Purina Equilibrium Equilizer Break Down

Purina Equilizer
12% Protein - 6% Fat - 15% Fiber - 10% NSC

Recommended Feeding for Intense Working Mature Horse: 1kg [2.2lbs]

Ingredients: Soybean Hulls, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Flaxseed, Soybean Oil, Wheat Shorts, -vitamins & minerals- [Ingredients not in order of their inclusion rate]

Soybean Hulls || Approximately 13% protein and 38% fiber, with low sugar [1.6%] and starch [5.5%]5 with an amino acid profile. A premium grain will always choose soybean products over cottonseed products, which has considerably less amino acids [building blocks of protein] and a toxin gossypol. Higher in digestible energy compared to other hull products, is similar to alfalfa in energy content.6 Is also on equal grounds with beet pulp; considered a ‘super fiber’.

Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal || Approximately 19% protein and 28% fiber, with low sugar [4.5%], starch [3.3%]2,  higher amounts of minerals [mainly calcium, but also magnesium, potassium, sulfur, iron, cobalt, manganese, and zinc], and proper amino acids.3 Though like all legume, protein content varies on the variables of harvest; can vary from 17% to 25%.4 Alfalfa has a low carbohydrate content  though “The energy content of alfalfa…” “…should not be underestimated (Bruce et al., 2008).”3

Soybean Oil || Contains 248 calories and 28g of fat per ounce with 51.5mcg of Vitamin K and 2.3mg of Vitamin E. Has about a 1:7 Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio14; additional effects for skin and coat in addition to blood pressure regulation. The 2nd best oil, beat only by Flaxseed Oil. Purina is known for mixing soybean oil with molasses to bind the pellets together.

Flaxseed || High in Omega-3 [anti-inflammatory that increases skin and coat condition] and low in Omega-6 [essential in the diet; in large quantities causes inflammation]. Contains vitamins [Vitamin K, Folate, Choline] and minerals [Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium], but no starch or sugar.13

Wheat Shorts || High in protein [14%], low in fat [3.5%], and decent in fiber [8%] wheat shorts are the "fine bran particles, germ and a small portion of floury endosperm particles" that are separated through flour milling. High in energy, 3.01 Mcal/ kg makes this an excellent protein and energy source.7

2 http://www.feedipedia.org/node/11744
3 http://www.feedipedia.org/node/275
4 http://www.desialis.com/fr/r-d-qualite/processus-de-fabrication/luzerne-deshydratee
5 http://www.feedipedia.org/node/12623
6 http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2079/F-3923web.pdf
7 http://www.mcness.com/sites/default/files/file_attach/WheatshortsCdnF03.pdf
13 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3163/2
14 http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/507/2

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Equilizer is what we call a ration balancer. It is a lot of vitamins & minerals very condensed into a small amount of grain. Mainly meant for easy keepers who don't require a lot of grain but still need their recommended daily vitamin & mineral values. It could also be used as a top dressing over another feed though I think that's impractical. If you're feeding another grain, then you might as well make sure that said grain is a 'complete feed' and meets all of their nutrient requirements versus adding more products and more volume.

I added Equalizer to my Ration Balancer comparison chart, though I'm pretty confident none of the products listed are available in Canada.

Looking at the chart we noticed that it is one of the best with NSC. "Non Structural Carbohydrate (NSC); are used to describe the sugar and starch content of the feed, the digestible carbohydrates. Horses with lamanitis, founder, metabolic, etc require a low starch low sugar diet. 11% NSC and below is recommended for that population of horses. While full working performance horses should have 22% NSC or below as to not cause any digestive upset or unwanted 'hotness' that is usually associated with some grain. To put this in perspective, corn has a 73% NSC with the glycemic index of 100. Corn is basically straight sugar and starch, very bad on the horse's body.

Ethanol soluble Carbohydrates (ESC) is composed of the simple sugars glucose, fructose, and sucrose. Water soluble Carbohydrates (WSC) is glucose, fructose, sucrose and fructans. If you take the WSC minus the ESC then you get the fructan content. Fructan is digested in the hind gut, too releases endotoxins in the bloodstream which is a cause of lamnitis. Simple sugars (glucose, fructose, and sucrose) are digested in the foregut and raise insulin levels. Too much can be a contributing factor towards laminitis." Purina does not provide us with any details regarding the NSC, only that the overall NSC is 10%, which is still good no matter how you splice and dice it.

Next is the protein which is heavily lacking, a big problem. Most ration balancers you are only feeding 1kg a day, so they are a lot more condensed to make up for the small volume. 12% is very very low, and it does not guarantee the levels of the amino acids. Amino acids are building blocks of protein; Lysine, Methionine, and Threonine are listed on the chart. 6.00% is generous considering that this type of feed is designed for easy keepers whom probably don't need any extra fat in their life. Fibre, on the other hand, exceeds expectations with a 15%. Fiber is the best for a horse's digestive track and helps maintain stasis within' the gut. Most of the time a ration balancer has a low fiber because the company assumes that the horse is already on an all-forage diet, they just need vitamins & minerals.

Onto the vitamins & minerals; the calcium: phosphorus ratio is off. There should always be about twice as much calcium than phosphorus, a 2:1 ratio. Here it is 3.00% Calcium and 2.5% phosphorus, that ratio is not correct. They guarantee a sodium content which is not as common as you may think it is. A sub-par Magnesium content. Guarantees sulfur, crucial for all connective tissues in the body. Guarantees Iodine, a common deficiency amongst horses so big plus there. While Iron is not proven to increase red blood cells in horses like it does in humans, it is a nutrient all the same.

Low in Selenium, which is concerning because Selenium deficiencies are very real. I would like to see this 3-4 times higher than what it is since it's a ration balancer. Low copper & zinc amounts which will be directly related to hoof health. Then it doesn't contain ANY biotin which is directly related to hoof & coat health. In addition to no microorganisms to aid in digestion.

The further we delved into this grain the more I'm convinced it is a flawed product. No way could it support an adult maintenance horse, let alone a performance horse. I would not recommend this product. It is a poor multi-vitamin, a poor ration balancer, and there are better alternatives.