Feed balancers grumble

0ldmare

0ldmare

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Just seen an advert for Haylage Balancer (or something like that) and it got me thinking about Feed Balancers in general. Why is the feed we buy at vast cost from the feed companies so 'imbalanced' that we have to give feed balancers?

OK I can understand buying supplements for specific purposes - for coughs, hormonal tendencies and to help calm over excitable horses, help with joints etc, etc but why do we need general feed balancers and general all round supplements to keep them healthy?

I dont buy them anyway (as you probably deduced) - if my horses are out of balance they look remarkably perky, plump and glossily so, but thats because I think they are a con to extract ever more money.... or am I being a grumpy old bat on a Monday and should get on with my work?
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Why is the feed we buy at vast cost from the feed companies so 'imbalanced' that we have to give feed balancers?

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They're not necessarily. But many of us don't feed at the recommended quantities - so need a balancer or a vit suppliment to ensure that our horses are getting a balanced diet.


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the feed you buy in a bag is only balenced if you feed the recommended amount of fed to your horse/pony. most of us dont, so the vits and mins are reduced. the means you should top up with a balencer.....the balancers also contain pre and pro biotics to help gut function. if you feed the rocomended amount of feed given on the bag then no need to worry x
 
Oldmare I don't buy them as my horses hate the taste.

My horses are very good doers and so I was shocked when one feed company told me I should be feeding 4kg per day of their feed. They get less than a kg.

Then we have ILPH saying that obesity is THE modern welfare problem and owners are overfeeding their horses!! I do have vit/min licks in all my paddocks.
 
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I think if they eat enough natural food (such as grass) that surely they shouldn't need anything like that?

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Except that there's not much, if any, goodness in the grass once the first frosts have hit it.


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Balancers are not designed to be fed alongside commercial mixes or cubes fed at the recommended rate!

The original idea of balancers was to supplement a forage based diet, particularly for breeding stock. A lot of horses can get their calorific needs from a hay based diet, but hay alone (particularly if not good quality) does not always contain enough protein or vitamins and minerals for growing youngsters. These nutrients can be provided by giving the recommended amount of a cube or mix, but this may provide too many calories for some animals and contribute to developmental problems in youngstock. Balancers were then designed to give all the vitamin, mineral and protein needs in a very small amount of feed.

However, balancers are now marketed at a much wider range of equines, and although they are useful in some circumstances, many people don't really understand them and they are often fed unneccesarily.
 
I've always thought that the "recommended quantities" are completely excessive, and a ruse by the feed companies to get us to feed more and therefore to buy more.

I have everything here from youngstock to ponies to hunters to comp horses and they all get minimal amounts of hard feed, generous amounts of haylage, and absolutely no "general" supplements whatsoever. In fact, none of them are getting any supplements atm.

They are all in great condition, neither too fat nor too thin, and all are well capable of carrying out their various workloads. If I fed the recommended amounts they would all be fat as pigs and probably unrideable.

Oh, and I teach equine nutrition.

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I think if they eat enough natural food (such as grass) that surely they shouldn't need anything like that?

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Of course they do!! It is not like in the wild where they can roam and chose what to eat to get the correct vits etc. Grass does not provide a balanced diet especially this time of year
 
Completely agree TGM. Balancers are great for horses in light to medium work, fed purely on fibre without any "mixes" or "cubes" as they provide the horse with everything that may be lacking. They can also be fed alongside small amounts of hard feed to top up the vits and because they boost digestion can help horses do well on less feed.
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I feed them to my horses if they are getting all their energy required from chaffs/sugar beet and hay/hayledge. Once they need a bit more from their feed, I wean them off the balancer and onto a cube or mix. It then works out as a cost effective and as natural as possible way of feeding I believe!
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OK, so I'll accept hay as a substitute
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Fwiw though, my horses do have a fair few acres to roam on, lots of different grasses etc, trees, bushes - as natural as you could get without being wild. They have access to salt licks etc too.

I don't see why you need to feed lots of extras, I never have done and can't say we've ever really had any sick or ill looking horses either.......
 
Not many people have the grazing available to not have to supplement their horse's diet though...

also depends on your horse's workload, type of horse, age, etc etc.
 
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I have everything here from youngstock to ponies to hunters to comp horses and they all get minimal amounts of hard feed, generous amounts of haylage, and absolutely no "general" supplements whatsoever. In fact, none of them are getting any supplements atm.

