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Regular
Posts: 61
Location: Washington | After searching for opinions on what people feed and why , I am sooo confused. Here is what I currently feed and why. I have two 8yr olds and two 17yr olds. They are all rope horses to some extent. They are used heavily during the summer and travel a lot and are rode 2-4 days a week during the winter to stay in shape. I fed Allegra Senior for years and my horses seemed to do well on it. Then someone suggested oats because of the molasses in the Allegra (had a few issues with ulcers in 2 other horses I had at the time). Oats really attracted rats and seemed to pass right thru. 2 horses started to look dull and poor on the oats. I had one get hives all summer off/on an stopped oats and they went away. Started looking for a different feed and Strategy GX was rec.I was told it had minimal molasses compared to some feeds. My horses get 1-1 1/2lb of strategy once daily with 2oz flax seed oil (again whole flax gave us a hairy rat population and grinding is not an option) and soaked beet pulp, tight joint plus and lysine. My horses look FANTASTIC. One is alittle hot cause he needs rode a lot more than he is, but the rest are good. I added the oil in place of rice bran because one horse was always very tight muscled and vet rec. corn oil (high fat) and it helped "soften" him but I was having to give him 2 cups daily and worried about issues I'd heard with the corn oil. I have read how crappy and full of by products people think Purina products are and wonder if I should take this into consideration????? I also feed alfalfa and just ordered a 50/50 mix for the hotter horse even though he was not this hot when we were riding and roping a lot Sept/Oct. They also get a few hours pasture time in summer when they are home per week. No one carries triple crown around here. This is the FIRST winter in years I haven't had a "colicy" episode during weather changes etc. Any opinions? I would like to think this is a good feed program and not a waste. I know the bag says something like 1# per 100# but I can not fathom feeding 10# of grain to any horse. Does this mean they are not getting the right amount of vitamins if I am only feeding 1 to 1 1/2 # a day? Like I said my horses look awesome and seem to feel good. The only thing I have noticed this winter is my horses sleep ALOT more than I have ever noticed. I see them laying down 3-4 ties daily, the runs are muddy and they lay in their stalls mostly. I'd like to think its because they are content and happy. Sorry so long and thanks for any advice. Forgot to add that we just started FORCO 4 weeks ago and I have seen even more improvement in their looks since then.
Edited by shy-anne 2014-02-27 6:04 PM
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 559
| Stategy is full if by products . Look at the ingredients tag, alot of by products instead of stating the actual ingredients . Purina isn't a great company to begin with , but strategy & omelene are their lowest feed options . I don't find stategy healthy edge bad compared to regular stategy. Also , strategy is rather high in sugar & starches with an NSC % of 28.. That could lead to hotness . Too bad you don't have access to triple crown .. Their senior is amazing !! Low NSC of 11.7 % so no hotness .. A mare I thought if never get weight on with purinas ultium put wright on beautifully with the TC senior , she is also a hot horse .. It has been a godsend for her & the rest of my heard ! Do you have adm feeds you can get ? Their senior is also very good looking to me .. Good ingredients & an NSC of 12%... That would be my second choice to triple crown . Every horse I have seen on strategy lookd poor, dull hair coat , ribby appearance. One in particular I know .. he is getting switched to a different feed though .. i cant wait to see how he improves ! Hope I helped at all !! |
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
 
| I second ADM feeds or Blue Bonnet feeds. I feed both. ADM senior glo to one and Blue Bonnet Omega Force to my others. Also feed forco along with them. Very happy with both feeds. |
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  Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | shy-anne - 2014-02-27 3:44 PM After searching for opinions on what people feed and why , I am sooo confused. Here is what I currently feed and why. I have two 8yr olds and two 17yr olds. They are all rope horses to some extent. They are used heavily during the summer and travel a lot and are rode 2-4 days a week during the winter to stay in shape. I fed Allegra Senior for years and my horses seemed to do well on it. Then someone suggested oats because of the molasses in the Allegra (had a few issues with ulcers in 2 other horses I had at the time). Oats really attracted rats and seemed to pass right thru. 2 horses started to look dull and poor on the oats. I had one get hives all summer off/on an stopped oats and they went away. Started looking for a different feed and Strategy GX was rec.I was told it had minimal molasses compared to some feeds. My horses get 1-1 1/2lb of