Feed Balancers- Why?

dianchi

dianchi

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Just wondered what the views on balancers were and why people use them?

Personally I feed complete feeds and feed at the recommend levels (or more) so I'm confident that I am feeding all that my girl needs, I add MSM and currently trying turmeric (purely for joint support), and micronized linseed for coat and condition.

Are balancers now just a gimmick or do they have an value but only when people are not feeding at recommended levels?

Thursdays random musing :)
 
I think balancers are very useful for those that don't need to feed but want to know that their animals are getting a balance of minerals that hay and poor or lack of grazing won't provide.
I've never fed balancer's before and have relied on grazing and a mineral lick alone but as my horses have aged and become more sensitive to their grazing and more prone to weight gain, I've had to start reducing their intake of grass and find being able to provide what they need without having to 'feed' them really useful.
 
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dianchi said:
Just wondered what the views on balancers were and why people use them?

Personally I feed complete feeds and feed at the recommend levels (or more) so I'm confident that I am feeding all that my girl needs, I add MSM and currently trying turmeric (purely for joint support), and micronized linseed for coat and condition.

Are balancers now just a gimmick or do they have an value but only when people are not feeding at recommended levels?

Thursdays random musing :)
Click to expand...
Balancers are supposed to provide essential minerals and amino acids often lacking in forages. Most horses, unless working hard, don't need cereals etc. in feeds. Horses are designed to eat high fibre, low sugar forage.
If anything is a gimmick it's many feeds!
 
You can feed a smaller quantity of high quality food if you use a balancer and ensure that the vits and minerals are provided. So essentially what _HP_ says.
 
I personally follow high fibre low sugar feeds- ive just never seen the need nor requirement for a balancer.

But then ive always had ones that I want to put weight on not to shift it!

Is it down to the fact that feed manufacturers rely on horse owners not having proper knowledge on equine nutrition?
 
I have used balancers for 2 different horses. First was fussy neurotic WB who was verging on anorexic. It helped to keep weight on him without having to feed too much.
Current horse is a laid back, good doer WB. If I fed her the recommended levels of hard feed she would be huge. I feed less feed and a feed balancer. When I ran out of balancer for a few days I really noticed a difference in her energy levels. Her weight is perfect and she has a lot more energy
 
Like a lot of people my horses don't get to graze over a wide area with access to a variety of plants and grasses so their forage will be limited.

I don't feed complete feeds, I got out of the habit of doing so when my horse developed allergies and got very stressed with even small amounts of molasses and never went back. I haven't found a single feed that doesn't have something in it I would prefer not to feed.

I feed from a range of straights but quantities of each depend on work being done, age, weight, whether I need more or less energy.


By feeding a balancer I can adjust feed but know that they are getting the correct levels of minerals each day so my working boy gets more and richer feed than the retired one but both get the same levels of minerals (actually retired get higher levels of some to combat issues)

I actually mix my own to the grazing and hay which I have had analysed but if this was not possible I would feed a premixed one though only ones without iron calcium or manganese.

The proof for me is in the completely different but better hoof growth I get when I get the minerals right.

I think the manufacturers do rely on owners either not knowing about nutrition or wanting to hand over the decisions but that is also how they market complete feeds.
 
I think balancers have their place but are not the wonder product some are marketed as, and I don't think they are necessary for all horses. Situations where they are useful are:

* You don't want to feed the recommended amount of complete feed (perhaps horse is overweight/gets fizzy) but want to ensure horse is getting the necessary amount of vit/mins and protein. So you either feed the balancer on its own, or with some additional non supplemented feed, or you give some complete feed and a pro rata ration of the balancer.
* Your horse's condition/workload varies so you want an easy way to adjust the calorie content of the diet as necessary, so you feed a balancer to provide vit/mins and protein, alongside straights or unsupplemented feeds (oats, alfalfa, beet, grass products etc). Then you can reduce or increase the straights to increase, decrease or maintain weight, but know the balancer is providing all the vit/mins.
* You want the probiotic content of the balancer (as most balancers contain vit/mins, protein and a probiotic) to ensure the horse's gut is in the correct condition to digest fibre efficiently and therefore improve the horse's condition. Not all complete feeds incorporate a probiotic.
 
dianchi said:
Is it down to the fact that feed manufacturers rely on horse owners not having proper knowledge on equine nutrition?
Click to expand...

I think it's more the case that they've recognised that not all of us need/want to feed bucketloads of compound feeds but do want to ensure that out horses are getting all the minerals and vitamins they need.
I don't think the name 'balancer' helps, lots of people (rightly) ask 'what are you balancing?' - I prefer to think of balancers just as a concentrated feed and add other feeds as needed.
 
"I think it's more the case that they've recognised that not all of us need/want to feed bucketloads of compound feeds but do want to ensure that out horses are getting all the minerals and vitamins they need.
I don't think the name 'balancer' helps, lots of people (rightly) ask 'what are you balancing?' - I prefer to think of balancers just as a concentrated feed and add other feeds as needed. "

Agree - my horse doesn't need any hard feed at all. She (still!) hasn't dropped any weight over winter and is just fed light balancer and hay.
I want to ensure she has all the vitamins and minerals she needs but don't want to give her calories she doesn't need (which I would end up doing if I gave the RDA of hard feed such as mix or nuts)

My only other option is molasses free chaff and a vitamin and mineral supplement - but she doesn't like vitamin supplements and tends not to eat them.
She totally ignores mineral licks.
 
Well there we go some good answers!

Ive often longed for a fattie/good doer than than my girl but seems just as troubling after all!

So is there a wonder "balancer" (prefer buddysMum Concentrate feed), that is a weight gain one? That has no cereal and low sugar and starch in? Intrigued by this now!
 
I'm using Lo-cal atm for my 23 year old native and my 17 year old cob and will continue to do so until the grass start growing again.

They are both good do-ers and just eat grass (mixed natural pasture) and have hay all year round. Hay is soaked in spring/summer/autumn to reduce the calories and a vitamin and mineral lick is provided.

They started dropping off a little mid December, so I started feeding lo-cal as their vitamin and mineral licks had run out and the rest of the yard all have a bucket feed, so mine now have there lo-cal in a treat ball when they come in in the mornings.

Neither really need the calories provided by any other additional feed and a pelleted balancer is the easiest way of ensuring they are getting the essentials during the harsher weather when the grass has lost a lot of it's 'goodness'.
 
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I use a balancer, my tb is on poor pasture, and doesn't need a feed of concentrates. Hes a good weight on chaff and speedibeet with some herbs thrown in.
I may have fallen for a marketing ploy, but I'd like to think that the balancer gives him all the vitamins he needs.
I could give him a powder supplement, but he is surprisingly good at sifting out powders, and he seems to enjoy eating the balancer pellets.
Kx
 
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