How Tribute Wholesome Blends Balancer Provides Concentrated Daily Horse Nutrition

Finding a ration balancer that supplies concentrated nutrition without requiring a large daily serving can make feeding easier, especially when your horse maintains weight primarily on quality forage. Tribute Equine Nutrition Wholesome Blends Balancer Horse Feed is a soy-free ration balancer formulated with amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and digestive-support ingredients.

With 28% crude protein, controlled starch and sugar levels, and feeding amounts that vary according to your horse’s age and workload, this product targets horses that need nutritional support without a large concentrate ration.

Tribute Equine Nutrition Wholesome Blends Balancer Horse Feed is a soy-free, low-NSC ration balancer designed to complement a forage-based diet. The formula uses canola meal and linseed meal among its primary protein sources rather than soybean meal.

Other ingredients include dehydrated alfalfa meal, flaxseed meal, beet pulp, carrots, sweet potatoes, green split peas, canola oil, oats, and black oil sunflower seeds. As a soy-free horse feed, it can be useful when you prefer to avoid soy or when your horse’s feeding program calls for an alternative protein source.

Unlike a conventional high-intake concentrate, a ration balancer supplies concentrated protein, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals in relatively small daily portions. That makes this type of feed worth examining when your horse gets adequate calories from pasture or hay but still needs a balanced source of nutrients.

Several nutritional characteristics help explain where this feed fits into an equine diet:

• 28% minimum crude protein: Provides concentrated protein in relatively small servings.
• 2.2% minimum lysine: Supplies an essential amino acid involved in protein synthesis.
• 0.60% minimum methionine: Adds another essential amino acid to the formula.
• 5% minimum crude fat: Provides a moderate amount of dietary fat.
• 12% maximum crude fiber: Adds fiber alongside your horse’s primary forage.
• 5% maximum dietary starch: Keeps starch relatively controlled.
• 10% maximum sugars: Sugar content is listed separately by the manufacturer.
• 15% maximum NSC: Published retailer specifications list non-structural carbohydrates at a maximum of 15%.
• Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids: The guaranteed analysis lists at least 0.20% omega-3 and 0.50% omega-6 fatty acids.
• Vitamins and trace minerals: Includes vitamins A, D, E, C, biotin, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, and other nutrients.
• Digestive-support ingredients: Includes yeast, direct-fed microorganisms, and several digestive enzymes.

These specifications position the product as a low starch horse feed for owners looking for concentrated nutrition alongside forage.

The guaranteed analysis gives you a clearer idea of what your horse receives from each serving.

• Crude Protein: 28% minimum
• Crude Fat: 5% minimum
• Crude Fiber: 12% maximum
• Lysine: 2.2% minimum
• Methionine: 0.60% minimum
• Threonine: 1.20% minimum
• Dietary Starch: 5% maximum
• Sugars: 10% maximum
• Calcium: 2.5% minimum and 3.5% maximum
• Phosphorus: 1.5% minimum
• Vitamin E: 1,000 IU/lb minimum
• Biotin: 2.4 mg/lb minimum
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: 0.20% minimum
• Omega-6 Fatty Acids: 0.50% minimum
• Copper: 300 ppm minimum
• Zinc: 900 ppm minimum
• Manganese: 240 ppm minimum
• Selenium: 1.5 ppm minimum

This concentrated nutrient profile is typical of a horse ration balancer, since you generally feed far less of it than a standard complete or performance feed.

The ingredient list starts with canola meal, linseed meal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, flaxseed meal, and ground beet pulp. It also contains dehydrated carrots, dehydrated sweet potatoes, green split peas, canola oil, cane molasses, whole oats, and black oil sunflower seeds.

The formula then adds amino acids, vitamins, minerals, yeast products, microorganisms, enzymes, kelp meal, and other nutritional ingredients. For horses receiving substantial forage, this combination can help fill nutrient gaps without requiring several pounds of traditional grain at every meal.

That is one of the main situations in which a ration balancer may make sense. A horse may maintain appropriate body condition on grass or hay while still needing concentrated amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.

Adding a calorie-dense performance feed could provide energy the horse does not need. Using a ration balancer for horses lets you provide those nutrients at a lower daily feeding rate.

The correct amount still depends on body weight, life stage, workload, forage quality, and the rest of your feeding program.

Tribute publishes different feeding rates according to your horse’s situation. For a mature 1,100-pound horse, published recommendations include:

• Idle: 1–2 pounds daily
• Light work: 2–2.5 pounds daily
• Moderate work: 2.5–3 pounds daily
• Heavy work: 3–3.5 pounds daily
• Intense work: 3–3.5 pounds daily

For an 1,100-pound pregnant mare, the listed amount is 2.5–3 pounds per day. A nursing mare during the first three months has a listed range of 3–4 pounds daily. Growing horses have separate recommendations based on body weight.

