General Nutrition - All About Balancers


The explosion in the numbers of horse feeds available in the last few years has meant that there is now something for literally every age, type and size of horse or pony.  One of the most successful types of feed that has really taken the horse world by storm is the balancer.  Nearly every major feed manufacturer produces one and it seems that they are so versatile everyone should be using them.  But what are they and would your horse benefit from receiving one?

What is a balancer?

There are two distinct types of balancers available.  The first group are the “oat” balancers which are specifically formulated to be fed alongside oats.  They can be in the form of a coarse mix or a pellet and are usually fed in significantly greater quantities than the other group of balancers which are much more concentrated.  The concentrated balancers are generally pellet rations that can be fed on their own or as a “top-up” to the concentrate ration.  You could use them as an oat balancer but they are much lower in energy than the oat balancers. 

Oat Balancers
Popular with racehorse trainers, the aim with oat balancers is to counteract the nutritional deficiencies of oats.  Most people are familiar with the fact that oats are low in certain minerals such as calcium, but they are also short of other nutrients including essential amino acids which are needed for muscle function and development.  It is the job of the oat balancer to ensure that the horse receives a balanced diet.  Oat balancers also usually contain additional energy, some of which will be coming from oil, which is useful for improving stamina and will also help to keep weight on.  In simplistic terms, oat balancers will have similar ingredients to racehorse mixes but without the oats!  The levels of nutrients in the balancer will be higher than in a racehorse mix as they are fed in smaller quantities.  Feeding quantities vary from product to product but the ratio of balancer to oats is usually between 50:50 to 30:70.   



Concentrated Balancers
These are more concentrated than the oat balancers and are fed in much smaller amounts – around 100g per 100kgs bodyweight (500grams for a 500kg horse).  They are generally formulated to balance forage ie. to be fed as the sole concentrate source alongside forage, containing essential nutrients but being low in energy and often very low in cereal content.  For performance horses, however, they are most likely to be added to the concentrate ration as a “top-up” but can also be used to balance oats, as they contain the nutrients in which oats are deficient.

Concentrated balancers really come into their own if you need to feed less than the recommended quantities of a compound feed such as a performance mix or cube.  If you are cutting a horse’s feed back to keep weight down or to avoid over excitement, balancers are a good way to provide the essential nutrients needed for health and performance without additional energy (calories).  They also give you the option of feeding a lower energy mix or cube then topping up the nutrient, but not energy, levels to meet the increased demands of work or competition.

Horses requiring few, if any, additional calories because they are off work, perhaps on box rest, or simply just because they are good doers, benefit from a source of essential nutrients without the calories.  Just feeding a handful of a conventional mix or cube, which is formulated to be fed in much greater quantities, would leave them deficient in nutrients but receiving calories they possibly don’t need.  Feeding a balancer at recommended levels will provide quality protein for muscle tone and tissue repair, vital for horses recovering from injury, plus levels of vitamins and minerals which will support general condition.  If a horse is susceptible to poor quality hoof growth, for example, it is even more important to ensure they get a fully balanced diet all year round, regardless of work load.  Feeding a balancer allows you to maintain a “nutritional investment” throughout periods of rest, which will pay off when the horse comes back into work.

Balancers can also be useful when a particularly poor quality forage source is being used.  Mixes and cubes are formulated to be fed alongside “average” amounts of an “average” quality forage, as manufacturers have to assume that forage is making some contribution to the horse’s overall requirements.  If the forage is well below average, and this happens more often than you might think, there can be a shortfall of certain nutrients – usually minerals or protein.  A balancer is therefore a great way to counteract any deficiencies.   

Added Extras in Balancers
Most balancers contain some form of digestive enhancer whether it is yeast, probiotics or prebiotics.  However, if you are thinking of using a balancer just to get the advantages of a digestive enhancer, you need to consider whether you really need the other nutrients that a balancer provides.  In theory, if you are feeding a balanced compound feed at the recommended levels and you have a reasonable to good quality forage, there should be no need to add a balancer.  If you want the benefits of a digestive enhancer then you can buy them as a supplement which usually works out to be more cost effective than a balancer. 

Too much of a good thing?
It is not uncommon to speak to people who are putting three or four different sources of the same nutrient into their horses feed bowls.  Too much of certain nutrients can be just as harmful to the horse’s health and performance as too little, and so before you add anything extra, take a look at all the nutrients it contains. 

How do I know if I need a Balancer?
Firstly you need to establish whether you are feeding the recommended quantity of the feed that you are using which is calculated according to bodyweight and workload.  Most manufacturers give guidelines on the bag but if you are struggling to work it out, contact their nutritionists.  Secondly, you need to look at the quality of the forage you are using.  Most of the leading feed companies offer a free forage analysis service which will identify whether the forage has a low protein or mineral level - key areas for determining whether you need a balancer.  Some manufacturers will also run a feeding programme for you, based on the results of your forage analysis, and this should tell you exactly how much feed to use to meet the horse’s requirements. 

Think too about why you are considering a balancer.  If the horse in question needs to gain weight and condition, you will find it much more effective and cost efficient to feed a product formulated to do just that, rather than to top up your existing ration with a balancer.  Remember, balancers themselves contain few calories and you do need calories to promote weight gain.  The benefit from the balancer will be from the digestive enhancer it contains, but you would be better off feeding recommended quantities of a conditioning feed which will provide a balanced diet and the necessary digestible calories to help the horse gain condition.

Balancers in the Baileys range are Performance Balancer, Lo-Cal balancer, Stud Balancer and Oat Balancer Mix.