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What are balancers?
Balancers are concentrated forms of vitamins and minerals needed for the horse’s health. They are fed in small amounts - a cupful at a time. Balancers  are ideal for boosting a diet without adding extra calories, especially for mares or young stock where nutrient requirements are high.
How much can I feed my horse at one time?
The stomach of the horse or pony is quite small and designed for small regular meals, e.g. little and often. As a general guide, a horse should have no more than 2kg of grain-based feed such as cubes or mixes at any one time. For a pony, the amount should be just 1kg at any one time. Fibrous feeds such as beet pulp, alfalfa and chaff can be added on top of this.
How much haylage should I feed my horse?
The amount of hay or haylage fed will depend on the workload of the horse . As a general guide, a horse in light work will eat 2% of its body weight a day in forages, 2.5% at medium work and 3% in hard work. For example, a horse weighing 500kg in light work will eat 10kg a day (500/100 x 2). A weightape can be used to get your horses weight. These are available from most equestrian retails outlets.
What is different between mix and cubes?
With Connolly’s RED MILLS feeds, the only difference is the texture. The same ingredients are used in both our cubes and mixes, and both are carefully cooked to improve digestibility. For horses that are fussy eaters, mixes can work best as they have an interesting texture and are very sweet. Cubes can be soaked and are dust-free, so are ideal for horses with allergies and for older horses that need a soft diet for easy chewing. Both are nutritious and delicious!
Which is better – hay or haylage?
The quality of either is the most important factor. Any forage must be clean, not dusty or mouldy. Both dust and moulds can effect a horse’s health, the most common problem being respiratory disorders. Haylage should be less dusty and so is better suited for horses with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Similarly, if the forage has a high Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF) level, the digestibility will be less, meaning the horse gets less nutrition from the forage. ADF is a measure of cellulose and lining, which are naturally poorly digested by the horse.