[/ QUOTE ] Horses on good quality haylage are much less in need of any supplements or balancers than those on poor/average quality hay. (Which is why the marketing of that 'haylage balancer' annoys me so much.
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I do agree that the recommended rates of commercial foods are often far in excess of what a lot of horses need in terms of calorie requirements, but this is the rate that the manufacturers base their vit/min supplementation on. So if you feed less than the recommended rate you are feeding less vit/mins than the manufacturer intended. If your horses are on good quality grazing or haylage, then it is quite likely they get the bulk of their vit/min requirement from that, so feeding reduced amounts will probably not have a detrimental effect. However, if you are relying upon the feed to provide a good dosage of vit/mins because your forage is not top notch, then it won't do that if you feed at vastly reduced rates and a vit/min supplement may be a good idea.
 
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I think if they eat enough natural food (such as grass) that surely they shouldn't need anything like that?

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Exactly what I was thinking as I was reading down this thread. I also have also assumed that the recommended feeding rates are based on a stabled horse not having access to grazing.

I think you would have to be desperately underfeeding to cause a problem with vits & mins with the exception of feeding youngsters.

I am sure a lot of it is down to good marketing.
 
Hmm, I hadnt thought of it from the point of view of not feeding the recommended amount of hard food (I defintitely don't - if I fed anything like the recommended amount my horses would be the size of elephants!) I just keep an eye on them and if one of them looks like running up a bit light I up the feed, if they are looking a bit porky I cut it down. Having said that they always go out on grass in the day and always get good quality hay so maybe thats OK for them...... although I do concede that they do have a salt/mineral lick so maybe I 'supplement' their feed after all
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. I guess if they were in their stables 24/7 I might have to be a bit more scientific about it
 
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I don't see why you need to feed lots of extras,

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You don't! But like the rest of the market, on the one hand there's always money to be made, and on the other, there's a wide range of horses, and so a wide range of help can't be a bad thing!!!

I feed a low clorie balancer to all four of mine as they are living out and only getting grass at the moment. (occasional hay depending on weather etc)

I'm happier knowing all their vits, mins and trace elements are available and they can utilise everything in their diet!
 
so basically as practically none of us are feeding the recommended amounts if the manufacturers just stuck a bit more vit/min in their feed balancers would be unnecessary.

I dont feed a balancer mine get grass in summer, hay/hifi/sugar beet and basic nuts in winter. I did feed a balancer but it made absolutely no difference to the problems mine did have (namely skin/feet) despite claiming that it would. However targetted supplementation has helped no end
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ester which balancer did you try out of interest
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? I had mine on Topspec when I first got him as he had not great feet, and his feet improved no end. He had a fantastic coat all year round (as my mare does who is on it at the moment). My mare looks fantastic on topspec, speedibeet and Alfa oil, and she looked quite poor when I got her... so I do think it can work well for some horses
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I have everything here from youngstock to ponies to hunters to comp horses and they all get minimal amounts of hard feed, generous amounts of haylage, and absolutely no "general" supplements whatsoever. In fact, none of them are getting any supplements atm.

[/ QUOTE ] Horses on good quality haylage are much less in need of any supplements or balancers than those on poor/average quality hay. (Which is why the marketing of that 'haylage balancer' annoys me so much.
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I do agree that the recommended rates of commercial foods are often far in excess of what a lot of horses need in terms of calorie requirements, but this is the rate that the manufacturers base their vit/min supplementation on. So if you feed less than the recommended rate you are feeding less vit/mins than the manufacturer intended. If your horses are on good quality grazing or haylage, then it is quite likely they get the bulk of their vit/min requirement from that, so feeding reduced amounts will probably not have a detrimental effect. However, if you are relying upon the feed to provide a good dosage of vit/mins because your forage is not top notch, then it won't do that if you feed at vastly reduced rates and a vit/min supplement may be a good idea.

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Yes, I know
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Just seen an advert for Haylage Balancer (or something like that) and it got me thinking about Feed Balancers in general. Why is the feed we buy at vast cost from the feed companies so 'imbalanced' that we have to give feed balancers? OK I can understand buying supplements for specific purposes - for coughs, hormonal tendencies and to help calm over excitable horses, help with joints etc, etc but why do we need general feed balancers and general all round supplements to keep them healthy

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I SPEND HALF MY LIFE TRYING TO PERSUADE PEOPLE TO THIS POINT OF VIEW! The sad thing is many people are desperate to do whatever they think is good for their horse and especially if you are new with horses you will believe what the adverts and "impartial" "nutritionists" tell you. It is the same with stuff like Gastro Guard - they realised the increase in gastric ulcers since the 70's (when mixes were introduced) was due to improper micronization of barley in their feeds, but instead of micronizing the barley properly which would drive up costs they brought in Gastro Guard which solves the gastric ulcer problem but can cause ulcers further down the digestive system. People are just being influenced to buy things they think will make their horse better but they don't need them at all. Same with Garlic - all the cases behind 'natural fly repellent' and other such benefits are a bit iffy. Ultimately it is like people who take vitamin supplements - If you have a healthy, balanced diet and have no health problems you do not need anything added to your diet.
 
