Benchmark Balancer Mash^® can be fed alone (with the addition of fibre) or it can be fed in conjunction with Benchmark Super Fibre Mash, grains or a high fat energy source.

The applications for Benchmark Balancer Mash^® are numerous and include:

• All horses who react to feeds high in starch and sugar.
• Horses at risk of, or suffering from laminitis, cushings, IR, PSSM or EMS.
• Horses on box rest or recovering from injury, illness, or surgery.
• Horses requiring more topline or muscle mass.
• To supplement horses grazing limited or poor-quality pasture.
• Horses prone to weight gain that require a low dose, low carb concentrate.
• Growing youngstock that require a ration high in protein but low in starch and sugar.

Feeding the recommended daily rate of Benchmark Balancer Mash^® to your horse will improve any ration by topping up nutritional deficiencies that may occur in fibre, pasture, grains, or poor-quality complete feeds.

When formulating a premium feed for older horses it is important to address the challenges of ageing by maximising feed digestibility and nutritional robustness – and wherever possible to provide support for entire body systems.

Important inclusions are the correct amino acid profile and the ratio of Essential Amino Acids (EAASs) to Non-Essential Amino Acids (NEAAs). Getting this right can be lifechanging for a cherished oldie.

Other critical inclusions such as Omega 3 DHA, antioxidants, biotin, superfibres, and pre and pro biotics all combine to help combat the challenges of old age. When changing from a poorer quality feed to Golden Oldies^®, the benefits can be seen in digestive health, general vigour, mobility and coat condition. If poor quality or limited protein has been fed previously you will see a marked change in your horse’s top line over time.

Remember if your horse’s teeth are showing their age you can soak your Golden Oldies^® down to a mash with cold water. Adding Benchmark Super Fibre Mash^® to Golden Oldies^® will provide an energy rich fibre source that is easy to digest and a great conditioner, particularly during colder months or when pastures are poor.

When our nutrition team started the development of Benchmark Invest^® the overarching aim was to provide nutrition that was not only good enough to support the horse being fed, but to provide support for the future.

For an in-foal mare this is the development and nourishment of her foal through to weaning; for the weanling or yearling it is to support the upcoming periods of rapid growth and development and for a weary and muscle fatigued equine athlete it is to rebuild and replenish body condition and lean muscle mass.

To succeed in this goal takes a holistic approach to equine nutrition. Inclusions must go well beyond providing carbs and protein. When formulating Benchmark Invest^® our nutritionists looked at the gut microbiome, fibre and fat requirements, amino acid profiles across all body tissues, vitamin and mineral balances and nutrient availability and digestibility.

The result is a complete feed that we are very proud to offer to amateur and commercial breeders or to any horse owner who is looking to invest in their horse’s future.

Recharge the Muscle Batteries – Horses need good levels of energy in their diets to function and perform at their best. With increased activity, horses burn up the stored energy in their muscles needed for that strong finish, like that final sprint or that last big jump. Benchmark Achieve^®-Sport contains higher levels of energy needed for the higher performing horse, achieved through fat content in the feed, microbial fermentation of fibre producing “cool” energy, and micronised grains providing that all important muscle battery recharge.

Super Fibres – Fibre is the natural source of feed for horses and Benchmark Achieve^®-Sport is packed with some of the best super fibres available. Soy and lupin hulls enhance microbial fermentation in the hindgut, improving digestion, vitamin production and overall health. It only makes sense to feed something natural to your best friend!

A Complete Feed – Benchmark Achieve^®-Sport is heavily fortified with essential nutrients, all designed to enhance and improve the health, performance, and recovery of your equine athlete. Provide ample quality forage and water with Achieve^®-Sport for a quality diet.

Immune Boosting – Benchmark Feeds Achieve^®-Sport contains immune boosting minerals such as copper, zinc, manganese, selenium, iodine and chromium plus many high-quality antioxidants.

Gut Health – Benchmark Achieve^®-Sport contains good levels of pre- and pro-biotics, designed to improve your horse’s gut and overall health.

Muscle Recovery – When athletes perform, their muscles become stressed and are continuously broken down and rebuilt. Performance horses are no different. With the rigours of continual, higher level activity, the risk of performance horses suffering injuries increases. Benchmark Achieve^®-Sport contains good levels of essential amino acids, necessary for repairing stressed muscles plus high levels of chromium, scientifically proven to help prevent muscle breakdown and wastage.

