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 Veteran
Posts: 262
 
| I'd love to hear what works and doesn't work for fellow Barrel racers feeding programs. What do you feed your competition Horses? Does it change much during the off season or breaks? There are so many types of feed a d supplements that it'd be nice to see what has worked for people. |
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  Independent Cuss
Posts: 3977
  
Location: Dearing, GA | I feed Dumor Equistages (pellets). One scoop twice a day. I think that equals out to about 4 pounds a day *maybe*. My horse is happy, shiny, healthy, and this regime does not change regardless of time of year. I don't feed any supplements either. My horse is out during the day, up at night, gets hay and is on pasture. |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | I feed my barrel horse (18 years old) about 3-4 pounds of Tribute Kalm N EZ pellets, FORCO, and T.H.E. year round. She also gets free choice grass hay and a flake of alfalfa.
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 Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
Location: Oklahoma | I feed free choice bermuda hay in round bales. My horses get alfalfa pellets and Adeptus Augment for their vitamin/mineral supplement. I keep it simple. All mine are shiny and dappled. |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| I've got a super easy keeping mare and a hard keeping colt who gets ulcers at the drop of a hat. I moved to a new region and was able to completely revamp my program. I'm going on 6 weeks with it, and I love the new change.
The easy keeper is on 20 lbs of Omnis cubes and a flake of coastal morning and night for something to do after cubes are gone. No grain, no rice bran (I'm a huge rice bran fan.) She looks perfect.
The colt is on free choice Omnis cubes, and 1/2 lb rice bran morning and night, no grain. He also gets as much grass hay as he wants, for variety. He's put on a ton of weight! He's calmer, happier, plus I was able to pull him off of daily Ulcergard. I'm so so so excited.
My mare fired better than ever last weekend and blew the doors off her previous times.
The pasture horses have great grass, but they're getting 5 lbs of Omnis cubes in the morning to keep them coming up so I can see them. They are fat, fuzzy, and sassy.
They WERE on:
Alfalfa hay, free choice coastal. The mare was getting 3 lbs Safechoice Performance, 1 lb rice bran, morning and night.
The colt was getting 3 lbs Safechoice Performance, 2 lbs rice bran, morning and night, plus alfalfa and coastal. He looked wonderful, but there was the digestive thing.
Pasture horses were getting 3 lbs Safechoice Performance, 1 lb rice bran, morning and night and unlimited coastal hay. They looked fine, but not like now.
I'm really liking my new program!!!!! |
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 The BHW Book Worm
Posts: 1768
| I revampt my feeding program about 3 weeks ago and there is a large difference. Before I was feeding about 8-9 lbs of purina equine (active senior) free choice prairie hay and forco.
Now im feeding 6lbs of alfalfa cubes, 1 1/4lb heavy racehorse oats, 1lb renew gold, 1/2 lb flax, forco and free choice prairie.
Everyone has a better work ethic, stayed about the same fat% but has really bulked up on lean muscle. My mare has so much more gas in the tank now.
Edited by Thistle2011 2015-11-10 9:37 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1094
Location: Idahome | IMO, the simpler the better. Horses were not designed to eat pellets, sweet feeds, and a bunch of the other stuff some give. I personally try to keep things as natural as possible. Pasture when we have it or a grass/alfalfa mix, whole oats and some herbs. Occassionally I will add some extra mineral, but they will mostly get them from the herbs in the grain. This all changed about 7 or 8 years ago and I have seen a major difference in my horses from what they were being fed before. |
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Veteran
Posts: 262
| I like the sound of the danco omnis cubes but I don't think they sell it in the Northeast? Do you that feed alfalfa cubes recommend the ones at TSC? And if you supplement do you feed oats to mix it in?
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | safechoice to all my horses
grass hay
pasture
our top two barrel horses get THE performance blend |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 639
Location: God's country...aka TEXAS | Renew Gold, alfalfa, pasture time and whatever Oxygen supplement based on their needs |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Alfalfa, rice bran, and pasture/coastal hay. If any of them needed more energy I would add oats to the mix, but no harder than I haul these days, they're good as is. |
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 Jr. Detective
Location: Beggs, OK | Three 4 Luck - 2015-11-10 9:56 AM Alfalfa, rice bran, and pasture/coastal hay. If any of them needed more energy I would add oats to the mix, but no harder than I haul these days, they're good as is.
I bet you'd find that they have plenty of energy as is.. I have actually been shocked that our horses are firing harder and look so much better now that we have gone to a primarily forage diet. |
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | These are daily amounts split into two feedings...
10 pounds alfalfa cubes, 4 pounds whole racehorse oats, 1 pound rice bran. My super easy keeper only gets 2 pounds oats per day, but the same quantity of alfalfa and rice bran.
Right now I'm feeding a cheap alfalfa/Bermuda mix cube from TSC, just waiting on Barnmom to get an order of Omnis cubes in. I'm soooo excited to try them!
I'm also out of rice bran as of today, so if anyone has an opinion on something "better" as far as a fat supplement goes, let me hear it. Preferably something TSC carries!
