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What is the best ration balancer for a horse that is on 80/20 alfalfa grass diet? I don't feed any grain but want to give him a balanced diet. Thanks. I access to Purina enrich, Purina enrich Sr. Buckeye gro n win and Tribute's brand ration balancer.
The term "Ration Balancer" is very poorly understood. They are soy based protein supplements, (around 30% protein) that were originally formulated to support very poor quality hay that lacks the total protein that the horse needs. Typically, the advertised vitamin and mineral support that they provide is poorly absorbed. They are a proper product if you are feeding 6% protein burmuda hay and need more, but do not really "balance" a diet that uses good quality hay. With the hay type that you are feeding you would be better of adding a proper vitamin and mineral supplement, maybe not really needed but may make you sleep better, rather than a bunch of soy based protein. A straight forage based diet usually does not require much for additional water soluble vitamins and usually only regional deficiencies for minerals like selenium.
Triple crown gold balancer is SOY, GRAIN, and MOLSSES FREE!
That's what I am going to try.
chopchop - 2024-07-23 3:11 PM
Ingredients are required to be listed in order from most to least used in the formulation. Tripple Crowns Gold Balancer lists Alfalfa meal,(already 80% of the roughage the OP is feeding) as the most used ingredient and wheat mids second. Wheat mids run about 16% protein and, if clean are of little concern in the diet. The third ingredient is dried whey which is from cows milk and a source of protein in this formula. Since the fourth ingredient by volume is Monocalcium Phosphate which would be used at a very low inclusion, that means the the vast majority of the product is bacically alfalfa,wheat mids and Whey. Again with the biggest amount being something that the horse is already getting plenty of at a much lower cost. The remainder of the formula would likely make up less than 3% of the entire product spread through the vast list of ingredients that remain after Monocalcium PHosphate in the ingredient statement. Since you are feeding plenty of alfalfa already there may be something that fits your needs better without the alfalfa filler if you are simply looking for fat soluble vitamins to support what your roughage supplies. Tripple Crown is a good company, by the way.
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