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Just seen an advert for Haylage Balancer (or something like that) and it got me thinking about Feed Balancers in general. Why is the feed we buy at vast cost from the feed companies so 'imbalanced' that we have to give feed balancers? OK I can understand buying supplements for specific purposes - for coughs, hormonal tendencies and to help calm over excitable horses, help with joints etc, etc but why do we need general feed balancers and general all round supplements to keep them healthy

[/ QUOTE ]

I SPEND HALF MY LIFE TRYING TO PERSUADE PEOPLE TO THIS POINT OF VIEW! The sad thing is many people are desperate to do whatever they think is good for their horse and especially if you are new with horses you will believe what the adverts and "impartial" "nutritionists" tell you. It is the same with stuff like Gastro Guard - they realised the increase in gastric ulcers since the 70's (when mixes were introduced) was due to improper micronization of barley in their feeds, but instead of micronizing the barley properly which would drive up costs they brought in Gastro Guard which solves the gastric ulcer problem but can cause ulcers further down the digestive system. People are just being influenced to buy things they think will make their horse better but they don't need them at all. Same with Garlic - all the cases behind 'natural fly repellent' and other such benefits are a bit iffy. Ultimately it is like people who take vitamin supplements - If you have a healthy, balanced diet and have no health problems you do not need anything added to your diet.

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So explain to me then how my horse, who has never in his life been fed barley, micronised or otherwise (I am his second owner, I bought him from his breeder), and who in fact has had an entirely fibre based diet, got ulcers then? It's a nice conspiracy theory, but I suspect if it were an email Snopes might just flag it up
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Aha! I didn't say that ulcers were ONLY caused by improperly micronized barley did I??! OF COURSE there are other instances, in fact the other reasons probably make up the majority, but it's not a conspiracy theory, one of my friends mums has been researching this for years. I'm a total convert
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I have to say, I quite like balancers. Penny is 24 and retired and looks well on Saracen Bio-Life 2000. She's laminitic so can't have anything sugary. Misty and Saf (both in very light winter work ATM) also have a cup each, as they're both good doers. I like the way that it's low in calories and concentrated so they don't have to be fed buckets of the stuff. It's also useful at feedtimes as they're all feed together in the field. Because they just have a scoop of chaff and a cup of bio-life they don't take ages to eat their dinner (good for me, waiting patiently for them). They're all out at grass, which is good quality, but it doesn't give them eveything they need.
 
Actually, that raises a good point, SE. Laminitics are one group of animals who can often benefit from a vit/min supplement or a lo calorie balancer, because due to the nature of their condition they are often on very restricted diets, don't have unlimited access to good grazing and are fed soaked hay (the soaking removes a lot of the vit/min content along with the carbs).
 
QR - And pretty much as already said.

I personally think balancers work great for my two horses,
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but then they are not in work, and they are not on any/enough hard feed to meet their nutritional requirements.

I *could* up their hard feed, and have done in the past before trying balancers, but I don't think that is the best for my old mare who suits a diet with as much fibre as possible, or my good dooer who I'm constantly battling to keep the weight off.

Be is a *very* good dooer,
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and I feed her ab lib (but not stunning quality) hay, therefore all that she needs is lo cal (@ 60p a day) and handful of good dooer chaff with it, and I know that means she is getting her vits and minerals, but keeping her weight down.
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Star is a large horse, an oldie, and being a cribber has previously been prone to colic and ulcers. I would rather let her have plenty of haylage, some topspec senior, for the pre and pro biotic aspect, as well as the nutrients, and then a comparatively small quantity of mix per day, than feeding her 4+ kgs a day of conditioning feeds and lots of starch.

In the many years of owning her, I find this is how she holds condition the best, and as well as the health benefit, I believe that with the benefits that it brings, then it works out cheaper in the long run.

I can completely understand that for a horse who in on the RDA of a good complete feed, and quality forage then they would be a waste of money - but they work for mine
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Very well in fact
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