Does my Horse Need a Ration Balancer? By Nettie Liburt, PhD, PAS, Senior Equine Nutrition Manager, Mars Horsecare US/BUCKEYE® Nutrition
We all know and love them – the chunky pony, the air fern, the easy keeper. I have had occasion to tell a horse owner to stop feeding concentrates to some of these horses. I get gasps (from the humans), who respond, “I have to feed him grain or he’ll tear the barn down!” or, “He’ll starve!”
N
o, he won’t starve if you are feeding good quality hay and a ration balancer. And, a ration balancer will make that door-kicking horse feel like he’s getting some grain, even though he’s not. Read on to find out why!
Nutrients, Not Calories First of all, what is a ration balancer? It looks like a grain concentrate, typically in pellet form, but it is really a concentrated vitamin, mineral and protein supplement that is low in calories and sugar. It is designed to balance
a forage-based or low-grain diet. Think of a ration balancer as the equine equivalent of a multivitamin a human would take. The feeding rate on a good quality ration balancer is low, and depends on the horse’s (or pony’s) ideal body weight and how the manufacturer formulated the product. It’s an excellent option for ensuring a horse’s nutrient needs are being met, without adding excessive calories and even helping to manage weight. But that’s not all. Some horses get some grain, but the amount of grain they get may be below the manufacturer’s recommendations.
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8 • SEPTEMBER 2021
SADDLEUP.CA
When a feed company designs and manufactures a given product, that product is fortified with vitamins and minerals. The product is designed to be fed to a horse at a certain rate. For example, typical feeding directions might say to provide ½ a pound of the product for every 100 pounds the horse or pony weighs. For a 1,000 pound horse, in this example, this equates to 5 pounds of feed. In this way, a horse’s minimum daily vitamin and mineral needs are being met while providing extra energy (calories) and protein. What if that horse only gets 2 pounds of that feed but is maintaining weight just fine? The horse isn’t getting the full value of the vitamin and mineral package in the feed product and may be missing some nutrients. A ration balancer can be added to fill in the gaps without adding excess energy the horse doesn’t need. But what about the hay? Forage First Taking a step back, remember that horses evolved eating small, forage-only meals all day long. Doesn’t hay and pasture provide everything a horse needs? In some cases, where pasture is plentiful and well- managed, it probably does. However, I know plenty of horse owners that don’t have such a luxury. Maybe some pasture is available, but in winter, these lucky folks need to supplement with hay. Even the best quality hay will start to lose vitamins once it is harvested from the field. If one is buying hay to last all winter, by the time one reaches the end of that supply, there isn’t much in the way of vitamins left. For these and other reasons, a ration balancer is still a wise recommendation for horses on forageonly diets. Ration balancers will ensure that your horse’s vitamin, mineral, and amino acid needs are being met, regardless of what may be missing nutrient-wise in the hay or pasture.