strategy once daily with 2oz flax seed oil (again whole flax gave us a hairy rat population and grinding is not an option) and soaked beet pulp, tight joint plus and lysine. My horses look FANTASTIC. One is alittle hot cause he needs rode a lot more than he is, but the rest are good. I added the oil in place of rice bran because one horse was always very tight muscled and vet rec. corn oil (high fat) and it helped "soften" him but I was having to give him 2 cups daily and worried about issues I'd heard with the corn oil. I have read how crappy and full of by products people think Purina products are and wonder if I should take this into consideration????? I also feed alfalfa and just ordered a 50/50 mix for the hotter horse even though he was not this hot when we were riding and roping a lot Sept/Oct. They also get a few hours pasture time in summer when they are home per week. No one carries triple crown around here. This is the FIRST winter in years I haven't had a "colicy" episode during weather changes etc. Any opinions? I would like to think this is a good feed program and not a waste. I know the bag says something like 1# per 100# but I can not fathom feeding 10# of grain to any horse. Does this mean they are not getting the right amount of vitamins if I am only feeding 1 to 1 1/2 # a day? Like I said my horses look awesome and seem to feel good. The only thing I have noticed this winter is my horses sleep ALOT more than I have ever noticed. I see them laying down 3-4 ties daily, the runs are muddy and they lay in their stalls mostly. I'd like to think its because they are content and happy. Sorry so long and thanks for any advice. Forgot to add that we just started FORCO 4 weeks ago and I have seen even more improvement in their looks since then.
First and most important in any feeding program is the hay you feed. Whatever is available that is top quality, with good color and free of dust and mold.... that's where you start in developing a feed program. This is the cheapest part of your feed program. Even if it's $300/ton. Everything else is nearly double that cost to feed.
I have tried processed feeds and never liked the way my horses act and look on it. I always come back to real grains and a supplement to balance whatever the hay type I'm feeding. I personally use dry COB (corn, oats and barley). I feed very small quantities because that's all they need and my horses are fat. If you don't have that available, ask your feed store what they have in a textured feed that is rolled or crimped. Most feed stores have some type of grain mix intended for all stock. No pelleted feed though. As that is a vessel for feed mills to get rid of the floor sweepings and stuff they can't sell to anyone if they knew it was in the bag.
As far as mice and rats, you need to buy some garbage cans or some other container that mice and rats can't get into. Keep your feed dumped into the storage containers and get the bags out of there so they don't attract rodents. Only buy the amount of grain that you have room for in your rodent-proof containers.
If you are feeding a processed feed that is intended to supply vitamins and minerals; then yes you do need to feed as recommended on the bag. The nutritionist formulated the feed to fill the needs of the horse by feeding what they recommend. Any deviation from that is not meeting your horses needs.
If you're going to be feeding a 50/50 mix of grass and alfalfa you may want to try cutting out the "grain" mix entirely and see if they can maintain on just good quality hay in free choice amounts. Then find a mineral mix to feed free choice. |
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Expert
Posts: 3514
| Renew Gold and Triple Crown Sr Coastal Hay and Alfalfa. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 685
Location: Arkansas | Ive been thinking about switching too, but Im not sure which way to go and I wont be able to afford anything super expensive. I feed the Omolene 200 now, and I've never had issues with it... why is everyone so anti-purina?? I've always thought they were a good company.... |
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Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | readytorodeo - 2014-02-27 6:21 PM Renew Gold and Triple Crown Sr Coastal Hay and Alfalfa.
Shyanne is in Washington. We don't have coastal hay here. In fact, I don't even think I've ever seen what coastal looks like. More than likely the mix she's talking about is orchardgrass with alfalfa. That's what most commercial hay growers grow here. Between the two forages they balance each other out: calcium and phosphorous content. |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | OregonBR - 2014-02-27 9:26 PM readytorodeo - 2014-02-27 6:21 PM Renew Gold and Triple Crown Sr Coastal Hay and Alfalfa. Shyanne is in Washington. We don't have coastal hay here. In fact, I don't even think I've ever seen what coastal looks like. More than likely the mix she's talking about is orchardgrass with alfalfa. That's what most commercial hay growers grow here. Between the two forages they balance each other out: calcium and phosphorous content.