They're also out on pasture when it don't have them up to eat, but not good quality grass. And just plain ol grass hay round bales to keep something in their bellies.
I do have a nice high quality hay that I take with me on the road, or feed them if I have time to wait on them to eat. |
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Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| rachellyn80 - 2015-11-10 10:05 AM
Three 4 Luck - 2015-11-10 9:56 AM Alfalfa, rice bran, and pasture/coastal hay. If any of them needed more energy I would add oats to the mix, but no harder than I haul these days, they're good as is.
I bet you'd find that they have plenty of energy as is.. I have actually been shocked that our horses are firing harder and look so much better now that we have gone to a primarily forage diet.
Exactly my words! Shocked. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 396
| chip alfalfa hay, chip grass hay morning and night. 1 lb whole oats, 1 cup flax seed and free choice salt block.
I don't have the mineral set right. They really go after the cattle Purina 10:9 when turned out to exercise (we don't have enough grass for cows and horses :) ) I have a simple 12:12 block setting out in their pens but I don't know  |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| I feed a custom 14:7 mix with added copper, lysine and probiotics. I feed it to the performance and breeding horses. I feed 5lbs a day maintenance, up it for the momma horses. Its 17% starch. Everybody gets free choice Bermuda hay and a performance horse lick made by SmartLic free choice. I do not stall mine unless weather, injury or foaling requires it. They stay on a few acres and come up to eat separately. My custom is 13$/bag, round bales are $50/bale and licks are $95/125#
I spend $300/ month for 4 horses for hay, feed and licks. 2 performance horses, 2 broodies. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 234
Location: Oklahoma | Mine our out on a small pasture, with a round bale in front of them 24/7. They get grained twice a day Purina Omlene 200. Mineral Tube as needed, only get put up in the barn when the weather is bad or hurt, they are far happier being out 24/7 just being horses. I give the one's I am running THE supplement. I try and keep it simple, it seems to work. |
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Expert
Posts: 1694
Location: Willows, CA | Mixed hay, about 30% alfalfa, 70% orchard grass, 1 to 1.5 pounds of Renew Gold depending on age and work load, Redmond rock, proper teeth care and parasite control. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 456
Location: SW MO | I too have changed my feeding program from Purina Impact and pasture with 2 flakes of Bermuda per day to 2 quarts of standlee alfalfa pellets (omnis aren't available in my area  ) two flakes of Bermuda, and my easy keeper gets put up at night. I also add a supplement from Platinum but that's short term as per recommendation from my vet. Lots of vet work mishaps this year 
However back to the feed I LOVE my horses on the alfalfa cubes or pellets. much more work ethic and CALMER. My gelding is extremely calm and my mare who you usually have to peddle her to trot/lope has been wanting to work since I have switched |
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 Expert
Posts: 2013
Location: Piedmont, OK | I feed Renew Gold to the barrel horses. The broodmares still get oats. All get Alfalfa twice a day. And they have round bales avail 24/7.
As far as supplements all of my horses are on Animal Element Performance Detox and 201 Minerals. The barrel horses get other supplements by Animal Element as needed. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 733
| Quality grass and alfalfa hay. I think that is the most important part. Horses that are under the barn get hay 2x, 1/2-1 lb renew gold, Gro-strong minerals. When I'm hauling hard I give my rodeo horse platinum. I also use oxy ulcer paste to prevent/deal with ulcer issues. Horses that are out on pasture have access to free-choice minerals. I really think a good mineral supplement and quality hay go a long ways.
For joints I give pentosan & glucosamine IM. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| In the morning: 1# of Purina Enrich over soaked alfalfa cubes and my two youngsters get 1# of rice bran am/pm
Alfalfa 3x a day right now bc our grass is gone
Those of you that feed rice bran, do you feed stabilized or unstabilized rice bran? |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | iloveequine40 - 2015-11-11 5:34 AM
In the morning: 1# of Purina Enrich over soaked alfalfa cubes and my two youngsters get 1# of rice bran am/pm
Alfalfa 3x a day right now bc our grass is gone
Those of you that feed rice bran, do you feed stabilized or unstabilized rice bran?
Stabilized, but it's not calcium enriched, which is part of the reason I feed it with alfalfa. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 396
| Rope-N-Run - 2015-11-11 12:36 AM
Horses that are out on pasture have access to free-choice minerals. I really think a good mineral supplement and quality hay go a long ways.
What do you believe to be options for a good mineral supplement? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | I think there are definitely a lot of choices and a lot of relevant answers. Hard to say which is right or wrong here.
I have been researching and feel that a balanced diet of natural foods, especially incorporating alfalfa into the diet.
I have seen excellent results with the combination of alfalfa, oats, flax, and bentonite mineral. I am sure other combinations could be substituted here. If looking at a natural mineral, I would research bentonite and see if it might be the mineral supplement for you.
Otherwise, there are tons of commercial minerals out there. It is really hard to say which is best, though I understand safety is something to think about. Currently I am using Purina 12:12 and Sweetpro brands, where I feed an additional mineral source. |
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Barrel horse feeding program