Perfect Partners

Combining Benchmark Achieve^®-Sport with a base of Benchmark Super Fibre Mash^® creates a nutritious meal that is high in fermentable fibre, low in starch and sugar and very cost effective

Benchmark Superfibre Mash^® is a tasty fibre source that has much to offer for all horses and ponies. The benefits of superfibres in soy hulls has been harnessed and digestive support improved with the addition of pre and pro-biotics and Melofeed, a natural source of antioxidant. Importantly, a special mineral premix has been included to balance iron, copper & zinc ratios to ensure Benchmark Super Fibre Mash^® is a safe and balanced addition to any equine diet. Being low in sugars and starch, Benchmark Super Fibre Mash^® is safe for the laminitic and EMS horse and pony.

Benchmark Superfibre Mash is primarily a fibre source and does not provide a full array of vitamins, minerals or amino acids. For best results use in conjunction with a complete Benchmark ration such as Benchmark Perfect Mash^®, Cool AZ^®, Invest^®, Achieve^®– Sport or Golden Oldies^®.

What’s so great about Super fibres?

Apart from water, fibre is the most important component of a horse’s natural diet. Fibre is digested by fermentation in the horse’s hind gut or caecum, unlocking energy rich volatile fatty acids.

The digestion of fibre sources such as pasture, hay and chaff are about 40-60% efficient, meaning that about 40- 60% of all fibre is either not digested, or only partially digested and ultimately passes as waste in the horse’s manure.

By comparison, super fibres such as the soy hulls in Benchmark Super Fibre Mash^® are about 75-80% digestible, meaning that much less is passed as waste and importantly more nutritional benefit is gained from each kg of super fibres fed. Super fibres also stimulate fermentation, helping to protect the delicate microbiota (micro flora) balance in the hind gut.

Your choice of Benchmark Cool AZ^® will not disappoint. We have formulated Cool AZ^® to provide an optimal level of nutrition for horses and ponies that are in light to medium work or on paddock rest. Cool AZ^® uses super fibres as the primary energy source, resulting in a feed that it is low in starch and sugar, genuinely non-heating and more in tune with your horse’s natural digestive system.

With a good mixture of balanced trace minerals, quality vitamins, key amino acids for muscle development, chromium to help prevent muscle wastage and benefit Insulin resistant (IR) horses, and high quality pre and probiotics, you will find that Cool AZ^® is ideal for keeping your horses looking good and feeling well. Cool AZ  will suit most horses, simplifying feed up time. Benchmark Cool AZ^® will help your horse feel better on the inside, improving how it looks on the outside!

If you have older horses, broodmares, youngstock or spelling racehorses we would recommend more targeted Benchmark feeds such as Golden Oldies^® or Benchmark Invest^®. If your horses are sensitive to grain starch, we would suggest Benchmark Perfect Mash^®. This product is a revelation in horse feeding practice and ideal for starch intolerant horses and ponies.

Benchmark’s Nutrition team had a mission to create a new and innovative feed that would provide a balanced equine diet with high levels of essential nutrients but without relying on grains and grain bi-products. By utilising the benefits of super fibres from soy hulls the team were able to create a truly remarkable new feed that ticks the nutritional boxes for many of our equine friends.

Highly palatable, Benchmark Perfect Mash^® is rich in natural antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and electrolytes – and importantly, despite being a great conditioning feed, it is genuinely non-heating, making it a logical choice for many horse owners.

Supporting Digestive Good Health

In yet another innovative move, our nutritionists took advantage of the hind gut digestibility of the super fibres in Perfect Mash^® to deliver serious amounts of pre and pro-biotics, supporting the gut microbiome and microbiota (gut flora) population.

In an industry first for Australia, we have added Melofeed®, a natural source of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. (SOD) As the name suggests, Melofeed® is extracted from melon fruit pulp and juice. The benefits of SOD are well proven and are documented on our website.

What’s so great about super fibres?

Apart from water, fibre is the most important component of a horse’s natural diet. Fibre is digested by fermentation in the horse’s hind gut or caecum, unlocking energy rich short chain volatile fatty acids, the horse’s natural energy source.

The digestion of fibre sources such as pasture, hay and chaff are about 40-60% efficient, meaning that about 40- 60% of all fibre is either not digested, or only partially digested and ultimately passes as waste in the horse’s manure.

By comparison super fibres, such as the soy hulls in the Benchmark Perfect Mash^® are about 75-80% digestible, meaning that much less is passed as waste and importantly more nutritional benefit is gained from each kg of super fibres fed. Super fibres also stimulate fermentation, helping to protect the delicate microbiota (micro flora) balance in the hind gut. These are also the same microbes responsible for producing most of the horse’s B and K vitamins which are so vital for the healthy daily functioning of the horse.