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Regular
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| Not to beat a dead horse as I know this has been discussed several times on here, but we are looking to put my 25 year old, retired gelding on a senior/complete-type feed. He has never been an "easy keeper" and just started to really show his age throughout his hips and topline. He can still eat hay but does not digest or utilize it like he used to.
What is your opinion/has been your experience with both Purina and Nutrena's senior feeds? We had an older gelding on Purina Senior for several years before passing away in 2013. He seemed to do well on it... I am not a fan of Strategy but have had good luck with Safe Choice so I was curious about Nutrena's senior line?
I am aware of the issues/concerns with processed feeds, but my options are rather limited (as far as I know) here in NE Kansas. There is a local mill that I'm sure would work with me in regards to creating a custom blend, but I don't know where to start as far as ingredients if I were to go that route.
For an older horse, what kind of custom blend would you create, or have you had good luck with?
Thanks in advance!
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8552
   
Location: sunny california | i fed my senior horse a mix of rice bran, soy bean meal pellets and oats. she could not eat hay so she ate soaked alfafa/bermuda pellets. she was very healthy on this diet and fat! she was a hard keeper her whole life having a lot of tb in her and a very high metabolism. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 559
| Purina senior has never failed me & my seniors ! I've seen it bring back skinny horses more times than I can count. I have before & after of a mare I recently got. Skin & bones .. Within 45-50 days on 10 lbs a day & grass hay , you wouldn't even believe the weight she put on . |
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 Expert
Posts: 5290
| Triple Crown used to be my favorite but Nutrena makes feed for them now. Not a fan. Of the ones you listed, PURINA makes their feeds in a cattle feed free mill. SO that would be my choice if that's all I had. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | Purina Senior is a good solid feed. You can feed quite a bit of it and soak it to. Its also a complete feed meaning if they can't chew hay anymore they can get by on just senior. There's also a senior kibble that's not bad. |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | I can't say enough good things about Purina Sr Active. My 36 year old gelding is on it, along with beet pulp and he looks wonderful. It has beet pulp in it, but we add extra to his feedings since he can't eat hay anymore.
Edited by Chandler's Mom 2015-12-23 10:16 PM
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Chandler's Mom - 2015-12-23 6:43 PM I can't say enough good things about Purina Sr Active. My 32 year old gelding is on it, along with beet pulp and he looks wonderful. It has beet pulp in it, but we add extra to his feedings since he can't eat hay anymore.
I agree. If you have to go with a bagged type feed. I don't think you can beat the Purina Active Senior. It has higher fat than any other I have found and none of my senior horses are overly active, but they still need that fat to stay looking good. |
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My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | wyoming barrel racer - 2015-12-23 7:59 PM
Chandler's Mom - 2015-12-23 6:43 PM I can't say enough good things about Purina Sr Active. My 36 year old gelding is on it, along with beet pulp and he looks wonderful. It has beet pulp in it, but we add extra to his feedings since he can't eat hay anymore.
I agree. If you have to go with a bagged type feed. I don't think you can beat the Purina Active Senior. It has higher fat than any other I have found and none of my senior horses are overly active, but they still need that fat to stay looking good.Â
Yep, that exactly!
Edited by Chandler's Mom 2015-12-23 10:15 PM
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Regular
Posts: 82
| wyoming barrel racer - 2015-12-23 7:59 PM
Chandler's Mom - 2015-12-23 6:43 PM I can't say enough good things about Purina Sr Active. My 32 year old gelding is on it, along with beet pulp and he looks wonderful. It has beet pulp in it, but we add extra to his feedings since he can't eat hay anymore.
I agree. If you have to go with a bagged type feed. I don't think you can beat the Purina Active Senior. It has higher fat than any other I have found and none of my senior horses are overly active, but they still need that fat to stay looking good.Â
Why would you choose Purina over Nutrena? |
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 Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | Two Nickles - 2015-12-24 8:19 AM wyoming barrel racer - 2015-12-23 7:59 PM Chandler's Mom - 2015-12-23 6:43 PM I can't say enough good things about Purina Sr Active. My 32 year old gelding is on it, along with beet pulp and he looks wonderful. It has beet pulp in it, but we add extra to his feedings since he can't eat hay anymore. I agree. If you have to go with a bagged type feed. I don't think you can beat the Purina Active Senior. It has higher fat than any other I have found and none of my senior horses are overly active, but they still need that fat to stay looking good. Why would you choose Purina over Nutrena?
Purina comes from ionophore free facilities, Nutrena not.
Just do a search on ionophores on this site, and you will stay far far away from it if you like your horses. |
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Regular
Posts: 82
| cranky B4 10am - 2015-12-24 8:24 AM
Two Nickles - 2015-12-24 8:19 AM wyoming barrel racer - 2015-12-23 7:59 PM Chandler's Mom - 2015-12-23 6:43 PM I can't say enough good things about Purina Sr Active. My 32 year old gelding is on it, along with beet pulp and he looks wonderful. It has beet pulp in it, but we add extra to his feedings since he can't eat hay anymore. I agree. If you have to go with a bagged type feed. I don't think you can beat the Purina Active Senior. It has higher fat than any other I have found and none of my senior horses are overly active, but they still need that fat to stay looking good. Why would you choose Purina over Nutrena?
