To cut or tighten up your feed/hay budget? Or are you? It's obvious prices are up.. seems like it goes up each time I go get hay or more feed, bedding... everything in between. I'm now paying $29/ bale (and I was told it's still climbing) for giant bermuda.. I'm in central TX.  Alfalfa is up to $26 a bale. I've been buying cubes but now even those are skyrocketing and honestly the quality is dwindling ON EVERYTHING.  A 50lb sack of oats I bought several weeks ago was $25. Feed prices are outrageous.  I'm feeding 5. Even buying a ton of feed at a time doesn't save much anymore.  Have you changed feeds to something less expensive? Cut supplements? I'm struggling to find a good feed for a fair price without buying complete junk. I see people using more complete feeds or hay stretchers. The alfalfa cubes I was using seemed to help extend my hay but it's not like the cubes are that much cheaper to get. I'm also tired of finding a bunch of twine in them lately. 

I haven't really changed much, I've cut my spending on pretty much everything but the horses. I'm also a single person and am either at work or the barn, so I don't really need $ for things beyond food, housing, & transportation to work. My Kalm N Ez just went up another $1, but then a week later Farm & Fleet had it on sale for $1 off a bag. I bought a pallet last time it was on sale to save another 5%. I have pretty much given up alfalfa pellets except I give my mare 1/2 scoop of them soaked once a day just to put her powder supplements in. She's rehabbing KS surgery so I can't cut corners on her needs right now, she still gets her Exceed/GastroPlex/Amino15x/NaturalE from MVP which costs me more per month than it does hay/grain for all 3, but it is what it is. With my scoop theres 16 scoops per 50lb bag of grain, so if you factor in tax a scoop of grain runs around $1.40 for me.

I just picked up 2nd cut alfalfa for $6.50 a bale, 70-80lb bales. And the horses are eating it like candy, its the best hay crop I've seen in a couple years. He's about to cut 3rd cutting next week if the weather holds, which is early for him. Should have a good hay year and he went from $6 last year to $6.50, but said he's holding firm there. But I've come to find for my 3, where I live in IL its cheaper to throw a couple extra flakes and feed less grain. I've been doing it for years, 20 bales lasts me a full month. They still eat 1/2 scoop of the Kalm N Ez 2x a day and they all get a hay chix net stuffed full and a flake on the ground morning & night. My 29 year old has switched to Senior Sport and he just grazes on grain a little here & there all day, but he gets 2 scoops or more if he's eating well that day, just up to him. Some days he'll barely eat 1 scoop.  I try to keep it in front of him free choice right now best I can while not letting it sit for long to get rancid in the heat. He's also on Exceed as well. 

A lady recently moved to my neck of the woods from PA.  And she decided to become a kalmbach/tribute dealer out of her home because she said she wouldn't feed anything we have available out here. I found her on accident really because she sells the chicken feed we use to order from chewy. I went to pick up a few bags from her and she talked to me about tribute horse feed. That's not a typical feed we have available here. She talked me into trying the sr sport for this mare I have but told me I needed to feed her 12lbs a day plus a 1lb of their ration balancer essentials k .. my mare was bouncing off the walls on that stuff. Plus it was like $42 a bag for the K stuff. The senior sport I think I paid $32 or $33  and when I asked about the kalm n ez that was $29. It's too expensive for me so I didn't go back and I wasn't impressed with much of it at all. I bought half a ton of koolspeed when we went to Oklahoma to pick up a horse, I paid $22 a bag for it. But my horses have quit eating it unfortunately.  They'll pick  thru it but for the most part they just don't seem to want it. I'm down to about 6 bags left and I'm feeding it out for the sake of not wasting any more money. It's not available around here anyway so as soon as I'm done with that, I'll be searching for something else locally. Right now, the only feed around here that is still somewhat reasonable is Nutrena. Their prices have held pretty steady for the feeds that are milled right here at the Temple mill. I'm not sure if that's why or not. I've gone back to feeding their chicken feeds because they are the least expensive of what's available here and I do use their plaid points system .. I've racked up enough points for a $50 off coupon on nutrena feeds. So most likely I'll probably end up using nutrena. They at least offer coupons with points and as much as I feed between horses and chickens it will add up quick. 

