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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 473
 
| I am NOT looking to switch. It seems everyone has been giving their two cents about what is and isn't nutritionally good for horses with no solid research. I'm working on an article to kind of explain everything with research and studies to show it and maybe help some get a little better educated in picking a feed. So, here's where you come in:
I want to know not only what you feed but WHY you feed it? What made you decide to switch to the feed or try it in the first place? |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| I feed alfalfa/orchard grass mix hay. Alf is good for ulcers and protein. Grass hay is good for gut motility. I feel purina ultium for is high fat content and you need to feed way less of it. |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | I feed Triple Crown Complete. I like the fat/protein/fiber content, the relatively low NSC, and the fact that it has a beet pulp base. It also contains probiotics. Plus, the dealer is literally 2 minutes from my barn. lol. I also like the fact that it has a fixed formula, as I have one that will hive occassionally and seemingly randomly, so I try to keep things the same if I can. That is not neccessarily why I switched from Purina. It was more that I found a comparable quality feed for less money and easier convience.
It's also more palatable than some other feeds I have used in the past. And it has a very very nice smell. :)
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 Midget Lover
 
Location: Kentucky | barrelracr131 - 2014-05-06 1:44 PM I feed Triple Crown Complete. I like the fat/protein/fiber content, the relatively low NSC, and the fact that it has a beet pulp base. It also contains probiotics. Plus, the dealer is literally 2 minutes from my barn. lol. I also like the fact that it has a fixed formula, as I have one that will hive occassionally and seemingly randomly, so I try to keep things the same if I can. That is not neccessarily why I switched from Purina. It was more that I found a comparable quality feed for less money and easier convience.
It's also more palatable than some other feeds I have used in the past. And it has a very very nice smell. :)
I feed TC for the same reason. My research is based on how well they look and feel in my pasture. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1028
| I feed everything Nutrena Safechoice Perform. I switched to it because of the high fat content and added pre/probiotics. I have been able to stop feeding additional supplements, don't seem like I'm going through as much feed as I was before (on Strategy HE), and my horses are shiny, healthy, and are performing great, but without the "high" they've gotten on other feeds. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1210
Location: Kansas | I feed a mixture of 3/4 crimped oats w/ molassis(sp?) and 1/4 cracked corn. I then add in 1/2 cup of vegitable oil for added fat and for something the supplements will stick to. I use Silver Lining Herbs and a custom THE Muscle Mass combo. I stay away from pellets at all costs unless I'm mixing in Calf Manna because of having to deal with choke before and being traumatized by it. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 368
| I feed Purina Equine Senior, Platinum Performance CJ and EQ Royal. My horse is 19... looks and feels better than ever! He won't eat just plain pellets which is why I chose Purina over Nutrena. I was feeding Omolene 200 but he wasn't keeping weight like I wanted. Now he has completely filled out and looks great!
Edited by tuff5224 2014-05-06 1:30 PM
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My Heelers are Heroes
Posts: 4685
| All our horses but 1 are old (over 15) and I have problems with area feed stores keeping feed in stock and no brand variety. I started feeding Equine SR to everyone but the young one and have him on Omelene 200.
My old horses look great. Plenty of weight and shiny and still running good. The 3 year old we've only had maybe 3 weeks and he didn't look very good when we got him so I can't judge the feed.
I might feed a different brand if there was a store witihin driving distance that carried something but I've learned feed in the barn beats empty shelves in a store and the promise of we'll order in a day or so and they will deliver in a week or so. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| AfleetEquine - 2014-05-06 12:10 PM
I am NOT looking to switch. It seems everyone has been giving their two cents about what is and isn't nutritionally good for horses with no solid research. I'm working on an article to kind of explain everything with research and studies to show it and maybe help some get a little better educated in picking a feed. So, here's where you come in:
I want to know not only what you feed but WHY you feed it? What made you decide to switch to the feed or try it in the first place?
