[nicz2cu]

I'm looking for discussion re: why don't more rescues feed ration balancers instead of sweet feed , I've found the results to be wonderful and cost much less in the long run to get and keep the horse in good condition.

I ask this because of reading about so many rescues having such a hard time feeding ( cost ) , some are even placing horses for free to ease their burden and be able to take in another that needs care.

I have a little shetland that blossomed on RB and hay, more than she ever did at the rescue she came from....... I know they were over-burdened by grain and hay costs and that is why she came to me still in bad shape. So....... why don't the rescues go with a RB to cut costs and deliver full nutrients that are badly needed instead of using sweet feed .

I know the cost of a bag of RB is upward on price , but at the rate of feeding it ......much more cost effective and better for the horse.

Also, I'm not talking about the horses that have no teeth , of course they need a more complete feed...... just the ones that have been starved and neglected.

Opinions on this , anyone .

[TCAdams610]

What is ration balancers is it a kind of feed or a mix of diffrent ones

[nicz2cu]

There are many threads here to research this on, that is how I found out about it.

Basically a nutrient dense pellet that supplies the horse with missing elements in their diets, low calorie , better nourishment by far than a sweet feed.

I'm sorry that I cannot explain it better, technical is not my forte

[denraydar]

I cannot speak for all rescues but for some the reason is that with ration balancers it is imperative that the individual horse gets the right amount that is required. The RB's are often combined with oats or flax seed, beet pulp, alfalfa pellets ect. If you are feeding a few horses it is fine to prepare a mix of things from different bags. But if you are feeding up to one hundred head you really need to simplify things by using one multipurpose feed that will 'work' for most of them. And when I say 'work' for them I do not mean that it would be the ideal for all the different horses. It would be better though than the very often "nothing" that they got prior to coming to the rescue. The standards for feeding your own horse at home cannot be compared to what a rescue is doing to care for a multitude of horses. They are trying to just bring them back from starvation, and yes the standards are lower probably than an individual would and could do for them at home. There are only so many hours in the day and not enough volunteers to warrant individual food prep for each horse. The interest is in efficiency and maintaining life and steady state conditions for the horses.
If you have individual feeding stations for each horse (like most individual owners do) they won't be in competition for their portion of food.
However in many rescues there are alot of horses, and not alot of individual feeding stations. So consequently the horses are fed in groups. That is another reason for a feed that is 'all purpose' or fits most. The bulk of the diet should be hay/grass whatever they have available.
In addition many rescue's (most) operating budget is based on donations. Sometimes the donations are from feed stores, manufacturers ect. so certainly if you have alot of starved horses you would not turn down a donation of feed.
The rescues can and usually do get a better diet after they have been adopted.
It is simple economics based on the above factors rather than feed cost effectiveness based on feed price.
Hope this helps.

[Kodachrome]

Right now in our area, the big cost is still hay. Hay, combined with the rising feed costs (due to gas prices) and shavings, etc - it's just costing more to KEEP a horse, full stop. Not only that, but we have more animals coming into the program, because more and more people are finding themselves unable to keep their equines in the present economy.

[Stormyheart6160]

I do not use ration balancers, because they are NOT mean't to completely replace a horses feed, and too many people do that. They are suppose to be used as extra nutrients ALONG WITH a horses feed, so you don't have to feed so much to them.

Unless my horses have a problem that doesn't allow them to get what they need from just hay and their feed, I personally see no reason to spend the extra money on it. Not all of my horses even get feed. Some are way too heavy, and get only their hay, or grass.

Also....I don't work my horses a lot, so just being on the grass, in my opinion, they do not need any feed at all. They all look great and healthy!

[PeggySue]

Most people don't understnad ration balancers at all ... they think you have to feed it plus other stuff and you don't

a ration balancer is CHEAPER then hard feed and many times helps a horse put on weight without adding extra calories

[PeggySue]

Originally Posted by Stormyheart6160

They are suppose to be used as extra nutrients ALONG WITH a horses feed, so you don't have to feed so much to them.

Ration balancers are designed to help BALANCE a horses hay or forage NOT add to the feed

the people I SEE having problems with ration balancers are the one adding it to other fortified products... it is designed to be feed with unfortified product ie: beet pulp, oats, alfalfa cubes/pellets, NOT premixed feeds!!

[PeggySue]

Originally Posted by TCAdams610

What is ration balancers is it a kind of feed or a mix of diffrent ones

Ration Balancer Reference Thread

think vitamin/mineral supplement with added pre/pro bios adn amino acids

[PeggySue]

Ration balancers cost about 50 cents a day ... then deduct the $1 plus a day you spend on other feed stuff and you save money and your horse is healthier


like denraydar said though many rescues run off of donations of feed and such or voucers for feed stores ... if people would take the time to educate themselves about how a horse's system works you would see more people feeding them and less feeding grains espeically to rescues with a delicate system