[imjustjoking22]

Hey all- I have been reading all about ration balancers and i was wondering what the most popular/best brands were?

currently my horse is on 24/7 pasture (very grassy and rotated) and alfalfa and grass hay. I also give him a couple of scoops of oats with a little yeast, rice oil, flaxseed and electrolytes if i am working him (only a half scoop). He is also on a supplement with probiotics etc to protect him from ulcers.

is this adequate for him? he is 4, 16.2, doesn't seem to be losing any weight now (initially he was a little overweight because he hadn't been worked in 3 mos, but he looks like a good weight to me and has continued to build muscle).

Or... should I feed him a ration balancer?

oh and his previous owner said that when she fed him anything with B-12 (the vitamin) he got a more nippy/mouthy. I haven't had problems with him yet at all with biting (i think it is better because he is in pasture now) but i don't want to invite trouble... i know it doesn't make much sense... should i go ahead and try things with B-12 in them?

[imacowgirl2]

Looks like a pretty good diet...however, I would be concerned about the levels of vitamins/minerals. I would add either a ration balancer or high quality vit/min supplement to his diet -- the ration balancer is probably going to be cheaper of the two options, and has the added benefit of containing amino acids (some vit/min supplements do too, but they're further and fewer between).

I personally prefer Buckeye's Gro N Win or Progressive's Grass Balancer as my top two choices, and then after that Triple Crown's 30% supplement. If none of those are available to you, pretty much whatever is easiest and most reliable dealer would be my next choice. Of course, if your horse's diet is 50+% alfalfa, you'll want the alfalfa diet products, not the grass diet ones I listed.

[imacowgirl2]

Oh, I just noticed you said "a couple scoops of oats" -- how much (preferably in lbs) is his "couple scoops" of oats? Oats fed in small amounts of 1-2 lbs per day are beneficial, however, if you start getting into high levels you start to get the starch/sugar problems you see quicker with other grains.

[imjustjoking22]

Originally Posted by imacowgirl2

Looks like a pretty good diet...however, I would be concerned about the levels of vitamins/minerals. I would add either a ration balancer or high quality vit/min supplement to his diet -- the ration balancer is probably going to be cheaper of the two options, and has the added benefit of containing amino acids (some vit/min supplements do too, but they're further and fewer between).

I personally prefer Buckeye's Gro N Win or Progressive's Grass Balancer as my top two choices, and then after that Triple Crown's 30% supplement. If none of those are available to you, pretty much whatever is easiest and most reliable dealer would be my next choice. Of course, if your horse's diet is 50+% alfalfa, you'll want the alfalfa diet products, not the grass diet ones I listed.

Originally Posted by imacowgirl2

Oh, I just noticed you said "a couple scoops of oats" -- how much (preferably in lbs) is his "couple scoops" of oats? Oats fed in small amounts of 1-2 lbs per day are beneficial, however, if you start getting into high levels you start to get the starch/sugar problems you see quicker with other grains.

thanks for the great input above- i do feed him an electrolyte and "more muscle" supplement- i think those may contain some vitamins/minerals but i am not sure.

i also have a hoof supplement with vitamins in it but i haven't been giving him any because his feet seem to be in great shape and grow really fast.

I give him 1 1/2 - 2 regular feed scoops (just the regular size you buy at the store) ... I wouldn't guess it is more than a 2 lbs at most.

i am definitely considering putting him on a ration balancer- can i mix with oats and can I feed less than recommended?

I ask because he is in pasture and gets a mix of grass/alfalfa- he is #2 on the totem pole so he may get more alfalfa than grass because of that.

also they only feed hay once a day (the evening) but when I come in the mornings there is always hay left in the pasture so I think they feed quite generously.

so... does anyone know how i would determine how much/ what kind of ration balancer to feed? (grass/alfalfa)

[BriLeigh]

You would feed whatever the recommended amount it. If you feed less than that your horse won't get the benefits of the feed. It will make it less effective and a waste of money. My ration balancer is LMF Super Supplement and I feed 1 lb a day to both of my horses, so it isn't very much.

[PeggySue]

you would have to tell us where you are zip code wise and we can help you

also this thread has alot of wonderful info in it about ration balancers
Ration Balancer Reference Thread

Most of them are designed to fed be alone or with oats or beet pulp

I personally have one horse on ration balancer and rice bran she had some teeth issues and dropped some weight on me

if your horse is an easy keeper you prob wont' need to add anything

[imjustjoking22]

Originally Posted by PeggySue

you would have to tell us where you are zip code wise and we can help you

also this thread has alot of wonderful info in it about ration balancers
Ration Balancer Reference Thread

Most of them are designed to fed be alone or with oats or beet pulp

I personally have one horse on ration balancer and rice bran she had some teeth issues and dropped some weight on me

if your horse is an easy keeper you prob wont' need to add anything

I am at 93401

right now he is a really easy keeper I am just worried about when we start competing. I think I might start him on a ration balancer when I take him home and he is in harder work and not on grass all day, that way I will know which one to give him.

Thanks for the great advice! I did try to sort through the other threads, I just got a little confused