SmartPak supplements

[SarahandSam]

What are your experiences with the SmartPak line of supplements (their actual Smart-so-and-so products, not just their packaging of other brands)? I'm sure these have been mentioned plenty of times in various places, but clearly doing a search for "SmartPak" or "supplements" doesn't exactly narrow it down. (:

My barn owner would like all the boarders to switch to SmartPaks for her convenience, which makes sense when you see the Wall O' Supplements in the feed room. I like the prices on the SmartPak brand supplements and they seem to have good ingredients and good combinations for what I'm looking for. My horse is a 6-year-old QH who's been in light work; will be in slightly heavier work as it warms up and I hope to show him this summer. He's been on BOSS for coat/hooves and a glucosamine/etc. joint supplement for maintenance. Just this spring he's starting to show a little stiffness behind; I'm going to have the vet look at him when she does his shots in the next week or so, but wanted to try MSM--I'm unconvinced about oral joint supplements but being on one seems to help my dog, plus I've heard good things specifically about MSM.

I'm looking at the SmartFlex II Support for joints... has 10,000 MSM plus glucosamine, etc. Looking at the SmartShine instead of BOSS; keep hearing good things about flax seed so wanted to try that anyway. And thinking about the SmartDigest just to make sure the supplements are actually being processed and just to help keep him regular when he's going places this summer.

Any thoughts/experiences?

[Hampton Bay]

I have just started using the Smart Hoof and the Smart Performance Grass and I do like what they offer compared to other supplements, especially for the price. They are both powdered though, and I have to wet the feed a bit or the supplements end up on the ground.

That being said, the Smart Performance smells horrible. I have to hold my nose when I scoop it. I have switched everybody over to a RB because that stuff makes me gag and I just couldn't do it anymore. I have one still on it because I am trying a no-soy thing for her for the next week. Its just awful though. I am sensitive to some smells, but this is by far the worst one I have fed.

[America's Pride]

Smartpak is a good company to deal with. They have great customer service and their products are really good. You can call customer service and they can help you decide which products might work for you. You can also ask them to mail you a sample of the "smart" supplements for your horse to try before you order and entire month worth of that supplement.

[appychik]

I've used the Smart EZ Keeper Grass/Senior Grass as a multi-vit (tried both), plus Smartflex Senior, SmartMSM, and Smart Tendon. Currently, I just use the SmartMSM (as far as their actually "Smart" line is concerned). Love the products and love the company.

But, that being said, if your BO wants to switch everyone to Smartpaks, why not package your own using small tupperware (or the like) containers? If SP doesn't carry your preferred supps, it's just as easy to create your own... all mixed together. I don't notice any difference between what I mix and the SPs. Just a thought.

[SarahandSam]

I thought about that, AppyChik, but I don't think my joint supplement is working that much if he's having stiffness, so it seems like a good time to switch anyway. (:

Fortunately my horse is okay with powders; he'll pretty much eat anything that's not nailed down, and most things that are... d; I'll have to ask them about getting samples though! I was going to call them and ask for their recommendations as well; my BO says they've been really helpful with helping her find a good mix for one of her rescue horses that has all sorts of issues.

[CB/TB]

I only get one item from them on a schedule and I'm pretty happy. They are in MA and when they notify me that the item has shipped, I get it the next day. My horse is home, but they do have a "Barn Buddy" program that I think reduces the cost of items sent to the same place. You might look into that program if you do decide to go with them as a group.

[cloudyandcallie]

I started out with the smartpak brands of hoof and antioxidants/vitamins because as the charts show, they had more of everything in them. Unfortunately, it was too much of a good thing and Cloudy stocked up.
So I switched to name brands which have less of the "good stuff" in them.
Smartpak was very nice and offered to take my supps back, but I gave them to another horse in the barn instead, and he didn't stock up, so it was just my horse "Mr. Easy Keeper Who Digests Everything". I did try them for 2 orders just to see if he would get over it, but he still stocked up.
I want to try the smartpak joint supp, and may add it to our smartpak.
We do the barn buddy, since the costs have gone up from 5.95 to 7.95 now, so that helps.
I love the service and that when I said that I really didn't change anything else but add the smartpak, they believed me. (They called and went down a checklist to see if anything else had changed to cause the stocking up.)

[cloudyandcallie]

Oh and OP, read up on BOSS. The literature says too much omega 6.

[FlashGordon]

I've liked the SmartPak brand of supplements. SmartPak as a company is incredibly easy to deal with, which makes me like them even more.

I use the SmartMSM, and saw a noticeable difference in Win. One dose is 10,000mg. I've also been using the SmartDigest. He's been on both supplements since about December.

