NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER’S HORSE FEED.

Commercial Feeds, Complete Feeds, and Ration Balancers

For our grand- and great-grandparents, feeding horses didn’t involve a lot of choices. My great-grandfather’s work horses ate oats. In the winter they got hay, in the summer they were turned out to graze at night after working in harness all day. On Sundays they were out to pasture, unless the family had a busy social day planned. If we look further back to the 1800s, horses were fed turnips, potatoes, carrots, chaff (hay and straw), oats, beans, pumpkins…even dried fish and seaweed. And not just a few veggies- they were fed whole foods by the pound.

Thank goodness we know more about horse nutrition today! Those items served to get carbohydrates into the horse to fuel him for his heavy work but subjected him to many nutritional deficiencies and likely bouts of colic and laminitis. Small wonder that horses had much shorter lives!

Many people use the term “grain” when talking about horse feeds. We’re going to be more specific here in hopes of being less confusing. We’ll use the term “grain” when referring to the seeds from plants- oats, barley, corn, wheat. We’ll use the term “feed” when talking about the products that are made up of these grains. And then we’ll go into further detail as we talk about types of feeds. We’re going to look at commercial feeds, complete feeds, and ration balancers. The intent here is not to recommend one over another, but to give you an overview of the differences and some suggestions as to when one type may work better for your horse than another. There are many people who still feed straight grains to their horses, but there is no single grain that can supply the horse with his total needs.

Horses are best suited to a diet that is mainly forage. By forage, we mean pasture and hay in their many forms. Their digestive system is uniquely made to process forage, extract the nutrients from it, and expel the undigestible parts. Even the best pasture and hay are not likely to supply the horse’s total requirements though, and that is where other forms of feed come into play. Forages typically do not provide all the vitamins and minerals, such as phosphorous, that a horse needs, and may not be able to supply the calories that a working horse requires. Forages may be low in protein, depending on how mature the grass is, and may be high in sugars, depending on the season or time of day when it was cut, and the quality is subject to many environmental factors. The available nutrients in pastures and hay crops differ from week to week, season to season, one field to another…it can be a moving target!

The role of commercial feeds, complete feeds, and ration balancers are similar in that they are fed in addition to your horse’s forage- if he can eat forage- but each fulfills a unique position.

Commercial feeds provide the horse with protein, calories, vitamins, minerals, and other supplements. They consist of any combination of corn, oats, barley, wheat, and other grains, alfalfa, soybean hulls, rice bran, and concentrates such as oils and cane molasses. The grains may be whole or may be flaked or rolled (corn), crimped (oats) or extruded (multi-grain.) Commercial feeds contain added vitamins and minerals and may have pre-and pro-biotics and supplements such as biotin. They may be formulated in a pelleted form, as a “sweet” or textured feed or may have extruded nuggets that look like kibbles.

The field of commercial feeds is broad, and there are mixes to address any dietary need your horse may have. Some examples are high energy, high fat, high protein, controlled carbs, controlled release carbs, low carbs, low fat, metabolic issues, even allergies. There are feeds that target specific life stages and ones that claim to be appropriate for all life stages. There are mixes that provide just the basic needs and ones that provide superior nutrition. Of course, the more that the feed provides, the higher the price tag. Don’t be dismayed though- in a future article, we’ll discuss how a higher priced feed may actually be the most economical choice. We’ll also look at how to determine what your horse needs.

Complete feeds are a specialized subgroup of commercial feeds. Their most notable features are that they are high in fiber- 15% or more- and are made to satisfy the horse’s complete nutritional needs, including forage, if fed to the specifications on the bag. Complete feeds are an excellent choice for horses that have trouble eating hay or cannot eat hay at all. They are also an option when hay is in short supply or poor quality. The fiber source is usually beet pulp, which is the material that is left over after the sugar is extracted from sugar beets. Beware though- although many commercial feeds contain beet pulp, that does not mean that they are all complete feeds. To be sure, check the feeding rate on the bag or on the tag. A true complete feed will give you directions for feeding horses that can’t eat hay or are eating reduced quantities of hay as well as directions for horses that are able to consume hay. Hay extenders or hay stretcher pellets are not complete feeds because they do not contain the other nutrients that horses need. Complete feeds are not just limited to horses with hay issues though- they can be a great choice for many horses.

Ration or diet balancers fill a unique niche and are fairly new in the horse feed market. To understand how they work, first clear your mind of the idea that they are grain or feed, because they are not. They are supplements. A horse cannot subsist on ration balancers alone. They are not a source for calories, energy, fiber, or fat. Instead, they provide protein, vitamins, and minerals for horses on a forage diet. If you’ve tested your hay and it is deficient in vitamins and minerals and/or low in protein, a ration balancer will fill in those gaps. It won’t add weight though- if your hay is low in calories, consider a commercial feed or a ration balancer combined with a fat source. Ration balancers also won’t increase (or decrease) your horse’s energy or replace his fiber source. Another use is for horses that are eating less than the recommended amount of commercial feeds and are not getting the full ration of vitamins and minerals. If you are committed to feeding straight grains, balancers will help address the nutritional deficiencies. These supplements are wonderful options for easy keepers, overweight horses, minis and ponies, and horses with certain metabolic issues such as insulin resistance or Cushing’s disease. They are fed at a very low rate, typically a pound or two per day for a 1000-pound horse. Although a bag may seem awfully expensive, keep in mind that you feed less than you would of commercial feeds. Because of the high protein level, they also help support your horse’s topline and muscle development. And the best thing about balancers? Sounds just like feed when you rattle the bucket!

In summary:

The main component of a horse’s diet should be forage, but in our area of the country, forages typically don’t provide all his nutritional needs. To remedy this, consider a commercial feed or a ration balancer. There are many commercial feeds available to suit your horse’s specific needs. If the horse is unable to eat forage or forage is in short supply, consider a complete feed.

Ration balancers are an excellent choice for suppling protein, vitamins, and minerals that are missing in the horse’s forage, or aren’t being supplied by the amount of commercial feed that he eats.

Whatever you choose, follow the feeding rates on the bag, then adjust as necessary. Feeding too little won’t fulfill the horse’s needs, and overfeeding can be harmful to the horse- and your wallet! No matter what you choose, always provide access to clean, fresh water and free-choice salt.