Comprehensive Feed Balancer

TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer is a very palatable, high protein, cereal-grain-free, low sugar and starch, ‘Non-Heating’ concentrated feed that contains a multi-supplement including the levels of micronutrients and digestive aids normally only found in high quality specialised supplements, including e.g. a superb hoof supplement and generous levels of antioxidants. 

When Comprehensive Feed Balancer is fed there is, therefore, usually no need to add any further vitamin and mineral supplements, other than salt and/or electrolytes for sweating horses; and a nutraceutical joint supplement if required. The addition of a general-purpose supplement, blood tonics, yeast supplements, vitamin E and selenium antioxidants, a hoof supplement, immune support, a bone supplement, and metabolic support, is a totally unnecessary expense, ineffective and potentially harmful.

This superb specification allows horses to utilise far more nutrients from the forage and straights/blends in their diet, which usually means that their hard feed intake can be reduced. This benefits digestion and is a more natural way of feeding, leading to a more relaxed horse amongst other benefits. 

Comprehensive Feed Balancer is ideal for horses in hard work e.g. eventing, showjumping, dressage, endurance, driving and showing. For competing horses and ponies, optimum nutrition will contribute to improved performance.

It is beneficial for horses feeling anxious, e.g. travelling, showing, competing, moving to a strange environment, during changes in routine, given less than ideal turnout time, recovering from illness, etc; and during or after a course of antibiotics or worming treatment. 

Comprehensive Feed Balancer is a very flexible, nutrient-rich feed designed to balance the rations of most horses and ponies simply by adjusting the rate at which it is fed and the products it is fed with.

Further Key Nutritional Facts:-

• An effective way to optimise digestive efficiency, and feed economy, for most horses.
• A fully comprehensive range of the micronutrients needed to balance feed and improve its utilisation, even in demanding situations.
• High levels of good quality protein to provide the building blocks for muscle development and topline.
• Powerful levels of vitamin E and selenium, vital antioxidants, to help maintain healthy cell function and, together with good quality protein, support healthy muscle development and function. Vital for horses on high oil diets.
• The level of biotin (15mg/500kg horse/day) that is scientifically proven to improve hoof quality, plus the levels of methionine, cysteine, lysine, calcium, zinc, copper, iodine, vitamin A and soya oil known to improve the efficiency of biotin alone (p.8). Certain of these nutrients will also help to maintain a supple skin and promote an exceptionally shiny coat.
• Effective levels of protein, vitamins, calcium, phosphorous, copper, zinc, and manganese to develop and maintain strong bone.
• Constructive levels of amino acids, complex carbohydrates, trace elements and antioxidants to help maintain healthy joints.
• Raised levels of copper, zinc, B vitamins and associated nutrients to optimise healthy haemoglobin levels in blood.
• Effective levels of bioavailable vitamin C to help maintain healthy airways.
• High levels of vitamin A, C, D and E, plus pure, protected yeast, MOS (Mannan Oligosaccharides) and omega 3 fatty acids which help to maintain a healthy immune system.
• Generous levels of B vitamins for efficient energy metabolism; vital for horses with compromised hindgut function.
• A pure, protected probiotic yeast and prebiotic MOS to create a healthy gut environment and optimise fibre digestibility. The combined effect of these two yeast products is a healthy gut environment with optimised digestive efficiency, i.e. horses gain much more benefit from their diet.
• Organic chelated minerals for improved availability.
• Many factors, including yeast and B vitamins, to help relax behaviour in responsive horses.

Comprehensive Feed Balancer is available in 15kg or 20kg sacks, which last a 500kg horse for 30 or 40 days or a 250kg pony for 60 or 80 days respectively.

The main advantages of using TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer

The concept of feeding ad-lib forage, with a small amount of very concentrated feed, is now accepted as the way forward when feeding horses. The benefits of feeding in a way that mimics how a horse will eat if living out 24/7, are hugely significant to the welfare of the horse and the main ones are included here.

Digestion and Utilisation

Feeding Comprehensive Feed Balancer improves the efficiency of feed conversion (the amount of useful nutrients that a horse can utilise from his feed) in three ways. In most cases, this means that the amount of concentrate that needs to be fed can be significantly reduced, leaving more room in the digestive system for forage. This benefits digestion, is a more natural way of feeding, and is more economic.

1. The amino acids, vitamins and minerals in Comprehensive Feed Balancer balance the deficiencies of these nutrients in forage and straights/blends, compared to the requirements of the horse, improving their utilisation.
2. The pure, protected yeast probiotic in Comprehensive Feed Balancer optimises fibre digestibility in the hindgut, allowing the horse to gain more benefit from the diet. Research has shown that the specific yeast used by TopSpec significantly improves both total feed and fibre digestibility in the horse.
3. Another useful yeast product in Comprehensive Feed Balancer, called a prebiotic, is mannan oligosaccharide (MOS). This is a constituent of yeast cell walls. It bonds with pathogenic (bad) bacteria, removing them from the gut, leaving the beneficial bacteria free to multiply and therefore digest fibre more efficiently.

The forage to concentrate ratio (proportion of forage in the total diet compared to the proportion of hard feed) is also improved because Comprehensive Feed Balancer is very nutrient-dense. It is fed in very small quantities, for example just 500g (approximately two TopSpec measures) a day for a typical 15.2hh middleweight weighing 500kg. A small amount of hard feed obviously leaves more space in the digestive system for forage than a large amount.

Optimum Muscle Development and Topline

Comprehensive Feed Balancer contains the highest quality vegetable protein, rich in essential amino acids e.g. lysine, which not only promote maximum muscle development, but also aid the regeneration of muscle tissue after work and, therefore, recovery.