The pricetag is attractive, each run about $11-12 a month I think? I'm always trying to keep costs down, especially given all of Win's vet and farrier bills these past 6 months.

I'm probably going to switch off the SmartDigest and put him on EquiPride but that is only because I suspect he may have some digestion issues.

For you and Sam, I think the SmartPak line would be both economical and effective.

[JohnDeere]

IF you package your own and you have a small amount of something to give (MSM etc)you can use those pill boxes they have for "mature" people to put their pills in each day. Some of those boxes look big enough to hold an elephayt so I know theyd hold smaller powder doses. And the BO always knows if that days been fed yet.

[dwblover]

I love them. I use both SmartDigest Ultra and Smart Tendon. The Smart Tendon is really incredible. Look at the reviews on the website of Smart Tendon. I wrote one. Great stuff.

[NowThatsATrot]

I've been using the SmartFlex Senior on and off for about 2-3 years, and I've been very happy with it. The only reasons I switch "off" are 1) because it contains some banned substances (ie Devil's Claw) and I do aim to get to rated shows at some point and 2) I tried other supplements to see if they worked any better. I even tried the SmartFlex Ultra III because it had more of certain ingredients, but for my guy, just didn't work as well.

When I first started him on it he was a bit of a hard keeper, so I liked that the Senior had some probiotics in it. I've since found that part of his weight issues were the farm where he used to board, but even when he was still there he gained weight with no changes except the Senior.

With my last order I switched from the Organic Garlic to SP's new SmartBug-Off supplement. I double dose the garlic (as per my vet) and while I love it it's expensive that way; a single serving of the Bug-Off is slightly cheaper, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Won't know until it's been in his system a while, but I was happy enough with the quality of their other stuff to try it, anyway.

[trubandloki]

Fortunately my horse is okay with powders; he'll pretty much eat anything that's not nailed down, and most things that are... d; I'll have to ask them about getting samples though!

Do ask for samples!

My boy will eat anything and everything but when I put the smartpak easy keeper grass in his wet down hay stretcher he turns up his nose if I do not add something else (applesauce, molasses, etc).

I really like their stuff, it is just frustrating that it does not come in a pellet form.

[wildlifer]

Love them -- currently feeding both SmartPak Senior (I don't do rated shows) and SmartHoof, have also used SmartFlex II, but switched to the Senior to get the devil's claw and my horse is doing great!

[joiedevie99]

I love SmartSenior as well. My retiree has been doing great on it for almost two years. Previously I was buying four supplements to get all those ingredients and making my own packs. This is cheaper and easier. I wish it was legal because I would put my other horses on it as well. Instead, they get cosequin with MSM.

[findeight]

I have been using their coat supplement Omega something or other.

Well under the price of the major brand and has certainly had an effect on the spring shed and underlying coat and skin quaility. I can see a difference.

Unfortunately, sometimes do show where they test and cannot use their Senior and at least one of their joint formulas.

They also have the best price for LubriSyn right now we could find when you include shipping.

It's alot better then the wall 'o supplements and the staff has to deliberately skip feeding it to miss on this no brainer.

If you board out or run a bigger barn, it's the way to go.

[hollyhorse2000]

I use the SmartGut after a month+ of Ulcergard and I love it. I actually think my horse is even BETTER than before. Less girthy, even. I can't explain it.

Smartpak also carries Glanzen 3, which I recommend.

[KonaPony]

I've used the SmartDigest (to combat gassiness and diarrhea). It seemed to help some. But then I switched to Forco because it was a lot less expensive (and it was the particular product the vet recommended, so why not) and I have to say that I do like it better. Maybe I'm just imagining it, but it seems to be keeping those issues under control better, and the price tag sure does make me happier. Sadly, SmartPak doesn't sell it.

[okggo]

I use the vit/mineral blends, Smartvite senior, easy keeper grass, and mare. I love the products and company, and basically every month I add or remove things (for example, doing feed-thru fly right now, and have 2 TBs on cocosoya ultra to help pick up some more weight). I've had some problems with the website arbitrarily changing shipping dates on me and such, so I've been doing my changes by phone now and really like this company. Great to work with.

[RacetrackReject]

I have 1 guy on the SmartMSM and another that gets SmartGain4 and was getting SmartRepair as well. I had trouble getting him to eat the SmartRepair and it didnt' seem to make much difference after a month anyway, so I switched him to Hyla(something). It had similiar values of the stuff in SmartRepair minus the silica. I love the way the SmartGain smells.. omg, like cookies or something..lol. Anyway, both eat up everything now.

