Non Soy Based Ration Balancers?

[Auburn]

Since I have been feeding my mare a soy based ration balancer, she has become more and more hormonal. Her heat cycles have become really strong and quite dramatic. I read somewhere that soy can increase estrogen production. She was on Progressive Pro-Ad Grass and gradually switched to McCauley Brothers 30% Ration Balancer (which is also a soy based product).

She is getting 1lb of beet pulp (soaked it is about 2lbs), 1/2 lb of oats and 1/2 lb of the ration balancer - 2xday, plus free choice hay.

Does anyone know of a ration balancer that does not contain soy?

[ChocoMare]

EquiPride http://www.equilix.com/equipride.html ;)

[JB]

Except that Equipride isn't really a ration balancer in the sense that TC 30 or PN Grass/Alfalfa Advantage or the others are.

That doesn't mean it's not very useful - it is. But, it's not quite the same.

[Auburn]

JB,

Then, what do you recommend?

[jaimebaker]

There are no ration balancers without soy, at least none that I have found. And I've looked and spent a ton of time emailing companies and dealers.

Your best bet is to do something like beet pulp or alfalfa or timothy pellets and a multi-vitamin. Ultra Elite Pro Form is soy free as well as Uckele's multi vit, Linpro, Equipride and a few others.

[ChocoMare]

There are no ration balancers without soy, at least none that I have found. And I've looked and spent a ton of time emailing companies and dealers.

Your best bet is to do something like beet pulp or alfalfa or timothy pellets and a multi-vitamin. Ultra Elite Pro Form is soy free as well as Uckele's multi vit, Linpro, Equipride and a few others.

Well there ya go.

I mix the EquiPride with plain soaked beet pulp. For extra calories, a squirt or two of DAC Oil.

[Equilibrium]

I definitely don't want to step on JB's toes because I know she will have better info than I will.:)

But here is what I'm doing with my non soya horses. The Equipride looks like it would be tailor made for my lot as they require very little in the way of grain even in the winter. Summer, just enough to mix in vits and mins. They do quite well on good quality hay as do most horses. I can't get equipride here, can't get squat really in this country. You can add oats, beet bulp, or alfalfa as needed depending on you're horse's tolerance to alfalfa. I too had some behavorial issues with my mares and fillies while on a balancer. They are so much happier without.

I've been doing this for well over a year now and at times it's still very frustrating because sometimes I can't get my hands on things I need and or I'm very limited in what I can get. But it has been so worth it. I kept thinking my horses just wouldn't survive without the RB. I also kept thinking surely horses have to eat more to be healthy. Thus began my love affair with the bet hay we can buy. It's amazing the difference it makes to any feed program. And not that I fed crap before, I just feed a more nutritious hay now.

I have recently added some Rice bran to the pregnant mare's feed ration as she only has about 6 weeks to go and she needed just a bit more in the way of calories. She backs off her feed late in pregnancy so this helps. By the way, the reason she is due so early is because in previous years she was impossible to "settle". After wasted money on tests my vet insisted I didn't need, my fault not his, the non soya diet was my last resort. She came into her first full heat Feb 2 of last year. Didn't breed on that cycle as wanted to track her. Like clockwork, she was bred on March 2 and got pregnant on the first try. So yes, some horses can't handle the hormone imbalance of soy.

Terri

[jaimebaker]

I tell ya, if there was a big company out there that would make a soy free ration balancer I bet they'd make a buttload of money. I talked to my local feed mill and he had debated doing a ration balancer with cottonseed meal as the replacement for the soybean meal. I'm not sure that's the way to go since there are some toxic issues with cottonsead meal so I never questioned further. I have found soy free feeds mind you, just not soy free ration balancers/ anything meant to be fed at the rate of 2 lbs or less. My fatties don't need much so they only get 2-3 cups of soaked beet pulp (after soaking). I just need something get vitamins in them. I plan on getting some Timothy cubes or pellets this winter and adding that in but I have to drive an hour to get them. I've got 6 horses. 4 are sensitive to soy. I have two (that are both related to the other 4 no less) that don't seem to be sensitive to it. They are also not sensitive to alfalfa. Both of their dams are highly sensitive to soy and will lose their minds on alfalfa.

Even finding soy free multi vitamins is a pain in the arse, but they are out there. Ultra Elite Pro Form is dirt cheap ($100 for 300+ days of it) and can be found at Smartpak. My herd does quite well on it but are also out on pasture 24/7. If I had one on limited turnout or stalled I might go with something a bit better quality since a lot of the amount of vitamins are quite low.

[Hampton Bay]

My mare also seems to have some minor issues with soy. She just plain refuses to stand tied if she is getting any significant amount of soy.

What I have done is to feed soaked alfalfa cubes and SmartVite. For the filly who stays fat on air, I feed just enough cubes to make her feel loved. My mare who doesn't like hay with leaves (:rolleyes:) gets quite a bit of alfalfa with her SmartVite. They all look really lovely. Nice muscle tone, lovely coat and hooves, etc.

[ponyjumper4]

Horsetech has a new loaded vitamin/mineral supplement without soy in it....I forget what it's called, but I've got a sample on its way to me.

[Auburn]

Wow. Thank you for your suggestions. Does anyone know if Grow n Win is a soy based product?