Just do a search on ionophores on this site, and you will stay far far away from it if you like your horses.Â
I am aware of the various threads and ionophore/medicated feed concerns.... I just thought I had read somewhere that Purina wasn't 100% ionophore free and there were still issues with their mills. Am I mistaken? |
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 Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | From My Understanding they use seperate facilities or areas.. but someone did post in their state they werent sure if they did .. so I think Id check bag and findd out where its processed. Id use Purina over nutrena anyday..and how do the ones making a custom blend know where the oats , corn or whatever they use in it come from? its all processed to some extent so that argument doesnt work really..
Edited by Bibliafarm 2015-12-24 8:36 AM
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Regular
Posts: 82
| Bibliafarm - 2015-12-24 8:34 AM
 From My Understanding they use seperate facilities or areas.. but someone did post in their state they werent sure if they did .. so I think Id check bag and findd out where its processed. Id use Purina over nutrena anyday..and how do the ones making a custom blend know where the oats , corn or whatever they use in it come from? its all processed to some extent so that argument doesnt work really..
"...use Purina over Nutrena any day".... is how/where the product is made your only reason for this, or are there other reasons you say that? |
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Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | Two Nickles - 2015-12-24 9:41 AM Bibliafarm - 2015-12-24 8:34 AM From My Understanding they use seperate facilities or areas.. but someone did post in their state they werent sure if they did .. so I think Id check bag and findd out where its processed. Id use Purina over nutrena anyday..and how do the ones making a custom blend know where the oats , corn or whatever they use in it come from? its all processed to some extent so that argument doesnt work really.. "...use Purina over Nutrena any day".... is how/where the product is made your only reason for this, or are there other reasons you say that?
No just personal experience.. I have seen bags that looked like it was scraped off the floor. the horses I have seen on the safechoice etc have not bloomed nor looked good.. but its just personal choice.. |
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Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | Also, I found my old mare (who is the only one I have on Purina, everything else is on Renew Gold, but she lost weight on that) really liking the Purina. She actaully nickers for it now, never did that for the Nutrena which I fed before I knew about the whole ionophore issue.
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 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | Bibliafarm - 2015-12-24 8:44 AM Two Nickles - 2015-12-24 9:41 AM Bibliafarm - 2015-12-24 8:34 AM From My Understanding they use seperate facilities or areas.. but someone did post in their state they werent sure if they did .. so I think Id check bag and findd out where its processed. Id use Purina over nutrena anyday..and how do the ones making a custom blend know where the oats , corn or whatever they use in it come from? its all processed to some extent so that argument doesnt work really.. "...use Purina over Nutrena any day".... is how/where the product is made your only reason for this, or are there other reasons you say that?
I've had the same experience with Nutrena. The feed looked terrible. My gelding was the only horse I had eating it and he went downhill and had the runs constantly. Then when I questioned Nutrena about the milling and bagging they lied to me about whether they had medicated free facilities. Once I switched back to Purina his symptoms went away. |
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Expert
Posts: 5290
| CYA Ranch - 2015-12-24 7:29 AM
Bibliafarm - 2015-12-24 8:44 AM Two Nickles - 2015-12-24 9:41 AM Bibliafarm - 2015-12-24 8:34 AM Â From My Understanding they use seperate facilities or areas.. but someone did post in their state they werent sure if they did .. so I think Id check bag and findd out where its processed. Id use Purina over nutrena anyday..and how do the ones making a custom blend know where the oats , corn or whatever they use in it come from? its all processed to some extent so that argument doesnt work really.. "...use Purina over Nutrena any day".... is how/where the product is made your only reason for this, or are there other reasons you say that?
I found MOLD chunks in several fresh bags of Nutrena Senior that were made only 10 days before. |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | FLITASTIC - 2015-12-24 10:56 AM CYA Ranch - 2015-12-24 7:29 AM Bibliafarm - 2015-12-24 8:44 AM Two Nickles - 2015-12-24 9:41 AM Bibliafarm - 2015-12-24 8:34 AM From My Understanding they use seperate facilities or areas.. but someone did post in their state they werent sure if they did .. so I think Id check bag and findd out where its processed. Id use Purina over nutrena anyday..and how do the ones making a custom blend know where the oats , corn or whatever they use in it come from? its all processed to some extent so that argument doesnt work really.. "...use Purina over Nutrena any day".... is how/where the product is made your only reason for this, or are there other reasons you say that? I found MOLD chunks in several fresh bags of Nutrena Senior that were made only 10 days before.
I do like the Senior feed... I know Purdue was using it in their hospital. When my horse stayed there for a colic, that was the feed they brought him back to eating with. It's a solid feed. I like the active senior by the tag, but have not tried it. Ultium is still my fav though of the Purina Feeds.
I feed my colt the Ultium Growth. He is looking great on it. My senior is now on a locally milled 13% pellet and rice bran. (the boarding barn's feed, it's decent).
I don't have tons of options. Most of those "safe" feeds posted are not in my area. So, I pick the best from my options. :)
I know Purina has its ups and downs over the years, but they have done well by me with their Ultium line.
Edited by barrelracr131 2015-12-24 11:13 AM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 509
| When did nutrena buy triple crown, my horses never look good on nutrena. Id like to see my new horse have a better topline |
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 Can You Hear Me Now?
Location: When you hit the middle of nowhere .. Keep driving | Fancy Lass - 2015-12-23 3:08 PM
Purina senior has never failed me & my seniors ! I've seen it bring back skinny horses more times than I can count. I have before & after of a mare I recently got. Skin & bones .. Within 45-50 days on 10 lbs a day & grass hay , you wouldn't even believe the weight she put on .
Ditto. I had a friends 28 year old gelding come to my place in May, he was underweight and had no teeth. He gained well on the feed and got perky and glossy. |
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