A balanced diet is key to good health, but as many horses don’t need the recommended amount of concentrate feed, and with huge variances in the quality of forage, their diet can often be lacking in nutrients.
It is now widely accepted that modern pasture and forage is deficient in a range of nutrients, which can lead to all manner of problems, some of which may not always be obvious. However, feeding a balancer is a simple way to ensure you meet their requirements. A balancer is a highly specialised low intake compound feed that supplies the concentrated nutrition without any unwanted calories to make up for the shortfall, and provides the flexibility to customise the nutritional management of each individual horse. All balancers have different specifications to meet these varying requirements, so before choosing one you should consider you horse’s age, workload and lifestyle.
There are four main reasons for feeding a balancer:-
1 – Your horse is a good doer
Some horses can maintain a healthy bodyweight on forage alone, but this will not provide them with all the vitamins and minerals that they need. Feeding a balancer will ensure that they receive all that they require.
2 – You are feeding less than the recommended amount of compound feed
Sometimes feeding a compound feed at the recommended rate would provide too many calories, leading to unwanted weight gain. As a result, owners often feed less than advised which can leave the horse deficient in some nutrients.
3 – You feed straights
Some performance horses may be fed on grain alone such as oats or barley which can have poor ratios of minerals, and over time can lead to sub optimal performance.
4 – You feed individual supplements
Supplements in powder or granule form are not always palatable and are sometimes sifted out by the horse, whereas a balancer can be fed alone. What’s more, a single balancer can be far more cost effective.
Spillers Daily Balancer
A simple, pelleted balancer containing the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids needed to balance the every day diet, with chelated trace elements to maximise absorption. It is specially designed to balance the nutrients that are typically low in the average hay, haylage and grass. Containing 15mg of biotin per serving, it is also proven to support hoof health, and there is no added iron which is often oversupplied in forage based diets.
Pure Feed Balancer
Containing the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals that your horse requires alongside amino acids, prebiotics and probiotics, this balancer is ideal for health and vitality. Pure Balance promotes hoof and bone growth, supports the immune system, increases gut micro flora, and encourages healthy coat condition. What’s more, one bag will serve the average horse for a whole month, making it a cost effective solution to keeping your horse healthy.
Dengie Leisure Balancer
Formulated for horses and ponies in light work, Leisure Balancer is low in energy, sugar and starch making it ideal for good doers. Made with alfalfa for highly bioavailable vitamins and minerals that are easy to absorb, linseed which is high in Omega 3 essential fatty acids for exceptional coat shine, and chelated minerals so that they can be absorbed more efficiently. Also with added herbs for an additional source of antioxidants and to increase palatability for fussy feeders.
Topspec Comprehensive Balancer
A non-heating feed that improves the utilisation of micronutrients to balance the ration of most horses. Containing supplements for healthy hooves, improved digestion, strong bone, mobile joints, supple skin, and an optimal immune system. This is paired with good quality protein to promote muscle development, function and topline even in the most demanding or stressful situations.
Baileys Lo Cal Balancer
At its launch in 1998, Lo-Cal was the first balancer to be formulated for good-doers. The formula has improved over the years, and is now a top specification nutrient dense balancer without the calories, and supplies the horse with all he needs for health and wellbeing. Lo-Cal is also accredited by BETA as suitable for those with Gastric Ulcer Syndrome when their forage intake is restricted.
Thunderbrook Base Mix
Base mix is a concentrated, balanced feed that meets the full daily requirement of vitamins and minerals when fed alongside forage, and is suitable for any horse. It includes generous amounts of prebiotic, probiotics, fruits, herbs and botanicals to nutritionally support a healthy gut environment. With no added fillers, preservatives, or chemically synthesized nutrients, all ingredients have also been sourced to avoid chemical treatment where possible, and to minimise denaturation of the essential nutrients.
