Feed balancer, what is it?

[basilbrush2009]

Sorry to seem uneducated ect but i have never fed balancer before.

Can you explain what it is? when and why people feed it ect

just wondered as a fellow livery uses it who i job share with occasionally and the thought occured to me

 

[RockinRudolph]

It's a feed thats low in calories etc but is balanced with vitamins and minerals, so of you are feeding nothing else and there's not much grass around then at least you know that they are getting what they need. I use the baileys one, mine is a native good doer so i only feed in winter when there's little or no grass.

 

[Cortez]

It is not a feed as such, it is a vitamin and mineral supplement that "balances" whatever else you're feeding by providing elements that are lacking in hay/haylage and very low amounts of hard feed (a good "balanced" ration or bagged feed should provide all the vits/mins when fed at the recommended amount, which is often a very large amount, too large for leisure horses or those not working hard). It should not be added to hard feed fed at recommended levels as that would over supplement the ration.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Largely a waste of money IMO. It is a vitamin and mineral supplement in some sort of carrier which is supposed to 'balance' your grazing/forage but as no-one knows what vits and mineral your grazing/forage has or lacks without testing, it is most unlikely to do so. Equines have evolved to graze, so if yours is on decent old meadow pasture which is not over-grazed, it will probably be getting enough vits and mins. If you feel that it isn't you should have the blood tested to find out what is lacking and then address that specifically.