Do I need a ration balancer pellet?

Do I need a ration balancer pellet?

Have you been hearing about something called a ration balancer pellet a lot lately? Ration balancer pellets are super concentrated supplements that provide vitamins and minerals and/or high quality protein to your horse or pony when their current diet may be deficient. Their diets may be deficient for many different reasons, such as:

1. They have a condition that prevents them from being on concentrated high carbohydrate feeds such as: laminitis, tying up, PSSM (Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy), PPID (Cushings Disease), or EMS (Equine Metabolic Syndrome).
2. They are an easy keeper and do not require the amount of feed that is recommended in their ration.
3. They have access to poor quality hay or pasture.
4. There is not have enough available pasture or hay.
5. They have poor dental health and cannot chew hay and pasture properly anymore.
6. They are in heavy work that requires more nutrients than their current ration provides.

Ration balancer pellets can be fed in any type of ration and have a wide range of benefits, such as:

1. They are very economical because their concentrated formulation allows for a small dose rate.
2. They are generally very safe as they contain low amounts of sugar and energy, so they are “non-heating” and will not exacerbate the health issues previously listed.
3. They are quickly and easily digested even if a horse or pony has poor teeth and gut health.
4. They can be fed alone if a horse is primarily on pasture or hay.
5. They can be fed as part of a ration that is hand mixed with grains.
6. They can be fed as a top up to a pre-mix feed. It is very common to feed less than the recommended rate on a pre-mix feed label. Horses can become too fat if fed the recommended rates on the back of the bag, so they are often fed less. Whilst your horse might still look good, they may now be deficient in key vitamins and minerals and possibly amino acids, which can result in poor performance and a greater risk of developing health issues down the road.

It is always a good idea to have your rations evaluated by a nutritionist to see if it needs to be balanced. Ranvet has a complimentary service that can tailor any diet to any need: https://www.ranvet.com.au/nutrition-centre/diet-evaluation/

Ranvet also has suggested diets that may be helpful in deciding what to feed your horse or pony if you are not sure, and you are always welcome to contact us directly and speak to our consultants about the best way to feed your horse or pony: https://www.ranvet.com.au/suggested-diets/

Which ration balancer is right for me?

Ranvet has developed several ration balancer pellets to suit any ration and budget.

Ranvet’s Ration Balancer is a super concentrated, highly palatable vitamin and mineral pellet to boost rations that already have enough good quality protein. This can also be fed in conjunction with our three other balancers listed below if more vitamins and minerals are required.

Ranvet 500 Plus is a ration balancer pellet that is designed to help brood mares and young horses to reach their full potential. It is an easily digested non-heating plant-based supplement that contains vitamins and minerals as well as high quality protein and amino acids. It is wonderful in a creep feed for foals to help them grow strong and evenly if the mare’s milk is poor quality.

Ranvet’s Power Formula is a ration balancer pellet that is designed for high performance horses in heavy work to help boost rations so your equine athlete will perform at their very best.

Ranvet’s Topline FX is designed for performance horses to create that show winning topline. It is an easily digested non-heating plant-based pellet that contains vitamins, minerals, and high-quality protein and amino acids.

Any changes to diets should be done gradually to help your horse or pony get used to the changes and prevent any digestive upsets.