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 Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
  
Location: Texas | I know this has been discussed a lot on here and I will do some research but just wanted to get some opinions specific to my situation.
I currently feed(daily amount split into 2 feedings)
4 scoops Purina ultium
1 scoop alfalfa pellets
^regular horse scoops, I don't have a scale to measure but will get one if I switch feeds
He also gets loose salt and a joint supplement, pasture is full of beautiful green grass and when he is stalled he gets as much coastal hay as he can eat.
I am mostly concerned about the purina feed. I fed healthy edge and have sworn by it for the past 4 years, switched to ultium to get some weight on him over the winter and have cut him down to 2 scoops daily becuase he is currently on stall rest. I could probably maintain his weight on 3 scoops when he is in top condition with full work out, that was my plan once he was a the right weight.
My vet does not like ultium and I know a lot of people dislike purina altogether. I'm starting to think it is comparable to a human eating fast food all the time. I want to put more horse on something that is more natural but still conveniant and will keep weight on as he is a hard keeper. My vet wants me to switch to safe choice but I think I would have to add in something else to get the calories he needs to keep weight on, any suggestions? Should I just not change what's working? I just want my horse to be as healthy as possible.
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
 
Location: West Texas | outrundaizy - 2016-04-25 3:51 PM I know this has been discussed a lot on here and I will do some research but just wanted to get some opinions specific to my situation.
I currently feed(daily amount split into 2 feedings)
4 scoops Purina ultium
1 scoop alfalfa pellets
^regular horse scoops, I don't have a scale to measure but will get one if I switch feeds
He also gets loose salt and a joint supplement, pasture is full of beautiful green grass and when he is stalled he gets as much coastal hay as he can eat.
I am mostly concerned about the purina feed. I fed healthy edge and have sworn by it for the past 4 years, switched to ultium to get some weight on him over the winter and have cut him down to 2 scoops daily becuase he is currently on stall rest. I could probably maintain his weight on 3 scoops when he is in top condition with full work out, that was my plan once he was a the right weight.
My vet does not like ultium and I know a lot of people dislike purina altogether. I'm starting to think it is comparable to a human eating fast food all the time. I want to put more horse on something that is more natural but still conveniant and will keep weight on as he is a hard keeper. My vet wants me to switch to safe choice but I think I would have to add in something else to get the calories he needs to keep weight on, any suggestions? Should I just not change what's working? I just want my horse to be as healthy as possible.
This is like saying you dont like McDonalds and referring you Burger King, for a healthier option....
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Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
Location: Texas | Tdove - 2016-04-25 3:59 PM outrundaizy - 2016-04-25 3:51 PM I know this has been discussed a lot on here and I will do some research but just wanted to get some opinions specific to my situation.
I currently feed(daily amount split into 2 feedings)
4 scoops Purina ultium
1 scoop alfalfa pellets
^regular horse scoops, I don't have a scale to measure but will get one if I switch feeds
He also gets loose salt and a joint supplement, pasture is full of beautiful green grass and when he is stalled he gets as much coastal hay as he can eat.
I am mostly concerned about the purina feed. I fed healthy edge and have sworn by it for the past 4 years, switched to ultium to get some weight on him over the winter and have cut him down to 2 scoops daily becuase he is currently on stall rest. I could probably maintain his weight on 3 scoops when he is in top condition with full work out, that was my plan once he was a the right weight.
My vet does not like ultium and I know a lot of people dislike purina altogether. I'm starting to think it is comparable to a human eating fast food all the time. I want to put more horse on something that is more natural but still conveniant and will keep weight on as he is a hard keeper. My vet wants me to switch to safe choice but I think I would have to add in something else to get the calories he needs to keep weight on, any suggestions? Should I just not change what's working? I just want my horse to be as healthy as possible.
This is like saying you dont like McDonalds and referring you Burger King, for a healthier option....
Ok. I figured that might be the case, which is why i'm here asking for help.
What would be a better option? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | I didn't mean it rudely, I hope you didn't take it so. I was not even commenting on the good or bad of either feed, just that they are not much different in nature than one another. They are both processed pelleted feeds with ultium being a higher calorie, higher fat feed. If you think ultium is like fast food and want something that is less processed or healthier, safe choice would not be the place to look. There are many opinions on this and certainly many people would feel you are feeding quite well, and in large you are. There are multitudes of worse feed programs than what you have right now. The main thing is plenty of good forage, which you already have covered well.
Edited by Tdove 2016-04-25 4:24 PM
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| I would stop the grain and up the alfalfa. If you feel they need it, you can add a mineral/vitamin supplement. I have not fed grain in 5 years. |
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | rodeomom3 - 2016-04-25 4:48 PM I would stop the grain and up the alfalfa. If you feel they need it, you can add a mineral/vitamin supplement. I have not fed grain in 5 years.
Bottom line is, keep it simple, oats and alfalfa, free choice grass or grass hay, throw some rice bran or flax in if you need extra calories, keep salt and loose mineral out and you should be good to go. I think people start having problems when they keep adding more "stuff" because they need improvement in one area or another, that gets expensive also. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | safechoice will not help him gain weight and sometimes not even maintain weight..Purina is a good feed but not the sweet feeds...
there is only a few on here that dont like purina ..the sr grains are good , Ultuim Id not recommend to a horse on stall rest.. but you do need to cut grain down for that.
Id try alfalfa and oats and or sr grain.. everyone has opinions but keep it simple.. |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | Like Biblia said, Purina senior is pretty good stuff, I have had very good success with it. Different horses have different caloric needs, most of which can be accomplished with good pasture and/or good hay (as is a horses natural feed). I would agree with those who support the use of flax or rice bran. Alfalfa is a good weight builder too, maybe decrease the Ultium slightly and increase the alfalfa pellets. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 173
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow | Have you looked at Nutrena Empower Balance? It's a Ration Balancer. I feed that for my hard and easy keepers. |
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 Zeal Queen
Posts: 3826
Location: TEXAS | I went back to the basics....oats and forco with all the hay they want. They look awesome. The dapples are really coming through on my grey and my bay is fat and shiny like a penny....and he's a cribber and was told a hard keeper when I bought him...not anymore!!  |
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 Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
Location: Oklahoma | I worked with the founder of Adeptus Nutrition for a feed program. My horses get the Adeptus Augment (vitamin/organic trace minerals) and alfalfa pellets. They also get bermuda hay |
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | rodeomom3 - 2016-04-25 4:48 PM
I would stop the grain and up the alfalfa. If you feel they need it, you can add a mineral/vitamin supplement. I have not fed grain in 5 years.
I'm SOOOO glad I swapped to alfalfa!!
All of our horses look great. We were feeding cubes, but swapped to hay about 6 weeks ago and we saw a difference in each horse. My super easy keeper fatty doesn't have a gut anymore, my hard keeper lean guy is almost flat across his back and looks like a different horse.
I do give a small amount of Renew Gold to my two. Easy keeper gets 8oz/day, hard keeper gets 1lb/day. They also get 1.5lb whole oats/day. The oats are purely to mix supplements, they leave powder with just the Renew Gold.
My husband's horses only get alfalfa, nothing else besides grass (weeds lol).
Alfalfa isn't cheap, at least around here, but after seeing my horses I don't think I can ever go back to sweet feed. |
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I need some help with a feeding plan for my horse