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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
   
Location: North Dakota | I've never gotten the full story on this. I've just seen comments here and there about how it is bad to feed pellets to horses. Can someone give me the background behind this?
My question is stemming from the fact that I have a bag of Purina Strategy in pellet form. Once my gelding loses his winter weight, I was going to start feeding some of it, to see if he gets a bit of extra energy from it for his barrel runs (I've heard that about the plain Stratey, anyway). One of the things I read is that you are supposed to soak it first so they don't choke. Am I totally off my rocker for thinking/hearing this?? |
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 Ms. Poutability
Posts: 2362
Location: In my own world | If your horse can eat a textured feed he should be fine on it. Maybe you heard that pelleted feed can be soaked and fed to horses that are prone to choke? I feed it soaked to 2 oldies at my place |
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 Pork Fat is my Favorite
Posts: 3791
Location: The Oklahoma plains. | It can be a heated issue on here at times but horses can choke on whole corn for that matter. Think of pellets like a cake- the ingredients are blended for even distribution then baked so to speak. I do like the senior soft pellets that are heavy in beet pulp and oil- but you can do the same with other pellets by soaking them as mentioned. |
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | Probably stems from some horses have colic issues on poorly/cheap made pellets. Just make sure you are feeding a quality feed and make sure your horse is drinking enough water. |
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Veteran
Posts: 138
| I feed my horses pellets (have for years) & have had no problems with them. The reason I feed pellets is because one of my old college friends had a horse choke and the vet said that if she hadn't been feeding the horse pellets, he would have had to cut the horse's throat to dis-lodge the bolus of food. Thankfully, the pellets will break down with water where "sweet feed" will not, & the vet was able to tube a little water into the horses throat & break down the bolus of feed with no problems for the horse. The next day, I started switching my horses to pellets & they have been on them since then.
I don't "soak" the pellets that I do feed my horses, but I do run the water hose over the top of the feed in the buckets & wet the pellets down. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | textured is not at all like pelleted.
pellets can cause choke and the brand you are discussing is very famous for it. some horses gobble alot and then like crackers can get mushy in throat from saliva and cause choke .they expand as well with saliva. either spread it out on floor in long container or add water or even rocks in bucket help I hear.. i have always soaked or added water or soaked beet pulp to pellets.... corn doesnt get mushy like crackers as pellets do.. stuff some crackers in your mouth with no water.. and chew...then swallow.. .. if you are concerned.. some have No issues.. some dont.
Edited by Bibliafarm 2014-03-11 11:16 AM
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | I have been feeding the Safechoice Origional and now the Perform for several years now and have never had an issue. I have used it on weanlings, broodmares, geldings young and old. My old old guy with no teeth gets it every now and again, but I soak his because he has no teeth.
I believe in choke, but I do think these horses have some kind of issue otherwise. I don't think it is normal. Some may eat too fast or have missing teeth etc. |
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 Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | I had a mare that got an impaction from pellets in her esophagus. That was nasty. Not saying I wouldn't feed it, but that's always in the back of my mind. Just a thought. |
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | I try to feed only soft pellets, the ones that turn to mush when you wet them. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Thank you for all the input.
He doesn't scarf his food down fast, and eats at a reasonable pace. And doesn't have any health issues regarding choke. So I would think that he would be fine then. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 559
| I have has by horses on strategy in the past.. I had a mare choke on it quite frequently .. Switched feeds & she has not choked since . |
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Queen Bean of Ponyland
Posts: 24954
Location: WYOMING | Ive had multiple horses choke on pellets. Won't touch them. |
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| My horses. ALL my horses, young and old alike, have been on pellets for YEARS. I've literally NEVER had a horse choke on pellets. Knock,knock,knock on wood, dare I say that I've also not ever had a colic surgery or lost a horse to colic. I have had, over a 25 year period, two or three very light colic cases that required a shot of banamine in which case they also got an oiling just to be safe. But is there anyone who hasn't had a slight colic case regardless of type of food?
Edited to add: I've never used Strategy. Currently using Manna Pro Safe Performance and Southeast Performance (Compete) , have used Nutrena Safe Choice, Nutrena Life Design Pellets and Seminole Pellets throughout the years.
