Performance balancers

[Patterdale]

I’ve got a Connemara who is extremely lazy and not a great doer through winter. He’s healthy, it’s just him he’s always been like that.

I used to feed him oats and sugar beet, but on advice started him on a balancer. After a bit of research I went for Baileys performance balancer.

It’s now almost run out so I need to replace. However - after a whole bag at maximum dose he looks no better. In fact he’s reverting to his winter state apace.

SO - do I persevere with the baileys and try another bag? Or try something else?

Thank you!

 

[be positive]

I cannot see why they would recommend a feed aimed at 'good doers that hold weight easily' for yours that you say is not, it is not giving him enough calories to maintain his weight, something you want him to do so you either need to change to a feed that does supply more calories/ energy or add something to the balancer to give him enough to supply his needs, I am not sure Baileys recommended it now I have read you post again.

Oats and sugar beet will supply the energy/ calories but will require a supplement to give vits/ mins and probably linseed for the energy and condition provided by oil, they could all be added to the balancer to give a better diet more suited to a poor doer that lacks energy.
I would probably bin the balancer and give him a vit/ min supplement along with the oats/ beet/ linseed.

 

[Patterdale]

Thanks. Baileys definitely recommended it, however I then looked into it myself before trying it. I haven’t seen it advertised as ‘for good doers’ though? Maybe I missed it.

Forgot to say he swaps to barley in winter. I definitely want a balancer, I don’t want to switch to a compound feed as I don’t like them, it’s just knowing which balancer is best?

 

[be positive]

It is the first line in the description of the target market.

https://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/products/no19-performance-balancer

I think they are much the same which is why I would prefer to feed straights and a supplement so I know what they are getting and it costs me less money.

 

[Patterdale]

Hmmmm, I’ve just looked and you’re right. Something has got seriously confused along the way then. I specifically said I wanted weight gain and heating. Why on earth did they recommend this one!??

I was looking at so many different balancers at the time I must have got into a total muddle and not noticed myself. FFS!! 😭😂🤦🏽‍♀️

Back to the drawing board then....

 

[Patterdale]

It is the first line in the description of the target market.

😂😂

 

[milliepops]

the amount of a balancer that you feed daily it's unlikely that you'd get any weight gain or heating effect, unless the horse was seriously deficient in nutrients from the rest of its diet.

I view them as a palatable way to get vits and mins in as my horses aren't keen on powders. and then add in whatever else they need.
that said For the first time with my skinny TB I am feeding a compound feed having done straights and balancers for about the last decade, tbh there are so many around these days you can get plenty that aren't just molasses and dust

 

[Patterdale]

What made you change to a compound milliepops?
He was on baileys topline conditioning cubes last winter which he did ok on, but to feed the amount needed was just so expensive, he was going through nearly a bag a week. So I thought straights and a balancer (I’ve always fed straights before) would do as good a job for less money.

So hard to know what’s right!

 

[ihatework]

Equerry conditioning mash is seeming pretty good at conditioning and is cost effective.

But if you are going to feed straights then I’d opt for a good vit/min powder rather than a balancer pellet.

 

[Leo Walker]

Equimins Advance Complete is the best spec at a reasonable price supplement/balancer wise. It comes in powder or pelleted form.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I second Equerry Mash and micronised linseed.

 

[milliepops]

I've got 2 horses on a yard with limited storage, and they have very different needs, feed wise. So rather than having 2 million bins that there is no space for, I figured it was easier to just try and find something that had everything he needs in one bag. He already gets ad lib forage etc but because of his type he is going to need topping up to build muscle and put on condition, so whatever I feed I'm going to get through a reasonable quantity. With a complete feed i don't need to be adding a bit of this and a bit of that, and I am feeding the RDA for the first time in my life so no need to add extra vits etc either.

He is also a bit fussy and sifts through feed to find the nuts, so I am trying to just give him what he's used to and what he likes.

 

[Patterdale]

What are you feeding milliepops if you don’t mind me asking?

I also have limited space where the horses live in winter, so also have the bins problem. If I do go down the complete feed route though then that’s a whole new can of worms opened...!

 

[milliepops]

at the moment we're on Saracen conditioning cubes as they are easy to get hold of where I am, and he's finishing up my linseed. He doesn't like the linseed but I'm trying to use it up as Kira won't need it until she is back to proper work
I am trying to stick to things he likes, because ideally I would like him to have 3 feeds a day but at the moment he doesn't finish his breakfast before they get turned out if I can find something he will eat up a bit faster then he can have that, then go out, and then I can ask YO to give him lunch when they come back in. I think that will work better for him.

I will probably swap to omega rice in the future because that contains linseed and rice bran in pellet form, incl vit e.
Most of the conditioning-type straights are in a texture he doesn't like so I'm still playing about with it all a bit. Plus working out the balance between his need for calories vs my need to stay alive when riding

 

[shortstuff99]

I used the bailey's performance balancer on my mare and it A) made my horse fat and impossible to get weight off (now shes no longer fed it she has lost 50kg!) B) made my horse loopy and C) most of the vitamins in it can't be utilised and are just we'ed out so it is a waste of money. I have instead gone a natural route and she gets all of her needs through a forage based diet which I would really recommend.

 

[tallyho!]