The Kalm N Ez is $20 a bag and the Senior Sport is $26 here. They're readily available at Farm & fleet, which is our big farm supply chain store here like Tractor Supply. Its significantly cheaper than small dealers just bc they order more. I had a local small feed store stock it originally and he had to charge me $24 a bag because he had to order a whole pallet and pay for the whole semi trip back then for that 1 pallet for me. And then Farm & Fleet picked Tribute up shortly after. I love the Kalm N Ez and for a long time it was my only local option with my cushings gelding, but now that he's older and struggling to maintain weight at 29 he's using his nutrition up faster so decided to switch. But he ate the 1/2 scoop of Kalm N Ez 2x a day too until just a couple weeks ago, my vet & I just decided it was time for senior. With his metabolism/nutritional needs changing it was a good option. He has DSLD pretty bad so he most likely won't be around for long anyway, he's torn every tendon & ligament in both back legs at various points in his life. He's been a pasture pet since 2006 but he was my 1st horse so he stayed. Its hard to switch from Kalm N Ez when my 1300lb appendix mare is a solid weight while being worked hard 6 days a week on less than the minimum recommended amount daily. And my 23 year old thats worked a few days a week to just stay moving is on the same as well.

I fed Nutrena for a few years, did the SafeChoice when it came out. There were a couple horses not super far away that died from a bag of that though & it's kind of put me off bc there's bene plenty of others. I like the ProForce Fuel though, it was just so hard to get also that it didn't make sense. But it was kind of nice, I only had to feed 1/4 scoop 2x a day of that. I did the Progressive feeds years ago, I think they're called ProElite now. I liked the Advantage Alfalfa balancer, but it was a trip to get to that feed store so I stopped. I've stuck with Tribute for the longest so far. 

I read up on the tribute when I first met this lady and a few searches they had a similar issue with the kalm n ez killing a barn full of barrel horses due to monesin.. I want to say Georgia or maybe Alabama... I can't remember... and I'm not saying it's 100% true but it's what was claimed. Apparently the barn had the feed independently tested and it tested positive.  Tkalmbach admitted they ran cattle feed before the horse feed according to their log. Shortly before going to court the people apparently dropped the case/charges.. imagine they paid then off substantially. This was a while back so I'm sure now they do things differently.. I was told they have separate lines for cattle and horse feeds now in place. I realize nutrena has had their share of issues too. Same with purina, triple crown etc etc... I'm looking into a local milll here that I know a friend of mine uses thier feeds and seems to like. My days of paying $30+ for a bag of feed are done. You're prices are a lot better than what's available here. Her prices on the tribute and kalmbach feeds are just about like the prices on chewy. 

Renew Gold regular formula cost about $1.30 per pound. You typically replace about 3 to 4 pounds of grain based feed with one pound of Renew Gold per day. In addition, if your hay quality is good, you would not feed most supplements, or at least reduce the amount of them fed due to increased digestive effeciency of a no-grain forage based diet. While one bag of Renew Gold seems expensive, your cost per month is lower per horse, and your expensive hay is much better digested. Less calories left on the ground behind the horse due to poor hind gut function means more value for your feed dollar. 

Last I checked the regular renew gold was $37 and the sr was $47 at tractor supply. I wish I had access to better quality hay that was consistent. Especially alfalfa.  I just do not. I started resorting to cubes instead and now those are hit or miss. Last 5 bags I bought of the cubeits are extremely loose, almost like feeding chopped hay and I pick out twine almost daily. My horses love the cubeits bit I'm not sure what's going on with the quality lately. Those just recently went up too and I have to drive an hour 1 way or drive about 3 hours 1 way to get a ton at a time. I decided to try danco cubes again because they were closer and just a about .11 higher ... full FULL of twine inside the cubes unfortunately and my horses wouldn't eat them. Hoping maybe I just got a bad bag but who knows. 

