Horse in english tack wearing a Harmony Horse Feed saddle pad

Equine Ration Balancers

June 9, 2025
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Tribute horse feed Essential K Ration Balancer feed bag
Harmony Horse Feed Ration Balancer bag of horse feed

Understanding Equine Ration Balancers: When to Use Them

As horse owners, we know that a balanced diet is key to our horse’s health and performance. However, meeting all the nutritional needs of your horse through just hay and grain can sometimes be a challenge. That's where equine ration balancers come in. These specialized supplements help fill nutritional gaps and ensure your horse gets the vitamins, minerals, and protein they need, without overfeeding them on extra calories.

Understanding Ration Balancer for horses

What is an Equine Ration Balancer?

A ration balancer is a concentrated feed designed to provide essential nutrients like protein, vitamins, and minerals while maintaining a low-calorie content. They’re often used in small amounts, typically mixed with hay or pasture. Unlike regular grains or concentrates, ration balancers are formulated to support horses in specific life stages, workloads, or dietary restrictions.

Horse Ration Balancers are designed with adequate forage supply providing the base of a healthy diet. If free choice hay is unavailable, ensure a minimum of 1.5% of the horse’s bodyweight as hay or equivalent pasture is provided daily.

 Some ration balancers including Harmony Ration balancer can be used to make a complete horse feed, for example: one horse weighing 500kg (1100 lb), mix 400g of Harmony Ration Balancer Pellets to 600g dried beet pulp (to be soaked). Feed 2.5 kg/day of the resulting mixture such that 1.0kg of Harmony Ration Balancer is provided per 500kg body weight, divided into two feedings.

Key Benefits of Ration Balancers

  • Nutrient Density: Provides essential nutrients in a concentrated, easy-to-digest form. Offers low feed rates. 

  • Supports Optimal Health: Helps in maintaining strong bones, muscles, and immune function.

  • Helps Manage Weight: Great for horses that need to maintain or lose weight without compromising nutrition.

  • Versatile: Can be mixed with hay or fed with other feeds to create a balanced diet.

When Should You Could Use a Ration Balancer?

- When Your Horse Is on Hay-Only or Grass Diets
If your horse’s diet is primarily hay or pasture, they may not be getting enough of the essential nutrients they need, especially if their forage is of variable quality. A ration balancer ensures that your horse receives key vitamins and minerals without the excess sugar and starch found in some grains.

- For Horses with Special Nutritional Needs
Certain horses, like those that are older, pregnant, or lactating, have specific nutritional requirements. Ration balancers are formulated to meet these needs without excess calories. For example, they provide the necessary protein for muscle repair or the right level of calcium and phosphorus for bone health.

- Horses with a Light Workload or Weight Concerns
If your horse is in light work or has a tendency to gain weight easily, a ration balancer can be a great option. It delivers the nutrients needed without the added bulk of grain-based feeds, which could contribute to unwanted weight gain.

- Horses with Sensitivities to Grains
Some horses struggle with grain-based feeds due to sensitivities or digestive issues. Ration balancers, often lower in starch and sugar, offer a safe and effective alternative to ensure horses still get the proper nutrition without the digestive upset.

-Horses in Transition or Rehabilitation
For horses that are recovering from illness, injury, or a poor diet, a ration balancer can aid in rebuilding muscle, supporting immune function, and providing a balanced diet during the recovery process.

Let's take a closer look at two popular horse ration balancers at Canvasback Pet Supplies:

Comparison Chart: Tribute Essential K Canada vs Harmony Ration Balancer

Ingredient/Nutrient

Tribute Essential K Canada

Harmony Ration Balancer

Main Ingredients

Dehulled Soybean Meal, Ground Extruded Whole Soybeans, Alfalfa Meal, Wheat Flour, Cane Molasses, Soybean Oil

Soybean Meal, Canola Meal, Soyhulls, Beet Pulp, Flax Oil, Canola Oil

Crude Protein (Min.)

28.00%

30.00% (300 g/kg)

Crude Fat (Min.)

6.00%

5.00% (50 g/kg)

Crude Fiber (Max.)

5.00%

10.00% (100 g/kg)

Starch

Not provided

2.00% (20 g/kg)

Sugar

Not provided

6.00% (60 g/kg)

Calcium (Ca) (Act.)

3.00%

3.50% (35 g/kg)

Phosphorus (P) (Act.)

1.50%

1.50% (15 g/kg)

Sodium (Na) (Act.)

0.40%

1.00% (10 g/kg)

Magnesium (Mg) (Act.)

0.40%

0.50% (5 g/kg)

Fluorine (F) (Max.)

1 mg/kg

100 ppm (100 mg/kg)

Copper (Cu) (Act.)

200 mg/kg

294 mg/kg

Zinc (Zn) (Act.)

400 mg/kg

838 mg/kg

Lysine

3.5% (35 g/kg)

3.50% (35 g/kg)

Methionine

1.5% (15 g/kg)

1.50% (15 g/kg)

Threonine

Not provided

2.40% (24 g/kg)

L-Glycine (Min.)

Not provided

0.30% (3 g/kg)

Glutamine (Min.)

Not provided

0.11% (1.1 g/kg)

Manganese (Mn) (Act.)

240 mg/kg

358 mg/kg

Iron (Fe) (Act.)

600 mg/kg

775 mg/kg

Cobalt (Co) (Act.)

4 mg/kg

2.25 mg/kg

Iodine (I) (Act.)

4 mg/kg

3.03 mg/kg

Vitamin A (Min.)

66,000 IU/kg

30,000 IU/kg

Vitamin D (Min.)

5,500 IU/kg

4,000 IU/kg

Vitamin E (Min.)

2,200 IU/kg

2,000 IU/kg

Selenium (Min.)

1.5 mg/kg

2 mg/kg

Thiamine (Min.)

66 mg/kg

30 mg/kg

Riboflavin (Min.)

6 mg/kg

29 mg/kg

Niacin (Min.)

66 mg/kg

100 mg/kg

Folic Acid (Min.)

9 mg/kg

9 mg/kg

Biotin (Min.)

5.4 mg/kg

25 mg/kg

 

 

Key Differences:

  • Crude Protein: Harmony Ration Balancer has a slightly higher crude protein content at 30%, compared to Tribute Essential K Canada with 28%.

  • Fat: Tribute Essential K Canada has a higher crude fat percentage (6%) compared to Harmony Ration Balancer (5%).

  • Fiber: Harmony Ration Balancer contains more crude fiber (10%) than Tribute Essential K Canada (5%).

  • Minerals & Vitamins:

    • Harmony Ration Balancer has slightly higher levels of Copper, Zinc, Manganese, and Iron.

    • Tribute Essential K Canada has more Vitamin A and Vitamin D per kilogram compared to Harmony Ration Balancer.

  • Other Nutrients: Harmony Ration Balancer includes additional amino acids like Threonine, L-Glycine, and Glutamine that aren't listed for Tribute Essential K Canada.

The Feed Shop at Canvasback Pet Supplies looking down a aisle

Conclusion

An equine ration balancer is a useful tool for ensuring your horse’s nutritional needs are met, particularly when forage or grain alone doesn’t suffice. Whether you're managing a performance horse, an aging companion, or a horse with special dietary needs, a ration balancer can provide the essential nutrients without the excess calories.

 Canvasback Pet Supplies has a wide selection of horse feed in-stock including Tribute Essential K and Harmony Ration Balancer. Stop by our retail store at 1 Wellink Drive Lockport Manitoba