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Regular
Posts: 92
| We have fed Purina for the last 14 years. We love the products and love how our horses are performing and looking. I went to a 3 day tour of the Purina research facility and was amazed what I saw and learned. One of the main things we learned that every single train load of grain is tested for nutrient levels prior to being excepted. I also didn't realize that a load of grain can very so many percentage points in per say protein from load to load. I am truly amazed at how much research went into every formula. All the trials that where going on while we where there where so fascinating. I also didn't realize how many major feed companies don't have a research facility and do zero research and how many companies don't test the nutrient level in the grain they are buying at all let alone every load. For anyone who would really like to know what goes into your feed go take the tour. You will truly be amazed and have a lot of questions when you leave there to ask your own feed companies. I promise if you take the time to take the tour you will be much more educated on horse feed then before you went. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 685
 
Location: Arkansas | wyoming barrel racer - 2014-03-07 12:29 PM Brrlracengirl - 2014-03-06 6:28 PM Now I am leaning towards safe choice... A friend of mine is feeding it and is getting good results from it. But she is also feeding alfalfa and beet pellets.... I agree, the puppy/ dog chow is terrible!! I refuse to feed it... But the only feed my collie will eat is the purina one and its a really good dog food. She wont touch diamond or any other brand my feed store carries... I love the Nutrena Safechoice Perform so far. I have had several on it, I weaned my babies last year on it and now as yearlings, they look really good. I would take pics, but they are so muddy it's embarresing. Filthy little mongrels they are.
As mentioned above, I have my show horse on Ultium and have no reason to change him. We are feeding up older home raised grass hay so I am sure it has lost some of it's edge, but the horses still look really good. Here he is right before I shipped him off to be started under saddle. I think he was getting 5-6 lbs of Ultium total, split into am and pm feedings. When he is mature I may put him on Safechoice Perform as well, I bought him on Purina and have kept him on it. He looks great so I see no reason to change his diet just yet.
Edited because I found one with all of them, but he is so tall he makes the others look like "mini me's". That pic was from Nov last year.
He is gorgeous!!  Looks like the Ultium works good for him, but Im sure its a hassle to have him on something different from everyone else. Right now I live with family and they feed theirs Omolene 200, so I don't need to change him now, it would just be more complicated. But when we move, I will probably switch after he gets settled in the new place... Which I am looking foward to!! lol  |
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Good Ole Boys just Fine with Me
Posts: 2869
Location: SE Missouri | Well, I have two horses that hated the Ultium I had just wanted to put some extra weight on them and everyone was raving about Ultium so I gave it a try. The one gelding wouldn't touch it and didn't do enough for my old mare either to warrant the cost.. So back to the custom mix I went and have stayed. They also get soaked alfalfa pellets (and it does better than anything for old toothless critters and hard keepers, lol). My custom mix is primarily oats with the Purina athlete and the Purina Enrich 32 with a slight amount of molasses just enough to help bind. (not even enough to clump in the freezing temps, lol).. I feed mainly alfalfa hay and pretty intensive grazing mix of grasses and interseeded red clover for protein. Trying to get the grain to even be a smaller part of their diet this year. |
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 Crazy Doggy Mommy
Posts: 1419
Location: Where Governor's make the liscense plates | I haven't read all 4 pages of reviews, but my horse didn't seem to do well with the strategy- In my mind I think about if I ate cake everyday and a thin person did also I'd gain a 100lbs and the thin person would stay the same weight. Not all feeds are designed for some horses my guy does better w/ nutrena. Other folks on this board use ADM products and love them so it just shows different strokes for different folks. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 685
Location: Arkansas | You are right; every horse is different and so are their needs. When I first started feeding the Omolene, my horses needed the energy. They were dull and as much as we hauled them back then, they just gave up from lack of a good feed. But now that I am more knowledgable about feeding and general care, he doesn't need to be getting so much sugar! Id like to try the nutrena, but change scares me! lol |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 912
Location: Alabama | I just found this thread. It is a really good read! Thanks to all who contributed. |
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Regular
Posts: 73
| Interesting! |
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  A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | westrnridr - 2014-03-07 6:11 PM We have fed Purina for the last 14 years. We love the products and love how our horses are performing and looking. I went to a 3 day tour of the Purina research facility and was amazed what I saw and learned. One of the main things we learned that every single train load of grain is tested for nutrient levels prior to being excepted. I also didn't realize that a load of grain can very so many percentage points in per say protein from load to load. I am truly amazed at how much research went into every formula. All the trials that where going on while we where there where so fascinating. I also didn't realize how many major feed companies don't have a research facility and do zero research and how many companies don't test the nutrient level in the grain they are buying at all let alone every load. For anyone who would really like to know what goes into your feed go take the tour. You will truly be amazed and have a lot of questions when you leave there to ask your own feed companies. I promise if you take the time to take the tour you will be much more educated on horse feed then before you went.
Feed mills for hog, chicken, and turkey farms test every load of grain for nutrient levels. It saves money. Of course every company wants to save money!
A lot of feed companies do research. It's how they save money in the long run and how they develop new feeds, like Nutrena's new Pro Force line of feeds. They had to do the research before they could develop a good formula.
I spoke to a Purina rep at a horse/pet expo. He was very uneducated, in my opinion. He tried to tell me that since I barrel raced, my horse NEEDED high starch feeds like Omolene in order to meet their needs. He told me corn had zero negative effects on horses and that high starch was only bad for sensitive horses. I wanted to slap him for sharing this kind of nonsense to others.
If their reps are that clueless, I don't even want to know what they've been spreading to their customers. It seemed to me like he only knew as much as the pamphlet told him. Maybe other reps from other companies are like this too, but I just wasn't happy.
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Member
Posts: 17
| We've fed Purina Omalene 400 for about a year now and we love it. Our horses look great! |
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![](<a href="http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z470/alicat0909/?action=view¤t=yellaandcalf.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1191.photobu) Heeler Hater
Posts: 3014
Location: Texas | For me personally its too inconsistent and too high in protein, and too low in fiber. I have tried senior, junior, strategy, and strategy healthy edge. One bag might be great and fresh and smell wonderful and the next is dry and crumbly and the horses wont touch it. Also every time i have switched the horses drop weight, muscle ton, and seem one of two extremes. Either extremely hot or extremely lethargic and blah. They also get the WORST scours. I kept them on them for at least a year to let them adjust to the transition and hopefully regain. But they never did improve.
The only feed I ever liked that i tried was the Strategy Healthy Edge.
I went by how much was supposed to be fed on the bag supplemented with hay as advised. Nothing worked. The heathly edge was good but didnt make them gain weight or look any better. Most would drop a little weight them level out.
Again this is just my experience with the feed. |
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 Vodka for Lunch
Location: Lala Land | I fed the Ultium for about 6 months, 6lb per day... my horse loved it but didn't seem to bulk up on it and every bag was different. Some bags were very oily and others dry and crumbly. |
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