Yes, $37 per bag of regular Renew Gold means $1.23 per day. Nichols Performance Horses in Waco has gone exclusively to Renew Gold for all their horses because of both the consistancey and cost advantage. They are convinced to the point that they have taken a note pad and pen into the feed store to show them how much less per month per head they spend compared to the conventional feed program that they were on before. Normalizing the digestive system for more complete use of the roughage part of the diet means that you need less of everything else to get the calories, vitamins and minerals processed and absorbed into the system. I have always said that the best return on your feed dollar is better hay, and getting it properly digested. With the cost of hay going up all the time, it is vital that the disruption caused by excess grain, and incompatable supplements is eliminated so that the value of that hay is fully realized. Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best. 

So what if the hay is "so-so" not terrible by any means but it's alright. Alfalfa is going to be about the same situation. Most likely will be the cubes from Iowa because they like those the best. Will RG still be the best cost effective way to go? Without having to add any extras..  like vitamins or minerals? Feeding 5 head .. well ... really 4 because the one is retired.. he lives off just a few buckets of alfalfa cubes he's happy and fat. I've got a 17 yr old gelding who runs barrels, a 14 yr old that runs and ropes,   a 2 yr old that's actually at the trainers but I supply feed, he supplies the hay which is coastal and alfalfa and a 6 yr old mare that had bad ulcers at one point. Just 1lb of renew gold and hay and alfalfa cubes will be enough for each of those. My daughter works at the vet where a certain stud is standing and she did tell me he was recently moved over to renew gold, and Mr Kenny told her we should consider doing the same for ours lol small world.... the horse looks fantastic and he's been pretty busy this season.  Or would the renew gold sr be better suited for the mare in training and the older gelding? I am a RG fan but I'll be honest the price increase turned me away and I always feel like I needed to add extras for some reason. That's just a mental thing I think. 

I had to choose the expensive western alfalfa yet again even tho prices rose just over $5 per bale (now $43). But, the local alfalfa did not work. ALL horses dropped weight while being fed at least the same, if not more, poundage. I want to keep grain free with Renew Gold so have to stay on quality hay. I'm just 3 weeks back with the western alfalfa and the crew is gaining back their bloom again. The cost of replacing all the fat products in rg blows a bag of renew gold out of the water. I was spending over $100 per month for 4 horses for rice bran, coconut stuff and flax as supplements on top of over $100 of bagged grain feeds. Now I spend about $100 for renew gold per month and have no supplements. 

I do explain this all to the horses, how lucky they are, but they just munch away ignoring me . . 

This is what I just got on Sunday, it tested pretty well on the sample he sent in so I know its good. I've seen some look like this and test crap & I'm lucky he tests each cutting in case we ask. But I put it in their stalls and literally said "Ya'll enjoy this, I'm going home to cook my ramen"

Nice hay!

Very nice hay! Wish we could get that around here. It's dry, dusty and super stemmy lately. Why we switched to the cubes but as you know, they have their issues as well! 

I'm selling horses I dont need. Well at this point, Im selling 1 I dont want to, to buy hay. We are in a drought and hay this winter is going to be hard to come by so trying to get what I can now. My usual guy went from $50 to $100 per round. I just bought 10 rounds from another for $70 a round. Praying my mare sells this weekend so I can buy all that I need to feed horses through the winter. I dont plan on breeding anything in 2023. I have 1 mare due in feb. I bred 1 last year and that colt is sold and leaves in september. I'm keeping my 2 old mares. 1 does nothing but eat. The other is bred. Then I have 3 that I am running when I have money. As far as feed, not much has changed. All but 1 get renew gold, which thankfully has stayed around 36 a bag. The other is on Triple Crown Senior (just went up $1). I buy cubes by the ton so its a bit cheaper and I dont have to go every few weeks. 1 pallet lasts me a few months. I think it was 12.85 a bag in april when I went last. Cant wait to see what it is when I need to go at the end of the month.... The mare that gets the TC also gets 2 flakes of fresh alfalfa ($30 a bale) along with cubes. She isnt an easy keeper by any means. 

Im being more conscious of where I haul to run. Im not entering a race with a $60 entry for $500 added or less. I try to enter smart. If its a pen my horses usually dont do well at, I probably wont go. A friend and I are hauling to races and splitting fuel. I know things will eventually get better but right now, I am trying to be smart with my choices. 