Forage based diet with alfalfa being the main source. Balance is made up with Brome hay and calf manna (for added fat and protein). Platinum supplement is fed for joint support.
Good resources - Google Scholar - You can sort your results to peer reviewed journals or books or ... I just typed in Equine Performance Nutrition and came back with these results.
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Equine+Performance+Nutrition+&b...
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | I feed whole oats, safe choice performance pellets, alfalfa pellets and a grass mix hay. The whole oats because of the added fat and I was told by a vet a long time ago that it helps to push the waste through the gut hence helping to prevent blockages, the safe choice because of the higher nutritional value, how easy it is to digest and you also don't need to feed as much. The Alfalfa pellets mainly because I have lower quality hay but also because I have a horse that has a tendancy to get ulcers so since both my girls eat out in the open they both get it but for different reasons. The grass mix hay because it's easier for me to get here and usually cheaper. I have toying with the idea of adding alfalfa pellets alongside the grass hay for a few years, but this year I definitely had to because I was given 14 large bales of CRP hay and it was very very poor quality. But it was free. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| AfleetEquine - 2014-05-06 12:10 PM
I am NOT looking to switch. It seems everyone has been giving their two cents about what is and isn't nutritionally good for horses with no solid research. I'm working on an article to kind of explain everything with research and studies to show it and maybe help some get a little better educated in picking a feed. So, here's where you come in:
I want to know not only what you feed but WHY you feed it? What made you decide to switch to the feed or try it in the first place?
I am not loyal to any particular name brand, but I do look at the list of ingredients, and the guaranteed analysis. I look for feed with a low NSC level, and high fat content. I look at palatability, date processed and best before date. I try and get fresher, but not always possible.
I only use a pelleted feed when I am travelling, for at home my horses are on whole oats that we grow, for the ones I want to see added fat too, I will add flax seed, I buy this whole from a seed plant.
If I need other additives, I will add those things such as a joint supplement, probiotics, as the probiotics I use need to be refrigerated after opening. I'm not sure I buy into the feed with probiotics and the effectiveness.
The thing I a, struggling with is finding a loose mineral without any fillers |
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  A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | All horses are kept outside 24/7. They all get free choice coastal round bales.
Easy Keeping Mare: 3lbs Triple Crown 30% with 2lb Triple Crown Complete, custom formula THE Equine Edge, 1 cup whole flax seed
My barrel gelding: 6lbs Triple Crown Complete, custom formula THE Muscle Mass, 1 cup whole flax seed, then I just sprinkle some CocoSoya on top. The extra Omegas help his skin.
3 year old colt: 6lbs Triple Crown Complete, 1 cup flax
I feed Triple Crown because I can read the ingredients on the bag and know what they are. The Complete is high fat, high fiber, with a lower NSC content than most commercially produced feeds. I prefer the Complete over the Senior for the "extra" starches in it without having to add corn. (I refuse to feed corn) My gelding seems to fire better with the Complete compared to the Senior. And I don't have ulcer prone horses or anything with metabolic or gastro issues, so I'm safe with 22% NSC content.
TC is FIXED formula. No generic ingredients, no changing ingredients between batches. Same thing, every time. And honestly, the price has been pretty steady over the years we have fed it.
I tried a cheaper locally milled version of the Complete and my horses went downhill. Looked like crap. No shine. Just not looking like they should. Two weeks into switching back to TC and they turned around almost completely. That sold me 500% on why TC is superior.
Horses look good. Feel good. Run good. And are healthy all the way around. And I'm feeding a lot less than some other people have to feed.
There are plenty of articles out there about nutrition. You have to look several places to find the best of the different opinions. You'll find a lot of different opinions on certain ingredients and whether performance horses really need 50% starch feeds. But if you look hard enough, you'll see a general consensus in RECENT studies and articles. Kentucky Equine Research has some good information. You just have to remember they are researching the effects on a racehorse athlete. I attached a table that is in one of their reports on starch content in feedstuffs.
