Why it is best to switch balancers every six months
Many horse owners feed their horses roughage and a balancer pellet. This is an excellent choice for most horses that are ridden recreationally or in basic sports. Roughage is the foundation, and a balancer ensures that your horse gets all the vitamins and minerals it needs daily. However, we do recommend changing the brand every six months!
Feeding
20 June '24 • 1 min reading time
English:
It's obviously very convenient to always use the same balancer. You already know that your horse likes this product and you see that it looks healthy. Nothing more to do, right? It's a bit more nuanced than that…
Different Compositions
There are many different balancers on the market. Most of them adequately meet your horse's actual daily needs. So, that's not the issue. However, each balancer has a slightly different composition and different ingredients. This depends on the choices made by the producer. If you look at the labels, you’ll also see that not every balancer contains the exact same amounts of certain vitamins and minerals. Sometimes, certain essential substances are not included in a balancer because the manufacturer assumes that a horse will get them from other sources. For example, there are balancers with little or no iron because it is often already present in excess in the horse's drinking water. Other products contain no iodine or selenium at all, because these substances can be harmful to horses in larger quantities. The manufacturer then plays it safe. But if your horse does not get these substances from other sources, it will have deficiencies in the long run!
Change Every Six Months
We recommend changing brands every six months because each manufacturer has its own recipe. Of course, you can also rotate between two or three brands. By switching, you avoid potential surpluses and deficiencies of certain minerals and vitamins. This way, your horse stays healthy in the long term. And who knows, maybe it will also enjoy eating something different now and then!
Pay Attention to Portion Size!
In addition to changing brands, it’s also important to pay attention to the dosage you give your horse. Some manufacturers estimate this rather tightly, especially if your horse only gets poor hay and no grass. Other producers are more generous in their recommended dose. So, it’s always worth checking the packaging. Do you want to know your horse's daily needs? Check the website voervergelijk.nl.