You're very lucky to not have Coastal Crap Hay..Worse hay ever for horses. |
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| Nevertooold - 2014-02-27 9:46 PM
OregonBR - 2014-02-27 9:26 PM readytorodeo - 2014-02-27 6:21 PM Renew Gold and Triple Crown Sr  Coastal Hay and Alfalfa.  Shyanne is in Washington. We don't have coastal hay here. In fact, I don't even think I've ever seen what coastal looks like.  More than likely the mix she's talking about is orchardgrass with alfalfa. That's what most commercial hay growers grow here. Between the two forages they balance each other out: calcium and phosphorous content. Â
Is coastal hay really bad or crap? 2nd time I've seen this statement. Got me thinking! I feed coastal and some alfalfa. But the coastal hay is getting ridiculous in price and I've seriously thought about just feeding alfalfa hay instead. Anyone feed straight alfalfa hay?? My guys always go for their alfalfa first over the coastal. Do you need to feed as much ? Sorry to Hijack! |
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Regular
Posts: 61
Location: Washington | Thank you, I always wondered if I should just go back to dry cob, that is what we fed when I was a kid. I do have my grains in a sealed metal bin the rats were terrible because they were going thru the horses poop every night and I could see no flax or oats in there after the rats got to it but could before they got to it. I cleaned stalls and fields everyday too. It was bad. After I stopped both flax and oats the rats went away. When I tried taking them off grain and feeding free choice hay they wasted soo much and looked poor. They really didnt maintain weight in summer when being hauled to the jr rodeos. Didn't have the fire in them either. Our hay is from eastern Oregon and is very nice. No mold, dust etc. Now I am even more convinced I shouldn't have just bought 3 more bags of Strategy GX. Wonder if they would let me return it. What about beet pulp with NW Horse Supplement and no grains?? Thinking about that too. Thanks again. |
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Regular
Posts: 61
Location: Washington | Yes the mix is orchard/alfalfa. And yes I have fed straight alfalfa for years. When I can get local grass or good orchard grass I'll throw that in too but alfalfa is the easiest to get around here. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 464
| Bermuda hay, coastal or otherwise is excellent hay, as long as it is harvested before maturity. (Less than 28 days between cuttings). Most land grant universities will test your hay from $10 to sometimes free. |
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Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | Bigfoot - 2014-02-27 8:11 PM Bermuda hay, coastal or otherwise is excellent hay, as long as it is harvested before maturity. (Less than 28 days between cuttings). Most land grant universities will test your hay from $10 to sometimes free.
We don't have bermuda or coastal here. The only types of grass we have are Orchardgrass, several different types of fescue, bentgrass, ryegrass, very little blue grass, timothy but it's super expensive. There are some native grasses still around but not much that's used for hay. The types of grass a region has depends on their climate and stresses that grass has to withstand. |
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Champ
Posts: 19623
Location: Peg-Leg Julia Grimm | Beet pulp is great for a horse that is sensitive to grain or easy to founder. Beet pulp is digested more like hay.. in the hindgut and is very safe to feed. You can mix your supplements in it. |
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Expert
Posts: 3514
| I use a very well known vet. He recommended coastal/alfalfa . I feed 1 flake of coastal and one flake of alfalfa in the morning. 1flake of coastal at night. And no it's not crap hay. |
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| readytorodeo - 2014-02-28 6:12 AM
I use a very well known vet. He recommended coastal/alfalfa . I feed 1 flake of coastal and one flake of alfalfa in the morning. 1flake of coastal at night. And no it's not crap hay.
Do your horses get turned out on pasture? Mine do no, I board . I get to turn them out twuce a week but right now there's no grass on the turn outs. I give two flakes of coastalin the am feedings and two at night along with a small amount of alfalfa. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | Quality hay (of any type) is about the lignin content. Higher lignin in your hay results in a decreased ability of the hind gut to have good digestion of the forage.
Not all coastal is crap, making good quality hay in drought is very tough. Please test your hay. You can add supplements to assist your horses to a (limited) degree, when feeding marginal forages. |
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Regular
Posts: 61
Location: Washington | Well, I wish I hadn't just bought 3 bags of Strategy Gx. Guess I will feed it til it is gone then just stick with beet pulp and add NW horse sup with my flaxseed oil, joint sup and Forco. May add alfalfa pellets if weight becomes an issue when they are being used more this summer. Then I do not need to worry about what is or isn't in the grains. The 50/50 mix I got yesterday is NOT a big hit in the barn. It is orchard/alfalfa. Thanks for all the suggestiions |
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