I went on the Buckeye website, but couldn't read the ingredients (photo was too small). There is only one place that I could get it in KY, but that feed store isn't far from my Chiropractor.

I will check the Horsetech website and for Ultra Elite Pro Form.

[jaimebaker]

Wow. Thank you for your suggestions. Does anyone know if Grow n Win is a soy based product?

I went on the Buckeye website, but couldn't read the ingredients (photo was too small). There is only one place that I could get it in KY, but that feed store isn't far from my Chiropractor.

I will check the Horsetech website and for Ultra Elite Pro Form.


Soybean meal is the first ingredient on the Buckeye. Here's the list of ingredients

http://www.buckeyenutrition.com/equine/GNW%20product%20manual.pdf

[JB]

Oh, don't get me wrong, the EP is a FINE product! But it lacks the lysine that is a key component of the traditional "ration balancers", which typically provide 10-12gm per pound.

But, if the horse can take the calories and the substance of alfalfa, then 1lb gives you about 4gm lysine, so you can make it up there.

Or, Uckele's Tri-Amino gives you 10gm lysine per scoop (plus 5 methionine and 2 threonine).

OR, you can go even cheaper with just plain lysine.

Nothing at all wrong with EP :)

[dalpal]

OP...a suggestion for you. I have a "girly" mare and what has worked wonders for us is Pennfield's Cool and Lite. You only have to feed about 3 pounds per day....she's done faboulsy on this feed.

I also feed Mare Magic and Platinum Performance.

[Melyni]

Try LinPro, fed at the 1 oz per 250 lbs BW rate.
YOurs
MW

[fivehorses]

Why does Linpro and others as well have to have artificial flavoring?
thanks

[FillyMe]

Last year I switched from grain to BP & oats and decided to add the Buckeye Gro & Win RB for the vitamins aspect and within days my guy totally changed. He became vre reactive and lost a lot of his focus. It took me 2-3 months to think it was the RB and then when I researched it and found out it was a 30% soy based protein I realized what was going on and took him right off of it. In about 3-4 days he was back to his normal self. I substituted the RB with Vita Flex Accel Lifetime and he has been healthy and perfectly sane. If there is any soy in there it must not be enough to cause any behavioral problems like the RB did.

[twhs]

I recently switched my mare to alfalfa pellets and Select II multi-vitamin with good results. Orchard grass hay and pasture.

[Cowgirl]

You can use Stride Equine Diet Balancer: http://bluebonnetfeeds.com/pdfs/Stride%20Equine%20Balancer.pdf I have bought it from Valley Vet Supply before. I can't remember how much you give, but it's basically vitamins, minerals, amino acids, probiotics, etc., with no starch and no protein. You can add this to beet pulp, timothy pellets, oats, or whatever you choose, or feed it on it's own if your hay provides sufficient protein. It's a little more than a vitamin/mineral supplement.

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=2e87bf3b-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

[Melyni]

Why does Linpro and others as well have to have artificial flavoring?
thanks

I found that the horses liked it better with the banana flavoring.
I use it on all of my horses and I had a couple of picky eaters who rejected it at first, so I flavored it so that they would eat it. Everyone else seemed to like it better that way so we kept it up.

MW

[Auburn]

I tried the LinPro awhile ago. I tried giving it to her for a couple of weeks, but my mare would not touch it.

It is baffling to me how a horse can pick out their regular pellets (which I am no longer feeding) and leave the suppliment. :confused:

I did find the Horsetech Glanzen 3 product, which does not have soy. It uses flaxseed, as the base. I was told to start it slowly, because it can produce excess gas. I certainly do not need a flatulant/gas colic.

Anyone with any experience feeding it?

[JB]

I've used Glanzen and liked it a lot.

[fivehorses]

it seems more and more supplements are being flavored these days with artificial flavorings.
I know Poulin grain, has begun that as well. Since most of my horses are hoovers, I don't need the extra enticements. On the other hand, I do not eat anything artificially flavored, colored, etc for health reasons, and I really don't want my horses too either.

In fact, I thought about going back to just feeding whole foods, modeling after the whole food movement in human food. Such as oats, etc, and I may just do that.

personally, with no scientific background or knowledge, I do not like the increasing number of cancer we see in animals and humans, and wonder how much is due to not only the environment(water and soil and air) but also to the food we consume.

Off my soapbox, sorry to hjack OP, but this artificial flavoring seems to be on the uprise and it just bothers me.
thanks Melyni too for responding.

[cls]

Not a ration balancer but I am having good luck with Horsetech's Photo Finish.

I too wish someone would come up with a soy free ration balancer. I used to feed Triple Crown Growth, their ration balancer and grain mixes but have stopped due to the soy.

I love the quality of their feed just wish they had something without soy. Several of my horses are bothered by soy. One breaks out in hives and it seems to cause behavioral problems in a few of my others.

For now, I am feeding alfalfa and grass hay along with a good quality alfalfa/oat hay pellet, crimped oats, ground flax and Photo Finish. The Photo Finish put a beautiful shine on my pregnant broodmare within a week. I am very happy with the product and the other Horsetech products as well. Can't beat the customer service either.

Horsetech has a new product called High Point. A vitamin/mineral supplement for alfalfa or grass diets. I have not tried that yet but will.