I think if I were faced with this pony I'd be looking into his metabolism to find out why he's so sluggish first rather than adding even more "stuff" his liver and kidneys can't potentially cope with.

Have you tried a proper detox? Cut everything out barring meadow hay and see if something like Equimins Restore or Trinity P45 gives his system a kickstart. It's worked everytime for ours especially after the summer when they start to get lazy.

Another thing to try is test your forage to see if there's anything excessive like iron or too much vit A in his diet. Then you can rule that mineral/vit out in the next balancer you buy.

Sounds like a faff but once you crack it, it'll be well worth it.

 

[scats]

I feed baileys performance Balancer to a very good doer who doesn’t get quite enough from a lite Balancer to sustain her workload. It suits her really well to be honest, no weight gain and provides just enough energy for what we do, without making her fizzy or silly.

 

[huskydamage]

Im having the same issue with my poor doer and super chilled out anglo. Oats did nothing nor sugarbeet. I have accepted it is her personality! Like you I dont have room for 10million feed bins so my 2 need to have the same feed. Im currently feeding stud balancer, linseed, alfafa oil and calm&condition.they both love the sugar beet and one doesnt need the calm and condition so annoyingly I now have two soaked feeds.All the balancers ive seen seem to be low calorie so I'm thinking of ditching it in the winter for something else. Or doing a 3rd feed of some conditioning mix/cube

 

[milliepops]

I think regardless of how they are marketed, the feeding rate means that all balancers will effectively be quite low calorie. If you only feed a mugfull or whatever it is, there's a limit to how much energy can be supplied and will largely depend on what the base to the pellets is.

 

[scats]

I think regardless of how they are marketed, the feeding rate means that all balancers will effectively be quite low calorie. If you only feed a mugfull or whatever it is, there's a limit to how much energy can be supplied and will largely depend on what the base to the pellets is.

Very true. Millie simply gets a cup of fast fibre with hers as a bit of bulk.

 

[TGM]

I agree with Milliepops above. Most balancers (and that term seems to cover a huge range of products these days) are designed to be fed in small quantities (typical 500g for a 500g horse) so won't contribute a significant amount of calories to the diet. Most pelleted balancers do, however, contain probiotic/prebiotics that are meant to help the process of fibre digestion, and I think this is where balancers reputation for being 'conditioning' comes from. However, if the horse's fibre digestion system is already in peak condition then it is unlikely a balancer will make much of a difference. And even if the probiotics/prebiotics do improve fibre digestion, the total diet still needs to have sufficient calories in it as otherwise the horse will still not put on weight. Balancers are useful products in some circumstances but they are certainly not the 'magic pill' that some people might suggest!

 

[Fiona]

I think regardless of how they are marketed, the feeding rate means that all balancers will effectively be quite low calorie. If you only feed a mugfull or whatever it is, there's a limit to how much energy can be supplied and will largely depend on what the base to the pellets is.

I agree with this...

My poor doer is fed A&P calm and condition.

Fiona

 

[ester]

In some ways a lazy poor doer is ideal as you can feed them without other concerns.
Did you have any issues with the beet and oats?

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Equimins Advance Complete is the best spec at a reasonable price supplement/balancer wise. It comes in powder or pelleted form.

This is really good.

But I would also look at, if he is OK on alfalfa, the dengie range of alfa a.
My sisters poor doer tb was on
Alfa a chaff
Alfa beet
Dodson and horeel ers pellets.

That helped him gain weight, then dropped down to maintenance feed, keep it during the winter. And it didn't make him loopy.

Also have a you looked at a good vit e supplement?

 

[Sprat]

I feed Baileys performance balancer, and oats on top for the extra energy.

But if you are struggling for condition I don't think this would be the best option, as others have said it's not particularly great for condition

 

[Patterdale]

In some ways a lazy poor doer is ideal as you can feed them without other concerns.
Did you have any issues with the beet and oats?

Well it didn’t have much of an impact on him, but he is slightly more forward on 3lbs oats a day. Doesn’t get as much work in winter though so I swap to barley.

Yes hes quite simple to feed, eats anything, just seems to need lots of it!

 

[Patterdale]

So I’m now thinking I should just swap back to baileys topline conditioning cubes and swallow the cost 😭

 

[Pinkvboots]

I would try something like restore I put one of mine on it as he was looking a bit dull, it definitely perks them up and just gives back that sparkle, I think feed wise I would try micronised linseed or Copra or Equijewel all good for weight gain with no added molasses and help with slow release energy, I would prefer any of those over most of the conditioning cubes that are available.

 

[tallyho!]

In some ways a lazy poor doer is ideal as you can feed them without other concerns.
Did you have any issues with the beet and oats?

If only that were true.

I guess as long as you eliminated pain or disease.

 

[Patterdale]

I guess as long as you eliminated pain or disease.

Well, as far as I can. He’s always been this way. With schooling and fitness he’s improved since I got him, but his nature is that he’s just lazy. He’s never resistant or tail swishy or face-pully. He’d just rather amble than march.
He’s super safe though so I can’t complain really!

If I get on he can jump a course of 90, do a novice dressage test, and he lights up like a firework out hunting. But if a novice or complete beginner gets on, or someone who doesn’t make him work, he’ll just bumble along being slow or stand and eat grass.