|
|
 Career in Looney Tune Land
Posts: 1717
  
Location: the high desert | I have been considering switching to total equine as it sounds like a great feed and definitely has some good results and really seems to put a good bloom and top line on a horse, which is something my mare is lacking in. But it seems like people either love it or absolutely hate it.... am I missing something? |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1035
Location: TN | I've never fed it but the friends I know who did had trouble keeping weight on their horses. One friend couldn't get her horse to gain on it and two other friends had good looking horses that started loosing weight and got dull Haircoats. They looked much better after switching back to a regular horse feed. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1029
Location: TX | I had three horses on it for approx 7 months, mine all started looking bad. At first the representative said it's just transition form "fat" to "fit". When they continued to loose weight, he told me I needed to add a cup of corn oil. I was feeding more than the recommended amount. Didn't work for me. |
|
| |
|
 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
 
Location: Texas | Look at the ingredients - it's 20% fiber and it's first ingredient is alfalfa hay.
Why not just feed alfalfa hay and a vitamin mineral tub? I'm sure it would be a lot cheaper.
Sorry-I just see it as an expensive gimmick. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 264
| Friend switched all her horses to Total Equine, every single one of them became spooky psychos. Pulled them off and they went back to being laid back and relaxed. |
|
| |
|
 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | Fun2Run - 2015-02-18 10:27 PM Look at the ingredients - it's 20% fiber and it's first ingredient is alfalfa hay.
Why not just feed alfalfa hay and a vitamin mineral tub? I'm sure it would be a lot cheaper.
Sorry-I just see it as an expensive gimmick.
I couldn't agree more.  |
|
| |
|
 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 415
| Guess I'll be the odd duck out and say I loved it...filled out my geldings top line awesome! |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | turnedout - 2015-02-19 12:21 AM Friend switched all her horses to Total Equine, every single one of them became spooky psychos. Pulled them off and they went back to being laid back and relaxed.
Must be some cocaine in there.. if it will do it to people, it will do it to horses.. |
|
| |
|
  Fact Checker
Posts: 16572
Location: Displaced Iowegian | We bought 500# several years ago to try and our horses wouldn't eat it......we finally had to buy sweet feed to mix with it to get it gone.....expensive and not worth it....JMO |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
Location: Do I hear Banjos? | Like any feed...it works well for some horses and maybe not for others. Depends on the horse and the situation.
I have a 26 year old retired barrel horse gelding. Started having trouble keeping weight on him. (teeth floated etc..just happened with age). I went to Triple Crown Senior and he improved somewhat. But quit that feed when the bags became so inconsistent (dripping with oil one time...dry the next and some with a bunch of corn)
Put him on Total equine as the extruded diets are just more digestible. Thought what the heck. He also gets FORCO.
Here a few months later and in the winter...and he looks great. Filled out and gained back to the point he looks like a much younger version of himself. He is clearly more able to utilize the nutrients in the extruded diet and with the aid of the FORCO as well.
So...while it may not be to the liking of some...it has worked extremely well for my old guy. And no...he doesn't act like a crack head on it. He is his usual self...mellow and happy. |
|
| |
|
Career in Looney Tune Land
Posts: 1717
Location: the high desert | Ah I see. This is why I'm so on the fence to try it or not to try it. The two horses that I have seen in person on total equine look great and have nice top lines. One of the horses is my mares sire and he looks really good, so since they share the same genetics maybe she would do good on it?? I hate switching feeds. About a month ago I switched from renew gold because she just wasn't looking all that great, really bristley dull winter coat, was a bit ribby and wasn't shedding at all. Switched to purina enrich plus and she definitely looks better, started shedding like crazy, coat got super soft and shinny and her top line is starting to fill in some. I also added pure lysine to her feed. So while my mare is looking better, I'm still wondering if maybe there is something better out there that would really give me some results. I want her to look like one of those horses that have a big ol creased butt and top line but I'm starting to think she may just not be built or have that kind of muscle to look that way. |
|
| |
|
 Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | I've tried to put my barrel horse on something else 4 different times and every time his feet have fallen apart.
His energy levels are better on other feeds which is the main reason I tried to switch. It doesn't do a great job of keeping weight on in comparison to other feeds - in that regards it's not cheap to feed.
