Ration balancer instead of feed?

[Field-of-Dreams]

What do you use? My 3YO gelding is very round. He doesn't LOOK fat from a sie view, but when you look down on him, he sure looks fat. He definitely needs some work, But i was wondering if a ration balancer would be better than feed. He gets Purina Mini right now.





This was this summer. He was also on free-choice hay all suimmer, he isn't right now.

 

[wingnut]

Only my hard keeper gets feed (Purina Miniature). My other three get McCauley's ration balancer. They just don't need any extra calories but I like giving them this as a treat more or less. I've gone without giving it to them at all as well and they were no worse for wear.

 

[chandab]

Til the price went out of my budget, I fed Progressive Nutrition grass formula. The horses did well on it. I switched to a low volume feed after that, and when feed prices went up again, I switched once more to a vit/min pellet with their hay/pasture. [i only switched my easy keepers, I do have a few that are on specialty feeds.] I think they all look pretty good; with the shorter day length, they are starting to put on their winter coats, so starting to look a bit woolie, already.

 

[ForeverFarma]

HAs he been checked for IR? IMO, he looks overly thick in places he shouldn't, but doesn't look "fat" if that makes any sense at all.

 

[romewhip]

He looks a little fat to me, and not one I'd be giving any extra feed to. I'd be giving him good hay and some minerals but that's it. The pony I was working with came in fat and 'padded' on the butt and shoulder plus a cresty neck, so I immediately worried he was IR. Combination of work and feeding has him losing the padding, and his bloodwork has normalized. My other pony isn't IR or padded but I give him only enough feed to go with his mineral pellets, maybe a cup every other day. I bet with work your guy will shape up nicely, he's sure got a glossy coat.

 

[DixieBelle]

I feed Empower Balance to our new mini, seeing as how my easy keeper Arabian and Welsh Cob x have been on it for a couple years. She came to me eating All Stock feed and sharing round bales with other horses, sheep, cows, and goats, so needless to say, she was a bloated obese creature. She's slowly losing, and her coat has changed drastically, from dry and course to soft and shiny (& oh the dapples!).

If I need to completely remove even those few calories, then I'll put her on a vitamin & mineral supplement, but I won't just leave her to the hay (changes, and I don't have to opportunity to get an analysis on every batch) and a mineral block. But that's my JMO.

 

[Marty]

I used to use Purina Brand Ration Balancer "Born to Win" then they changed it to "Enrich 32". My horses looked really nice when I fed it twice a day, about a cup am and pm with nothing else but hay/pasture. . I had a couple that needed more calories so I added some food to it. Then price went insane, like so high it was shocking, so it went out the window. If I could, all my fatsos would be on it in a heart beat but there's no way I'm paying that kind of price.

The Purina mini worked for a while until of course they changed the recipe as usual. Then my horses took a nose dive and looked horrible in every way. If I had been working them, they would have been in deep do-do. That is the last feed I would give a horse who needed energy and calories to work. I finally said screw it to all the feed companies messing around and I'm feeding plain oats with a salt and mineral block and free choice minerals. Nobody is the worse for wear.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

We feed the Enrich to our babies, and you're right! I priced it and it's close to TWICE the cost of a bag of Mini!

Fat Boy will just have to get along with less. And now that he's separated from his buddy and can't steal HIS food, we may be OK.

 

[Mona]

I have been using the Nutrena Empower Balance as well and it is WAAAAAAAAY cheaper. It is more per bag, BUT, a little goes a long way. To feed a "complete feed" is roughly $16.95/bag and you need to feed about 1 pound for every 100 pounds of horse weight. The Empower, you only need to feed about .1 pound/100 pounds of horse!

 

[DixieBelle]

I can get EB for $22.95 per 40 lb bag, and Enrich 32 is $21.95 per bag. An considering the average 1,000 lb horse should be fed 1 lb a day, the amount for a mini is minimal. I feed .25 lb (1/4 lb) right now. I don't get how this feed would be more expensive.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Mini feed is $14.25, Enrich is $27.... my guys don't get much Mini, perhaps 1 1/2 cups 2x a day.

 

[Mona]

So you are feeding 3 cups a day to a mini. I feed my 1100-1200 lb horses each just a little over 2 cups a day each of the Empower Balance. So your mini, is getting more than my full sized horses, and that is feeding them as per the feeding directions.

Mini feed is $14.25, Enrich is $27.... my guys don't get much Mini, perhaps 1 1/2 cups 2x a day.

 

[chandab]

I think she was referring to the Mini and pony feed as to the amounts she feeds, but I might be wrong.

So you are feeding 3 cups a day to a mini. I feed my 1100-1200 lb horses each just a little over 2 cups a day each of the Empower Balance. So your mini, is getting more than my full sized horses, and that is feeding them as per the feeding directions.

 

[Mona]

Yes Chanda, I too believe she was referring to the mini feed. I just added what I did, as a comparison since the question was asking about feed vs ration balancer, and cost etc. was mentioned.

 

[chandab]

Gotcha, I wasn't sure.

I know when I fed a ration balancer to my minis by weight (1/2# daily per directions) it came to 1-1/3 cups daily (2/3 cup 2x daily). I switched to a different low volume feed, and that was 3/4# daily; my easy keepers really don't need any "bagged feed", so I switched them to a vit/min supplement and they seem to be doing just fine.

 

[MyMiniGal]

Those of you that feed the Purina Miniature Horse and Pony, how much does a cup of it weigh? Trying to figure out, if I want to switch to it or not, so trying to figure out how much I would feed Halo and all of that. Thanks in advance.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Yes, it's Mini feed. I'm concerned if I would give less of a balancer, they would become destructive since they'll think they aren't getting fed!

I wonder if giving them hay pellets instead would work....hmmm..... they sure would THINK they were getting fed!

 

[chandab]

Those of you that feed the Purina Miniature Horse and Pony, how much does a cup of it weigh? Trying to figure out, if I want to switch to it or not, so trying to figure out how much I would feed Halo and all of that. Thanks in advance.

I don't know the Mini/Pony feed specifically, but I've weighed many pelleted feeds and most weigh 5-6 oz per standard dry kitchen cup (seems more are closer to 5 oz than 6 oz); so roughly 3 cups per pound.

Yes, it's Mini feed. I'm concerned if I would give less of a balancer, they would become destructive since they'll think they aren't getting fed!

I wonder if giving them hay pellets instead would work....hmmm..... they sure would THINK they were getting fed!

I've used hay pellets many times to "stretch" a meal, so they think they are getting more; it usually works very well.

 

[MyMiniGal]

Thank you...I did buy a bag of the Purina Mini Horse and Pony today , and you are right, incase anyone else is wondering, that it 1 cup weighs just a tiny bit over 5 oz.

 

[Mona]

Chanda, I normally don't feed "feed" to my horses unless they need it to keep at a good weight. The only reason I am now doing this, is because Whitey foundered this Spring, and Cheyenne is a PRIME candidate for IR. She has many physical signs, but the blood work on both shoed them within "normal" range. I just don't want to take chances, so am now feeding ration balancer, MagRestore and Horseshine each day to all three of them.