Have you thought of going to Producers in Bryan?  I used to use them when I lived in that area, but I was feeding so many that it was well worth the 45 min drive.  

I use a local mill now that I have moved to Louisiana,  it saves a little and they always mill the feed fresh if I call the day ahead.

The price increase on feed is painful. The simple fact is that there is no inexpensive way to make things with quality ingredients that actually work. Least cost formulated feeds have really dropped in quality in the last year and still have increased in price. Fixed formulated feeds like Renew Gold have no option to put lower cost fillers and vague byproduct components in place of the consistant ingredients that the guarantees on the bag state is in there. In most cases those fixed formulated feeds, when well done,  simply remain a better value when results are considered for dollar spent. At Renew Gold we have done everything that we can to hold prices down, including just eating some of the additional freight and ingredient costs. We are horse people too. Even then a price increase was inevitable. All that said, it remains important today, no matter what you feed, to pay close attention to all your management tools to get the absolute most from your horses diet. Parasite control, mouth care ( the most often missed, very important part), and consideration of what is truely effective for dollar spent is more important now than ever. I feel that finding better roughage is often more effective than added supplements, and can often fill balanced vitamin and mineral needs in a more effective way. If whatever feed you buy looks different every time you open the bag, you are not getting value for what you are paying. Times are hard right now. Feeding smart is more important than ever.

Totally agree with you Win. I cannot stand opening a bag of feed and it looking and smelling completely different from the last. But am told that it's guaranteed the same GA. And that's all that's supposed to matter. I almost bought a bag of purina sr active the other day because I thought it might be a good fit and I remembered how it looked, texture and size of the pellets etc etc... I was at TSC and they had a pile of bags one had a pretty good size cut in it so I peeked inside and this looked COMPLETELY different from the first time I saw it.. I mean totally different feed all together.  I obviously passed and left empty handed.  That's just not ok with me. I for 1 appreciate a company like RG that will do their very best to keep prices in check, without compromising the product. We all know it's not a money grab with your company. We knew eventually things were/are going up. My hay guy for instance... his employee told me the other day he's only making $3 a bale on this hay and he only makes maybe a dollar on the shavings he sells. He says he's trying to help his customers... now that's someone I will give my support to every time. He's the lowest around and typically why he's always sold out. He just doesn't always have what I need so I'm forced to go elsewhere. Hay is gonna be a tough one this winter. Going to try to continue to stock up on the cubes while I can. Buying 3 ton this afternoon before another price increase happens. They told us it's coming so stock up now. Discussing putting in a window unit in my feed shed to help climate control a little. These 112 heat indexes are rough on everything and everyone! 

Not really changing anything. Been feeding RG with forco and electrolytes twice a day, and hay. I did stock up on hay and filled our shed. Should be able to make it through to fall... my hayguy gets his square bales from a local place that irrigates. So he will have those, but I'm sure the price will go up... can't stay away from that with the rizing costs of fuel and water.... well... of everything basically.
But he's out of rounds and has no idea where and when he'll be getting more...  

Your idea of making your feed shed climate controlled seems like a good plan right now!

I was at the TSC in Temple the other day, and they are putting up a big tent, that will be the "drive-through feedbarn". It shades of course, but don't think it'll be climate controlled... so all the feed will be sitting in 100°+ temps all summer.... talk about a weevil's heaven!! 
Good thing we have 3 more TSC within a 30 mile radius! Guess I'll be going there to get my RG and chicken pellets from now on....

Is that what those things are for at TSC?? A drive thru feed barn.... huh... never thought that's what they were up to building those. Kind of odd. And yes I agree, it won't be good for all that feed to sit out in that heat! We stocked up yesterday on cubeits. Got 2 ton put up and going again in a few weeks to get some more. We drive to Stephenville to get the freshest available, the guy knows what he's doing and keeps it stored correctly and he moves so much its always fresh. Saved some money cutting out a middle man and going in on fuel with someone who needed a ton as well. 

Yea, I went to pick up an order that I had shipped to store, and the lockers they used to have directly to the right when you come in are gone. All that is in the tent also... took 3 people to figure out where it went... nobody had told the cashiers... smh.... communication seems almost nonexistent nowadays....