ESTE Balancer

That depends on your horse’s energy needs (workload, metabolism, condition) and on the quality of the forage. 

As a rough guideline: with 0–2 hours of work per week, forage plus a balancer is usually enough. With 3–5 hours, some horses may need a small amount of concentrate. From 6–8 hours, many horses need extra calories, and at 9 hours or more, additional energy is often needed. Many horses do great on forage plus a balancer, while others need extra calories through concentrate feed or supplements (for example Grow & Glow). 

To avoid over-supplementation, reduce the balancer when you add concentrates: 

For every 1 kg of concentrate per day, reduce the recommended daily amount of balancer by 50 g. 

If you combine multiple concentrates and supplements, always check the full composition, especially the selenium content (see below). 

Yes. Selenium can add up quickly when you combine several feeds. 

Total selenium intake should not exceed 3 mg per day. 

So check the selenium content of each concentrate and supplement in the overall ration. 

For many horses, forage plus a balancer is indeed sufficient, especially with light to moderate work (around 2 to 3 hours per week). With Este Balancer you can feel more confident if you are unsure about your hay quality, because it is very complete and covers essential building blocks that can fluctuate in forage. 

If your horse maintains a healthy weight and topline, it is usually enough. If your horse loses weight, does heavy work, or struggles to maintain muscle, extra energy (for example via concentrates or Grow & Glow) may still be needed. 

No, with Este Balancer you don't need to rotate. You hear this often, but it is usually because many balancers do not fully cover all nutrients or are not balanced in the right proportions. Rotating can sometimes compensate for gaps, because one product may provide more of certain nutrients, and another provides more of others. 

Rotation mainly makes sense if your current balancer could cause deficiencies or imbalances due to an incomplete formula. With Este Balancer, that is not needed. The formula is complete and provides nutrients in the right ratios to feed alongside forage, without having to rotate to cover everything. 

Este Balancer contains synthetic vitamin E in the form all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetate (alpha-tocopheryl acetate). This form was chosen because it is stable in feed and breaks down less quickly during storage. 

Horses with at least 4 hours of turnout per day typically get enough vitamin E, because they also get vitamin E from fresh grass. If your horse has little or no turnout, an additional vitamin E supplement can be useful. In that case, natural vitamin E (usually RRR- or d-α-tocopherol) is often a good choice because it is more bioavailable. In our Vitamin E Liquid supplement, we therefore use natural vitamin E. 

It is also important, especially with synthetic vitamin E, to compare products by IU rather than only by mg. IU reflects biological activity, meaning how much vitamin E effect the body can actually use, which makes it a more reliable way to compare products. 

Most horses already get plenty of iron through forage and drinking water. True deficiencies are rare. Adding extra iron is usually unnecessary and can increase the risk of excess, which is undesirable and may place extra strain on the body, including the liver.That is why we do not add extra iron.

Este Balancer costs more because it is truly complete and formulated at effective inclusion levels. We compared it to other balancers and found that many products often contain levels of key nutrients that are too low to reliably cover daily needs. Sometimes certain nutrients can also be dosed unnecessarily high, which makes the overall formula less balanced. 

If you want peace of mind that your horse is properly covered every day alongside forage, choose a balancer like Este that is science-based and formulated with a clear purpose. Este Balancer was developed by Sara Torfs, specialist in internal medicine and PhD. 

With highly concentrated formulas, something isalmost alwaysadded to support palatability. This balancercontainsonly 3% molasses, just enough to encourage intake. In a 250 g serving(for a 500 kg horse), that equals about 5–6 g of sugar, comparable to about one third of an apple. For a500 kghorse, this isa very smallamount and isgenerally safe, also within a low-sugar diet (such as for PPID, EMS, laminitis, or obesity).

For a mare of around 500 kg, increase the dose by about 20% in the last trimester (months 8–11), from 250 g to 300 g per day. 

During lactation, continue at 300 g per day. 

Introduce it gradually so your horse can get used to it: 

Week 1: 50 g per day 

Week 2: 100 g per day 

Week 3: 150 g per day 

Week 4: 200 g per day 

Week 5: 250 g per day (recommended daily amount for a 500 kg horse) 

No. Este Balancer is grain-free andvery lowin sugar and starch, so it does not provide “quick” energy like some concentrate feeds. Itmainly suppliesvitamins, minerals, and building blocks without making your horse more “hot.”

Usually not. A healthy horse typically produces enough vitamin C on its own. Extra vitamin C can be helpful in certain situations (such as recovery or increased demands), and what a healthy horse does not need isgenerally excreted.

This is very unlikely. The daily serving of 250 g contains about 50 g of alfalfa, which is a small amount. Even if you also feed some additional alfalfa, it is usually not an issue as long as you stay within reasonable amounts (often 1–2 kg per day, depending on the overall ration). 

Issues are seen only exceptionally when too much alfalfa is fed or when switching too suddenly. If you follow the guidelines, the risk is small. In practice, Sara Torfs has also never seen digestive problems in horses thought to be sensitive to alfalfa. 

A balancer covers the basics of essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, as a complement to a forage-based diet. Sometimes additional targeted support can still be useful, for example with: 

• more or heavier training 
• little or no turnout (for example extra vitamin E) 
• deficiencies or focus points from a forage analysis 
• extra support for muscle development, recovery, or overall health 

Explore our full range for targeted support, email info@curafyt.com, or ask your veterinarian for advice.