The rest of mine are on Strategy. |
|
| |
|
Unable to Live Without Chocolate or Coffee
Posts: 1841
| I quit wasting money on feeds and supplements. I get my hay tested then buy what I need.
Just feeding whatever seems like a gamble to me. Working with a nutritionist or vet will save you in the long run. IMO.
I've never used total equine but seems pretty gimmicky to me. Very heavy advertising makes me wonder....
Edited by camocowgirl 2015-02-19 1:36 PM
|
|
| |
|
 Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | I stopped feeding grain and just started to feed a high quality alfalfa (or alfalfa pellets) and my horses have never looked better. A horse that has never had a topline and always had that tent back after a few weeks on some great alfalfa he blossomed! I have never seen him look better. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | I feed Bermuda Pellets (Gelding can't have alfalfa) from Ametza along with a Vitamin tub and a few supplements for my Gelding.
My mare looks great on free choice Hay/Pasture and the pellets. She licks her bucket clean when they are soaked.
I stopped feeding Pellets. My mare was so overweight she was having trouble breathing from a few pounds a day of pellets and my gelding could eat a 5 gallon bucket full and still look skinny and scrawny. Never found a feed that worked. They weren't getting what they needed. At all.
I made the switch about 4 months ago to just hay/hay pellets and will never switch my feeding program again! Horses need a certain amount of pounds of forage a day in order to be healthy. Kind of like we need a certain amount of fruits and veggies a day to be healthy. Feeding "feed" is like feeding us only bread and water. We can survive on it, but we won't thrive on it. Took me too long to learn that. |
|
| |
|
 Friendly horse swapper
Posts: 4122
Location: Buffalo, TX | You are not missing anything.....I tried it about 1/1/2 yrs. ago because of the hype on RFD and I also saw my horse's looking worse....I didn't like it at all.... |
|
| |
|
 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| I've never used the feed and can't imagine that I ever will. I agree that people either love it or hate it. Some of the people that love it are seeing positive results because they are feeding poor quality hay. Like was mentioned, the first ingredient is alfalfa. We feed alfalfa and have a hard time keeping weight off of our horses. I do feed a small amount of grain, but I really could quit feeding any grain at all and our horses would still look great. I agree that focusing more on the quality of the forage horses are getting would be much better when trying to get better body condition. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | I feed it and I like it. I was told it will keep them from getting hot, keep them from getting ulcers, also more of a slow burn energy as opposed to the spike, then crash, they get from more sugary feeds.
It works for my horses. I guess it's not for everyone. I don't get why anyone would hate it, though. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
Location: Do I hear Banjos? | Jenbabe - 2015-02-19 2:58 PM
I've never used the feed and can't imagine that I ever will. I agree that people either love it or hate it. Some of the people that love it are seeing positive results because they are feeding poor quality hay. Like was mentioned, the first ingredient is alfalfa. We feed alfalfa and have a hard time keeping weight off of our horses. I do feed a small amount of grain, but I really could quit feeding any grain at all and our horses would still look great. I agree that focusing more on the quality of the forage horses are getting would be much better when trying to get better body condition.
I assure you I do NOT feed poor quality hay. It's tested...so I know. BUT...we do not have a good source of alfalfa hay here. We just don't. So I feed the best coastal bermuda I can get as that's what is grown primarily in the area. (I drive a long way for the better stuff as it is)
So...I have 3 geldings. Two that have and continue to look fantastic on a simple program of QUALITY hay with very little grain. Just enough to make them feel they got something. And this old guy that just didn't anymore. He does look great on Total Equine. He just does. Likely he cannot utilize the nutrition from the hay as well as he used to.
So...whatever works for you...that's great. But don't assume others that have horses improve on this feed do so because they feed poor quality hay. And you say yourself you have not ever tried it. |
|
| |
|
 A Bit of a Grammar Nut
Posts: 1788
Location: floating down a river | I will be an odd one and say I am happy with it. Have I seen "big" results, no... However, we have great quality hay and we have good pastures. Our main reason for trying switching was for the ulcer protection and the amount me travel. My horses seem to like the taste and I have not had an issue with them being hot. We have seen more growth in their feet. |
|
| |
Folks on-line