Oh, the SmartRepair is also a very fine powder. I felt like I snorted as much as I could get my horse to eat just by pouring it into his feed.

[Mimi La Rue]

I started out with the smartpak brands of hoof and antioxidants/vitamins because as the charts show, they had more of everything in them. Unfortunately, it was too much of a good thing and Cloudy stocked up.
So I switched to name brands which have less of the "good stuff" in them.
Smartpak was very nice and offered to take my supps back, but I gave them to another horse in the barn instead, and he didn't stock up, so it was just my horse "Mr. Easy Keeper Who Digests Everything". I did try them for 2 orders just to see if he would get over it, but he still stocked up.
I want to try the smartpak joint supp, and may add it to our smartpak.
We do the barn buddy, since the costs have gone up from 5.95 to 7.95 now, so that helps.
I love the service and that when I said that I really didn't change anything else but add the smartpak, they believed me. (They called and went down a checklist to see if anything else had changed to cause the stocking up.)

I just purchased a horse about 2 weeks ago from my trainer. I am giving him 3 supplements by Smartpak and he has been stocking up the last week, especially in his front legs. My trainer said he has never stocked up like that before and he has been with her since July. He is getting worked just as hard as he was before I purchased him. I am giving him Farrier's Formula, SmartFlex Maintenance and SmartTendon plus electrolytes. I wonder if it could be one or all of these supplements he just started on. Should I give it another week to see if maybe it's just because he just started on them or should I try something else? Prior to me purchasing him my trainer was just giving him electrolytes and pp osteon – which she gives all of her horses. She recommended putting him on a hoof supplement and since he is 15 I thought starting him on a joint supplement would be benifitual. He is moving great and has lots of energy but I hate seeing him stocked up like that.

[Calvincrowe]

I find it cheaper to order in bulk from SmartPak and make my own containers, but that is just me. I did order them as paks and really liked them. I use the SmartSenior and Omega Horseshine. The Omega is amazing!! My roan is shiny, shiny and fully shed out, it is cheap and he loves the stuff--will lick it off my hands (be careful..dogs love it too).

Their customer service is incredible. They know how to treat the customer and it shows.

[dressage fan]

I think that Smartpak is an excellent concept and I really like their website and customer service. However, the flax based products that I like (Ex. Reitsport) are larger in volume and take more than one smartpak well. I wish they would develop a larger well for some of the supplements.

[BeastieSlave]

I have one getting SmartGut (also daily wormer) from Smartpak and I've been really happy :yes:

Like hollyhorse2000, I started him on it at the end of 30 days on UlcerGard - I overlapped them for about a week. I think the horse has done very well on it. He had one 'episode' where I suspected he might be stressed and worried about ulcers returning, but he's bounced back beautifully with just the SmartGut.

Also, the horse who is getting the SmartPak is very finicky! I think he actually likes the taste. I know he eats the feed with the sups in it faster than the feed without.

[cloudyandcallie]

I just purchased a horse about 2 weeks ago from my trainer. I am giving him 3 supplements by Smartpak and he has been stocking up the last week, especially in his front legs. My trainer said he has never stocked up like that before and he has been with her since July. He is getting worked just as hard as he was before I purchased him. I am giving him Farrier's Formula, SmartFlex Maintenance and SmartTendon plus electrolytes. I wonder if it could be one or all of these supplements he just started on. Should I give it another week to see if maybe it's just because he just started on them or should I try something else? Prior to me purchasing him my trainer was just giving him electrolytes and pp osteon – which she gives all of her horses. She recommended putting him on a hoof supplement and since he is 15 I thought starting him on a joint supplement would be benifitual. He is moving great and has lots of energy but I hate seeing him stocked up like that.

Sorry for delay in checking this thread. Change now. I gave mine away to another horse at the barn after the 2nd 3wk amount came, so I gave it about a month for his legs to not stock up. Giving 1/2 of the supps in the morning and 1/2 at night made it better, but he still had some swelling. (He stocked up in his hind legs for the 4 week period).
Smartpak will take your supps back, and they will call you to see if you changed anything, I keep a journal so I know exactly what I do and exactly what the weather is like, in stall or out in the pasture, added treats, etc.
The good thing about the smartpak brands is that they have more of all the good "stuff" and the bad thing is that sometimes that is too much, even for a 16.2 portly pinto wb.
Start with the farriers formula, then if all is well and it should be, I've used it before, and then when smartpak emails you to ask for any changes, add the joint supp.
They are really good about changing things until you get what is best for your horse, and they don't complain about changes.

[piaffequeen]

I tried every joint supplement there was and I finally put Sam on the Smartpak Senior and he is like a new horse! And he eats it with no problem!