These figures are manufacturer guidelines rather than personalized feeding instructions. Your horse’s body condition, forage analysis, health history, and workload can change the appropriate ration.

This formula contains active dry yeast, yeast culture, direct-fed microorganisms, and enzymes such as cellulase, protease, lipase, hemicellulase, and phytase. Those additions make equine digestive support part of the formulation rather than requiring you to automatically add a separate digestive product.

Still, the presence of these ingredients does not mean the feed treats digestive disorders. Good-quality forage, regular access to water, gradual feed changes, appropriate meal sizes, and veterinary care remain important parts of digestive management.

This balancer may fit your feeding plan when:

• Your horse maintains body condition primarily on pasture or hay.
• You want a soy-free ration balancer.
• You prefer a formula with controlled starch.
• Your horse needs concentrated amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.
• You want omega fatty acids included in the daily ration.
• You prefer a feed containing yeast, microorganisms, and digestive enzymes.
• Your horse does not require several pounds of calorie-dense concentrate each day.

It may be less suitable if your horse needs substantial additional calories for weight gain or demanding work. In that situation, a performance, senior, or higher-calorie complete feed may fit the ration better.

One benefit is the amount of nutrition packed into relatively small daily servings. An easy keeper can receive concentrated nutrients without adding the calorie load associated with feeding larger quantities of conventional grain.

The soy-free formulation may also matter if avoiding soy is one of your feeding priorities. Canola meal and linseed meal serve as major protein ingredients instead.

Another point is the amino acid profile. Lysine, methionine, and threonine are specifically guaranteed, giving you measurable information instead of relying on crude protein percentage alone.

No feed works equally well for every horse. A few factors deserve attention before buying. First, the 28% crude protein figure can look high when compared with ordinary horse feeds.

Remember that this product is intended to be fed in much smaller amounts, so comparing percentages alone can be misleading. Second, it contains ingredients such as cane molasses and oats.

Owners following highly specific ingredient restrictions should read the complete label rather than relying only on the soy-free description. Finally, horses requiring significant additional calories may need another feeding strategy.

The manufacturer lists approximately 1,320 calories per pound for Wholesome Blends Balancer, which helps explain why feeding rate and total diet matter when assessing calorie intake.

Regular concentrates are commonly fed in larger quantities because they supply significant calories alongside protein, vitamins, and minerals. A balancer has a different job.

If your horse already receives enough energy from forage, adding several pounds of conventional concentrate can result in unnecessary calories. A concentrated balancer lets you address nutrient intake with smaller portions.

For horses that need extra calories, though, a traditional concentrate or complete feed may be the practical choice.

It can be worth evaluating for easy keepers because of its concentrated feeding rate and controlled carbohydrate specifications. The product has maximum guarantees of 5% dietary starch and 10% sugars, with published specifications placing maximum NSC at 15%.

That does not automatically make it suitable for every horse with metabolic or medical concerns.

If your horse has insulin dysregulation, laminitis history, PPID, or another condition affecting dietary requirements, feeding decisions should be discussed with your veterinarian or qualified equine nutrition professional.

Is Wholesome Blends Balancer soy-free?

Yes. Tribute markets Wholesome Blends Balancer as a soy-free product, and soybean meal does not appear on the published ingredient list.

Does it contain probiotics?

The formula includes several direct-fed microorganisms along with yeast products. Its guaranteed analysis lists at least 520 million CFU per pound of direct-fed microorganisms.

Is it a complete horse feed?

It is marketed as a ration balancer designed to complement forage rather than replace your horse's forage intake. Your horse still needs an appropriate forage source and access to fresh water.

How much protein does it contain?

The guaranteed analysis lists a minimum crude protein level of 28%, along with 2.2% minimum lysine, 0.60% minimum methionine, and 1.20% minimum threonine.

Does it contain added vitamins and minerals?

Yes. The formula includes vitamins A, D, E, C, B vitamins, biotin, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, and other minerals.

Tribute Wholesome Blends Balancer makes the most sense when your horse gets adequate calories from forage but still needs concentrated protein, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Its soy-free formula, controlled starch and sugar guarantees, omega fatty acids, yeast products, microorganisms, and digestive enzymes give you several nutritional features in one ration balancer.

Before changing your horse's diet, check the current bag label and calculate the entire ration rather than judging one feed in isolation. Introduce any new feed gradually, follow the feeding rate for your horse’s weight and workload, and get professional guidance when medical or metabolic concerns affect feeding requirements.