Edited by hlynn 2014-05-07 10:30 PM
 (feeds.JPG)
Attachments
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 feeds.JPG (52KB - 233 downloads)
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| I was feeding a 12% sweet feed from the local Co-op - I switched to ADM's Ultra Fiber because every told me I should - WELL, he went on a hunger strike after about a month when I had him totally on the Ultra Fiber, so now I am mixing it with the sweet feed and will go BACK to what he would eat - he does NOT like pellets, period - and will even PICK them out of the sweet feed and leave them. |
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Posts: 4755
Location: Windy Wyoming | Progressive Pro Ad Grass
Flax seed
Crimped oats
Forco
They also have grass or grass hay 24/7, alfalfa if they are getting worked hard. My broodmares and stallion also get alfalfa. |
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Regular
Posts: 81
| Rolled Steam Oats
Sweet Feed
1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar with mother
turned out on pasture |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Soaked molasses free beet pulp- a cup in the summer, 1/2 scoop winter
Renew Gold
Vitamin and Mineral supplement
Alfalfa and free choice coastal mix in the winter
pasture 24/7 except for weather
We had a severe drought 3 years ago, I was feeding as much hay as I did in the winter, giving salt to encourage drinking but one horse coliced twice in 3 months. My theory was not drinking enough to make up for the mositure they normally get from green grass and could not digest the grain. I added saoked molasses free beet pulp to their grain for moisture and fiber, no more colicing. Another of mine went off his feed, treated him for ulcers. I did some more research and decided to feed them the way they were made to eat which is not a big bucket of grain. I am fortunate that we have 100 acres for them to graze- good for mind and body. My vet loves my feed program and tells me to not ever go back to grain. My horses are fat, shiny and happy. I get asked alot what my program is becuase they look good. Then I get looked at like I am crazy because I do not feed grain. |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | rodeomom3 - 2014-05-08 8:29 AM Soaked molasses free beet pulp- a cup in the summer, 1/2 scoop winter
Renew Gold
Vitamin and Mineral supplement
Alfalfa and free choice coastal mix in the winter
pasture 24/7 except for weather
We had a severe drought 3 years ago, I was feeding as much hay as I did in the winter, giving salt to encourage drinking but one horse coliced twice in 3 months. My theory was not drinking enough to make up for the mositure they normally get from green grass and could not digest the grain. I added saoked molasses free beet pulp to their grain for moisture and fiber, no more colicing. Another of mine went off his feed, treated him for ulcers. I did some more research and decided to feed them the way they were made to eat which is not a big bucket of grain. I am fortunate that we have 100 acres for them to graze- good for mind and body. My vet loves my feed program and tells me to not ever go back to grain. My horses are fat, shiny and happy. I get asked alot what my program is becuase they look good. Then I get looked at like I am crazy because I do not feed grain.
What is your vitamin and mineral supplement? I'm having trouble with finding something I like and want to afford. |
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Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Formula 707. I can get it at my feed store but I am always on the look out just in case there is something better out there. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 250
Location: Central TX | I feed my very tall TB geldings Safechoice Senior with alfalfa pellets and an added Empower Boost (full of rice bran and other great nutrients) supplement made by Nutrene as well. One of my TB geldings I recently purchased was very underweight but after being on my feeding program for a week and a half he has improved and filled out so much. They are also on dry lots (in South TX and we have a drought happening). I've had great luck with Nutrena, they have the added pre/priobiotics with rice bran and I could go on :). I trust their products with my horses. |
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Veteran
Posts: 204
Location: North Louisiana | My 13 year old gelding gets Heavy Duty 14. Yearling gets that and Equine Manna. My gelding has had ups and downs, I went back to this because of my good friend who is a racehorse guy. People ask me every run I go to what My feeding program is. They are super surprised to hear what I feed. he is running better and looks awesome!
Grain is the way to go, Pellet is horrible. Every one that I know that feeds pellets has colic issues and horses choke. |
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