Other nutrients present in Comprehensive Feed Balancer in generous amounts that are important in muscle metabolism are vitamin E and selenium, which are very important antioxidants for healthy muscle function, and also vitamin A, calcium, magnesium and copper.

Topline is created by a combination of body condition and muscle development. Optimum nutrition will contribute to maximum muscle development in a horse exercised in the correct outline.

Strong Hooves

Comprehensive Feed Balancer contains the level of biotin (15mg/500kg horse/day), which when combined with optimum amounts of certain amino acids (e.g. lysine, methionine, cysteine), calcium, vitamin A, zinc, copper, iodine and natural soya oil, have been scientifically proven to greatly improve hoof quality over a 9-12 month period.

Good Bone Development and Strength

Comprehensive Feed Balancer contains the highest quality vegetable protein plus optimum levels of calcium, phosphorous, vitamin D, vitamin A, magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese, and iodine. All of which contribute to the development and maintenance of healthy strong bone.

Healthy, Flexible Joints

Constructive levels of amino acids, complex carbohydrates, antioxidants A, C and E and manganese are included in the TopSpec formulation to help maintain healthy, flexible joints in young horses. However, if any part of the joint network fails because of injury, wear and tear, or disease, repair may be necessary. In these circumstances additional, specialised nutritional support to promote healthy elasticity and shock-absorption, in the form of 10:10 Joint Support, may contribute. Alternatively, Joint Feed Balancer may be suitable.

Supple Skin and Shiny Coats

Horses fed on Comprehensive Feed Balancer attract countless compliments for their superb condition and fabulous coats. This is not surprising, as we believe that optimum nutrition leads to excellent condition. Biotin, vitamin A, copper, iodine, zinc, certain amino acids, and natural soya oil all contribute to a supple skin and shiny coat. Horses and ponies fed on TopSpec literally gleam with good health.

Blood Quality

Comprehensive Feed Balancer contains optimum levels of copper, zinc, B vitamins and associated nutrients to help optimise healthy haemoglobin levels in blood. Correct haemoglobin levels promote optimum oxygen transport to the tissues.

Efficient Energy Metabolism

In addition to phosphorous and magnesium, Comprehensive Feed Balancer contains a generous level of all the B vitamins vital for energy metabolism in the high-performance horse. Also included are optimum levels of antioxidants, principally vitamin E and selenium, which are of particular importance for performance horses fed high oil diets. Other antioxidants present include vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese.

A Healthy Immune System

Comprehensive Feed Balancer contains high levels of vitamins A, C, D and E plus pure, protected yeast, MOS (mannan oligosaccharides) and omega-3 fatty acids, which all help to maintain a healthy immune system.

Ability to Cope with Demanding Situations

Modern life exerts many pressures on our horses and ponies. These include travelling, competing, showing, moving to a strange environment, changes in feeding or management routine, less than ideal turnout time, foaling, convalescence etc. When a horse is under mental or physical pressure, hormonal changes affect the gut lining, bacteria die, upsetting the microbial balance within the gut. The yeast products in Comprehensive Feed Balancer help to restore this balance, thus reducing the effects of pressure. They are particularly helpful after worming, during convalescence, or if a course of antibiotics has been given during illness. Comprehensive Feed Balancer is also rich in antioxidants, principally vitamins A, C, E, and selenium, which help to maintain healthy cell function in all circumstances. The generous levels of B vitamins included will help to maintain appetite in a hard-working and/or anxious horse or pony.

Behaviour 

There are many factors which influence a horse’s behaviour, some of which can be affected by the owner e.g. management or nutrition, and some of which cannot e.g. inherited genetics.  From the nutritional point of view, it is important to keep the forage to concentrate ratio high and to avoid starch overload into the hindgut. Comprehensive Feed Balancer reduces the amount of hard feed required; this helps the forage to concentrate ratio, which benefits digestion and is a more natural way of feeding leading to a more relaxed horse. Comprehensive Feed Balancer is formulated without cereal grains; the formula is very low in sugar and starch and ‘Non-Heating’*.  The micronutrients include generous levels of all the B vitamins, some of which are believed to relax a horse’s behaviour, plus vitamins E and C, and magnesium, all of which may help certain horses. The natural soya oil present reduces the need for additional ‘starchy’ calories and increases stamina without creating any ‘fizz’. In addition, the action of the two yeast products, by helping to promote a neutral (non-acidic) environment in the hindgut, may have a beneficial effect on behaviour. If the hindgut environment is too acidic, it causes irritable behaviour in some horses.

Typical feed regime for a 16hh (525kg) horse in hard work:-

• Ad-lib good quality hay or haylage, plus grazing.

Plus three feeds per day - each containing:-

• 175g TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer (for e.g. condition, muscle development and topline, performance, stamina, recovery, hoof quality, behaviour, digestion and utilisation).
• 150g TopChop Sport (‘Non-Heating’ unmolassed alfalfa/grass chop).
• Up to 1.75kg of TopSpec CoolCondition Cubes (‘Non-Heating’* conditioning cubes, quantity adjusted according to condition which reflects work).
• Access to a salt lick 24/7.
• Additives if required; Electrolytes, 10:10 Joint Support, Calmer or Digestive Aid.

The typical ingredients of TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer are soya bean meal (GM), wheatfeed, high fibre oat by-product, linseed expeller, grass, full fat soya (GM), vitamin and mineral premix, molasses, soya oil (GM), yeast, lysine, MOS, methionine.

Parcels are dispatched on a daily basis by DPD. Please allow 3-4 working days for delivery. If you have any queries on your order, please contact our helpline on 01845 565 030.

If you are not completely satisfied with any of our products, we encourage you to telephone our customer service helpline on 01845 565 030, and we will discuss providing a free replacement.

TopSpec products should be stored in a cool dry place.