Ration balancers, sometimes referred to as diet balancers or balancers, are products designed to balance a horse’s diet by providing the necessary amount of essential, non-calorie nutrients to support a horse’s dietary needs - these are nutrients not supplied in high enough quantities from hay or pasture to meet the horse’s needs, including vitamins, minerals and amino acids (the building blocks of protein). Most commonly, they are nutrient-dense to keep the feeding rate, and therefore calorie intake, very low; usually 1-2 pounds per day.
This is a super common question and concern. First things first, please remember that ration balancers are nutrient-dense products designed to be fed in small quantities (1-2 lb daily). In order to meet a horse’s nutrient needs in such a small amount of product fed, the levels of protein, vitamins and minerals are all going to be higher than traditional horse feeds. However, if we break down the percentage of protein into grams and multiply by feeding rate (number of pounds fed per day), feeding 2 pounds per day of a 28% protein ration balancer provides the same quantity of protein as 4 pounds per day of a 14% protein horse feed. With that, protein is not responsible for hyperactive behavior. Sugar and starch, sometimes better known as NSC (non-structural carbohydrates), are responsible for this. We have a fantastic article all about the common misconceptions of protein in horse diets.
A horse’s topline can be influenced by both exercise and the individual animal’s genetics. However, a topline will never reach its full potential without the proper nutrients, particularly high quality protein with the proper amino acids that are not provided by forage (lysine, methionine, threonine). A ration balancer, like Essential K®, may be recommended as an addition to the diet of a horse that is struggling with building topline to provide the amino acids needed to maintain or improve topline.
While almost any horse can benefit from a low NSC diet, especially those that tend to be “hot” or hyperactive, horses with the following require a low NSC diet to maintain their health:
- Metabolic disorders, including Insulin Resistance and Equine Metabolic Syndrome
- PPID (Cushing’s Disease)
- PSSM Type 1 (Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy)
- Chronic digestive health issues, including colic, ulcers, and chronic diarrhea
Ration balancers are most beneficial for horses that are overweight or very easy-to-keep weight on (“easy keepers”), which can be defined as horses that can maintain their body weight on forage (hay/pasture) alone. Low NSC levels are required for horses with sugar and starch sensitivities, including metabolic disorders and PSSM Type 1.
It sure does! Our Essential K® Fly Control and Equine Fly Control Block are formulated with ClariFly®, a proven insect growth regulator. ClariFly® is an ingredient designed to pass through the horse and prevent the development of immature flies in manure.
No, these products are not designed to be used with each other or any other feed through fly control products/supplements. Choose one of these products to use in your feeding program.
Oral joint health supplements for horses are among the most popular supplements on the market today. We’ve made life a little bit easier for horse owners by incorporating the most effective joint health supplement ingredients (glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate and MSM) into some of our most popular products, including Essential K® GC Plus. This means you save money by not having to purchase a joint supplement in addition to your ration balancer (or horse feed) and feeding time is that much easier. Curious about the effectiveness of oral joint supplements? Check out our article on this topic.