, and he starts hacking. Dust makes it worse, and it's definitely worse when there's a lot of pollen in the air. He's stalled overnight, but turned out 9, 10 hours per day. My trainer said she's also seen this when a horse has had a respiratory infection in the past, but given that Huey occasionally breaks out in hives, I'm going to go with "it's allergies". He rips out a few honkin' huge coughs for the first couple of trotting trips around the ring, and everything settles down after that.


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## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

ThursdayNext said:


> Huey does this too. We start trotting, and he starts hacking. Dust makes it worse, and it's definitely worse when there's a lot of pollen in the air. He's stalled overnight, but turned out 9, 10 hours per day. My trainer said she's also seen this when a horse has had a respiratory infection in the past, but given that Huey occasionally breaks out in hives, I'm going to go with "it's allergies". He rips out a few honkin' huge coughs for the first couple of trotting trips around the ring, and everything settles down after that.


poor Shaggy sounds like he's dying when he first does it he hacks a couple times and then he's fine. Thats why thought i might try smart breathe just to make it a little easier on him. =)


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

MakeYourMark said:


> Lunar is on SmartFlex III, Mare Magic, SmartShine, and Grand Hoof.


How much work does Lunar do?

I was thinking of trying one of the SmartFlex levels.


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

HagonNag said:


> When I compared prices on the supplements we use, I was paying a penny a day, TOTAL for the convenience of the SmartPak. Since we board, it's the one sure way to make sure he's getting what he needs and if we leave town, it's easy to take them with us. AND I don't have to be running out to pick up stuff every time I turn around. It's always there.
> I don't know what you are supplementing, but I'm surprised - usually they are priced very competitively.


A PENNY a day? Please explain what you feed your horse on Smartpak.


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

Oh yes- they have well made wizard for choosing supplements for your horse- 
SmartPak - Supplement Wizard


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