Try to think of Born to Win (or any ration balancer, Grow N Win, Progressive, etc) as a vitamin/mineral supplement, just higher powered than say Purina 12:12 loose minerals or mineral blocks that you might routinely put out free choice in a stall.
A horse on an all forage diet -- either all hay, or all pasture or a combination of the two is BOUND to be lacking some minerals, depending on the geographic area where the forage was grown. Your horse may be able to maintain appropriate weight on the all-forage diet, and that is wonderful! That's what his system is geared to survive on. However, good body weight does not necessarily mean optimal nutrition. I can maintain (probably even OVERmaintain) my weight on McDonalds and various other fast food meals every day, but my NUTRITION level will not necessarily be adequate. Horses on an all-forage diet will likely benefit from a vitamin/mineral supplement and probably added protein as well since the average grass hay averages about 8-10% protein (alfalfa or legume hay is a whole 'nother ball of wax). The Born To Win is nothing but vitamins + minerals + protein. And before you say "eegads, 32% protein! My horse doesn't need that!, keep in mind that you only feed 4-16 ounces of the product per day. If your horse is eating 8 oz of a 32% protein feed and 3+ pounds of forage at 8% protein, you are coming no where near a high protein diet -- you MIGHT be getting up into the 10-11% range (I could do the math as an illustration for you, but am feeling lazy at the moment) for the diet overall. IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: Feeding a 12% or 14% or 32% hard feed does NOT mean you are feeding your horse 12%, 14% or a 32% protein diet. You must average protein across the ENTIRE diet, taking into account the levels of protein from EVERY item eaten during that day and averaging those as determined by the weight and protein percentage of all food items.
So Marty I do contend that not all horses NEED grain. We mostly feed grain out of tradition and because it makes us feel good. That's the same reason why so many folks think 4-8 oz of feed is not enough to give their horse. The horses aren't in the barn comparing notes, asking each other, "Hey, how much did you get." They eat feed from a bucket out of habit, because we condition them to expect it -- and what usually goes in a bucket is tasty! There's no mark on that bucket that says they feel slighted if it doesn't get filled up to that point. THink of it this way -- you could put a cup of alfalfa pellets in that bucket, mixed with a handful of sunflower seeds, carrots, chopped hay, anything else you can think of that your horse enjoys eating -- and he could care less -- it's the act of putting in that bucket that makes it meaningful to your horse AND you! I may not feed my horses any grain, but they do get full meals. I mix the 4 oz of Born to Win with 2 cups of chopped hay in the a.m. and 2 cups of wet beet pulp for the evening meal to give it some volume. To that I may add sunflower seeds (1/4 to 1/3 cup), 1 oz of flax seed and/or almost a cup of alfalfa pellets -- depending on the needs of the individual horse. That is PLENTY of food, just not a lot of starch or sugar. I also feed plenty of good quality forage. The only horses around here who are fat and have bellies are ones who are on pasture 24/7. So be it -- those are my pets and I don't expect them to look like show horses.
Some horses DO need grain and high amounts of concentrates. Examples would be 1) high strung horses who cannot keep weight. Think of a stallion that runs the fence line during breeding season. Grain may help keep weight on this type of horse. 2) hard working horses who need the carbohydrates from grain for energy to do their jobs. 3) nursing moms who have high caloric needs in order to produce milk, 4) horses who cannot eat hay for dental or other health reasons. For this type of horse, a true complete feed (one with fiber percentage in the high teens into the 20s) which provides both forage and grain in a complete, digestible form is suggested. Complete feeds are almost always recommended to be fed at very high volumes, mostly because they are replacing hay in the diet. Also falling into this category would be situations where the horse owner cannot provide hay due to nonavailability or other circumstances. If you can't provide hay either due to lack of availability or storage issues, or whatever -- feed a TRUE complete feed to meet the horses needs as it will have the necessary fiber to meet the horse's requirements (but only when fed at volumes recommended by the manufacturer). Remember, however, that there is a difference between COMPLETE feeds and fortified feeds -- they are not one in the same. Complete feeds will be able to REPLACE hay and will say so right on the bag. Fortified feeds - like most horse owners purchase -- have had vitamins/minerals added to certain levels to meet nutrient requirements as determined by the NRC (National Research Council, and those figures are from 1989!!!!!). Fortified feeds do NOT contain as much fiber as complete feeds, and the bag will recommend that hay or pasture be fed alongside.
Think of grain as providing 2 things: A) Weight b) Energy. It really isn't REQUIRED, as there are other ways to achieve the same goals. Yes, oats are an excellent source of amino acids, but you can get AA's from other sources. On the downside, they are high in starch and some horses may not be able to tolerate them. Yes, corn is good for energy, but you risk starch overload and mycotoxin exposure. Yes, barley is an acceptable horse feed, but some horses find it not very tasty. The trouble with grains and minis is that we usually cannot feed enough of them to provide the benefits without risking obesity in the horse. This is not the case with most full size horses because they metabolize feed at a higher rate and can eat larger volumes, thus achieving the full benefit of grain diets. That being said, it should be noted that current research in equine nutrition is changing how we feed big horses, too. I'm sure you've noticed the outpouring of new "low starch" "safe choice" feeds being offered by the various manufacturers. This is because ongoing research reveals that even for big horses, the traditional high starch grain diet can be a problem for them too -- not just minis and ponies.
So to answer your questions and give the bottom line:
1) Ration balancers (Born to Win) can be fed alone in volumes recommended by the manufacturer, usually anywhere from 4 to 16 oz per day to a mini. If he can maintain his weight on the balancer alone, no need to add grains or commercial feed product.
2) Ration balancers can be used as a supplement to whole grains (usually oats are recommended) or to a commercial product, but when used in conjunction with a commercial feed, one must do so after careful consideration of the vitamin/mineral levels of both feeds combined.
3) Ration balancers are generally high in protein 28-32%, but when fed in conjunction with grass hay or grass pasture, this protein level does not present a problem when the ration balancer is fed at recommended levels. There are lower protein level ration balancers in the 12-14% range that can be fed in conjunction with alfalfa or legume forages.
4) Your mini will not "hate" you for feeding him less, despite that look on his face. Think of other low cal offerings to give him to replace the lost grain. In other words, if you are dieting and your doctor says to eat less red meat, you can usually add more salad and/or vegetables to the meal and still get the same volume of food to fill your stomach. WARNING: Carrots and apples are not low cal, low sugar, low starch. A handful of sunflower seeds, some chopped hay, alfalfa or grass hay pellets, soaked beet pulp can all add VOLUME to the meal without adding the bad stuff that contributes to obesity. You don't have to STARVE your horse to feed it a healthier diet -- it's more in WHAT you feed than how much. But, the cardinal rule to remember is: Calories IN must equal calories OUT or you get weight gain, which leads me to the following.....
Probably just as important as anything -- you cannot feed your horse into condition. You can help set the foundation for good condition with proper nutrition. It's the rare horse that looks great and can walk into the show ring without any exercise/conditioning. Most will need a combination of regular exercise, good grooming AND a superior diet to get that show ring look. That being said, however, we can provide even our non-exercised pasture pets with better nutrition to help reduce the risk of obesity and its associated health problems (laminitis, risk for hyperlipidemia). To do so, however, may require that we look beyond the traditional method of feeding grains and sweet feeds and embrace some of the newest research which indicates the carbs and starches of grains may NOT be in all horse's best interests. Good for some, but NOT for many.
Robin C