Edited by runs4fun 2014-03-11 12:36 PM
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Expert
Posts: 2678
Location: Mi | I feed pellets. I don't water them down, but I do put bigger rocks in my feed tubs that way the horse has to work around them etc. causing more saliva. I've had good luck with the rocks. Have one that did choke after starting the pellets a year or so ago, but since adding the rocks haven't had any problems. |
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My Heelers are Heroes
Posts: 4685
| Texas A&M put my friend's horse on a pelleted feed to prevent colic. Said they are easier to digest than whole grains. Maybe alot depends on the quality? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1150
Location: LaCygne, KS | Pellets are not dangerous. We have fed Strategy since it came out (probably 1991?) without any problem what so ever.I currently have 6 yearlings and 8 two yo's to adults horses on Strategy pellets. I beleive pellets are safer than a grind and mix ration, especially in a bulk bin feeding situation as the fines in the mix can seperate and some days a finer (heavier) mix can come out |
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 Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | It all depends on the horse. Every horse is and will be different. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
Location: Lost in the swamps | We literally had to put one down a few pasture over from where I board last night, the owners just purchased the horse from a customer of mine a few months back, we never had problems with him choking or bolting. they started feeding pellets along his textured feed. he bolted his feed from a bully horse and the owners left before he finished eating came back the next day he was choked and impacted right at the stomach and already going toxic.:( vet couldn't unblock, referred to lsu, but wound up puttin him down because he was too far gone. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
Location: Lost in the swamps | Obviously was multiple factors but the dry pellets didn't help:/ |
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Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | Some posts make it seem pellets cause colic. .that isn't the case. I think we are talking about choke ..I feed pellets. Would never feed sweet feed .but I take precautions. Usually once they choke they will have other episodes. Or scar tissue ..all horses do differently.there is no fireproof way |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | anything over a pound at one feeding i soak. fortuately we have great hay here so don't need a lot of feed |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| I had a mare that had a stomach rupture itmwas,awlful.
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 IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
| As Biblia mentioned...when a horse eats pellets quickly the saliva causes the pellets to expand slightly so if you have a horse that has inhaled their feed they have more of a risk of choking.
I have fed SafeChoice before and other pellets and have never had issues with choking.
Like missrosealee said it all just depends on the horse.
If you are looking for more energy for your horse in his runs I suggest you look for fats vs. starches. High starch diets put a lot of glucose in the small intestine and the horse is not designed for this. When horses process their energy from starch they will get fatigued quicker.
Research suggests that fat gives horses the ability to save glucose-so they are able to use the fat more efficiently when exercised. Fat contains just about double the energy of carbs too.
Granted Strategy is advertised as a low starch feed...so my question is what are you currently feeding that makes you feel like your horse needs more energy?
Strategy (last time I had checked) is only 6% fat-so if you are looking for more energy I would almost suggest something higher in fat whether it be rice bran, Empower, Enrich 32, or Ultimate Finish. HOWEVER-this all depends on what you are currently feeding your horse. |
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Expert
Posts: 1730
| Like Missroselee and a few others have already said, it depends on the horse. My mare scared the snot out of me one time while eating pellets. After that, I started watering them down for her. I've since quit feeding them and now buy an extruded feed. I can feed it dry but I always add water and make a mash for both of my horses. They prefer it that way but it also allows the supplements to stick to it. |
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 Night Watchman
Posts: 5516
Location: Central Montana | Had one choke on alfalfa pellets even after they had been soaked. Will never feed them again. Softer pellets soaked are ok but we make sure that they do get mushy before we feed them.
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Fire Ant Peddler
Posts: 2881
| I have fed pellets since 1975 to multiple horses and have never had a problem with choking. I have had horses for nearly 60 years and never had one choke. I feed in tubs ON THE GROUND. |
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 Ditch the Stirrups
Posts: 5369
Location: Sorrow Not! Defending against workplace bullies | I had a horse choke VERY badly. Now I soak everything for all horses before feeding. It only takes a few extra minutes and helps keep them hydrated too. Another thing that can contribute to choke is feeding off the greound. Make sure your grain container can be set on the ground instead of hanging it up. I have not had any more choke episodes for years now. |
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 Arriving at the last minute!
Posts: 5148
Location: Kansas | I have never fed pelleted anything mainly due to choking, impaction colic, and processing destroys the natural vitamins. Oats produces saliva and no worries. I add a little rice bran for added fat. Nothing better than some good carbs for energy and that goes for humans too. There are good and bad carbs. |
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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| Honeymoney - 2014-03-11 10:28 PM
I have fed pellets since 1975 to multiple horses and have never had a problem with choking. I have had horses for nearly 60 years and never had one choke. I feed in tubs ON THE GROUND.
We had one horse than was prone to choke when switched to pellets. Dropped his bucket to the ground and haven't has an issue since. |
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Dangerous to feed pellets to your horse?