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 Expert
Posts: 1302
 
Location: California |
I need one... I am moving back there this week. In Cali my horses live on very good grass pasture year around so feeding has never been much more than some free choice grass hay. Hay prices are outrageous and I am looking for the most affordable way to keep my horses looking great. I know this subject has been brought up a lot and I have read some older threads but I am heading to the feed store today and need to decide what I am going to put them on. They will be in square pens large enough for them to move around in easily. Access to pasture sometimes.
Hay or Cubes?
What grain?
What additives?
How much of all of them?
I have three horses. Two are larger geldings - one is racey bred and built, the other is very thick and cowy built. I also have a stallion who is smaller and built kind of inbetween. The racey gelding I have struggled keeping him looking good in the winter months before.
I am also trying to budget and would like to figure out what it will cost to feed monthly out there.
Thanks guys =) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 742
 
| Welcome back to Texas! What area are you moving to? That will help figure out what type of hay and feed are available in the area. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I am no help on a feeding program, I feed what works for me, but what part of Texas are you moving to, that will help on deciding what might work for you and your horses.  |
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Veteran
Posts: 296
| I too have been wanting to answer this question, about to move my horses to the North DFW area from Idaho where they've been on irrigated pasture with top quality alfalfa! |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | I do a lot of work on Texas horses. I can tell you a few things that will help. You will most likely be using a roughage program that is based on Coastal Bermuda hay. If that is the case there are a few things you need to consider. Good Coastal can be good horse hay if you can get the horse to properly digest it. To do that the horse needs to be able to chew it as completely as possible to increase the surface area available for digestive enzymes to work upon. This only can happen if the horses teeth are in the best shape possible. If they are uncomfortable chewing, they chew less, and the coastal is digested less. This is the single biggest problem I see in Texas horses that are hard keepers. Coastal is also one of the fastest roughages through the hind gut. Adding some safe alfalfa to the program will slow the hind gut down some to allow more time for more complete digestion. I like the Standlee alfalfa products because I know that they are safe from blister beetle. If you have another safe choice of alfalfa that is fine also. It only takes about 4 or 5 pounds per day to help the horse process the coastal. Don't feed over 2 pounds of feed concentrate per feeding and stay with a low starch feed with a fat level over 12%. (I am not going to put an advertisement here),This will keep the digestive system from being overloaded with starches and sugars that then get to the hind gut and disrupt digestion of the roughage that you spent all that money on. On a mature horse with some alfalfa in the program you will not need a protein supplement or ration balancer as the total protein level will be fine. For horses under four years old only you may have to rethink that and add a concentrated protein source. Make salt available and a simple mineral supplement and you will be good to go.
Edited by winwillows 2014-08-26 4:56 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 1440
Location: Texas | A lot will depend on where you live. I live south of Dfw area and currently feed alfalfa in the morning and coastal at night. I have fed various feeds throughout the years and some have worked better than others. Currently the are on safechoice original and feed typically 1 plastic scoop in morning and one at night. They look good and have not had any problems. In the spring they had nice pasture but right now it is brown and not worth a crap
:(. Welcome back to TX! |
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Expert
Posts: 1302
Location: California | Thank you everyone! I am moving to Stephenville area right now. I am bringing some safe alfalfa from Cali and I purchased some rice bran pellets and beet pulp as our local feed stores only have very expensive, sugary feeds. I was thinking something like a flake of alfalfa twice daily, 1 scoop of grain twice daily, and some coastal type hay (possible a free choice round bale) to munch on as well. Is that enough? Do they need more? I have been told I over feed my horses with hay before and it is way too expensive to do that so I want them fed enough but not wasting it. |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Everything that win willows said! I brought mine from north western Wyoming. For the girl from Idaho, to have your breath taken away by hay prices. The thieves sell by the bale, not the ton!! You won't even be able to get a ton price!!!
Anyhow, I've had the best luck keeping coastal in front of them at all times, feeding 3 lbs alfalfa pellets 2x a day, and 1 lb stabilized rice bran. Adding 1 lb 2x daily Ultium for the hard keepers/hard workers.
Forco and SmartGut 2x daily. Provide a mineral block. Simple and great ulcer avoidance.
I want to feeding alfalfa pellets to get an exact, quick weight, and zero waste. More cost and storage proficient. I'm not picky about my coastal, as long as it's not too fine or moldy, the cheaper the better. I count on it for fiber, and that's about it. |
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