What type of grains, pellets do you use?

[vicklynn]

Im wondering what type of grains and/or pellets you use.
Why? Costs? Amount you feed per feeding?

[HoustonFarrier]

Strategy - 2-4 lbs a day
Wendlands One and Only - 2-8 scoops per day, depending on the horse.

Steve

[gaited07]

I use two different feeds for my horses.

I use a 1/2 lb of beet pulp for my gelding which after it is soaked is equal to 1 lb once a day for him. I just switched to a shredded beet pulp which takes less time to soak and my gelding just loves it. Costs around 16.00 for a 50lb bag

I use a an IFA brand of Safe and Sound (pellets) for my QH mare. About 1 lb a day. Cost around 17.00 for 50lb bag.

Both feeds do not promote hot horses like some of your sweet feeds. (good thing for me!)


My gelding is young and still thin with LOTS of ENERGY so I chose the beet pulp for him to fill him out some with OUT the energy.
My mare mostly gets timothy hay and I chose the Safe and Sound for her due to the added vits and minerals she needs.

[mandisue]

Feed Mill Mix 12% Corn and Oats Feeding this to an AQHA Yearling.

Why? Because it's convenient, she's fat and sassy, has a good coat and HARD feet. Cost is $17.75 a bag ( 100lbs ) and I have to get a bag twice a month? Maybe. That's feeding two , right now my moms horse is here, I think I only buy a bag every 3-4 weeks with just Susey here.

Oh and we make our own hay. Mostly Orchard grass with a bit of Timothy. Horses love it and it looks a lot better than some of the hay around here. ( not braggin being truthful....)

[Harleys Owner]

I feed Purina Horse Chow 100. It is a complete pellet so I don't have to buy hay. I have just enough pasture to keep the horse happy grazing. I'm sold on complete feeds. No guess work on keeping them balanced. No feeding supplements. I feed an average of 12-14 lbs a day per horse over 2 feedings. Cost is about $21 a week per horse, keep in mind I do not buy hay.

[FrogInABlender]

Im wondering what type of grains and/or pellets you use.
Why? Costs? Amount you feed per feeding?

Since the first of the year I've been using Purina's Nature's Essentials Enrich 12 (formerly known as Mare and Maintenance). My horses are easy keepers and have 24/7 pasture access, so I just needed a way to get the extra vitamins and minerals that they needed without all the extra carbs and sugar. At first glance, it's a little pricey at $24 for a 50# bag, but since you only feed 1 pound per horse per day it actually turns out to be a pretty good deal.

[Mercury]

Strategy- this is the most wide ranging feed I could find. It works for young (Cobalt), in training (Mercury), and middle aged horses (Cricket).
$14/bag + tax
Mercury- 7 lb
Cricket- 7 lb
Cobalt- 4.5 lb

[moka]

I feed a RB Triple Crown 30% and the bag sells for $25 as of yesterday. And he is on pasture almost 24/7.

[CircleR]

We use MorGlo Rice Bran for all the horses, Purina Senior for Noche and Purina Junior for Rowdy. Sometimes if it gets below freezing here for a couple days, I like to add a little oats into their feed.

[Arrow]

Feed's been going up faster than I can believe--sometimes it seems like it's a different price from month to month!

Arrow gets 3 pounds Strategy/1 pound Calf Manna twice a day.

[Peggy Sue]

KEnt's Horsego32 $23 per 50
1lb per day
No grains, high nutrition,low feeding amount ;)

and free choice hay had ours bales average cost per bale is $1.45 for 50lbs of hay

[Ryle]

My 32 yr old pony gets Purina Equine Senior--12 lbs per day in the winter and 8 lbs per day when we have good grass. He also gets 1 cup of vegetable oil per day.

My adult horses are on Enrich 32 at 1 lb per day along with hay in the winter. In the summer they are on pasture and a loose mineral.

[walkinthewalk]

After the horse in my avatar went metabolic in Spring, 2007, I re-evaluated what everyone was eating.

As a result no one gets oat & corn based grain. Everyone eats Purina's WellSolve L/S, Omega-3 Horseshine and a splash of warm canola oil.

The metabolic horse gets the most "feed" at 20 carefully measured ounces 2X/day.

The metabolic horse and one that is trying to head that way, also get other all-natural supplements.

I feed a quality grass mix hay. Everyone gets about a flake "fluffed up" in a 25 gallon tub when they come in at night. I have to fluff hay, then lightly push it down for measurement because I tend to way overfeed hay.

I paid $5.25/bale this year. I cut my hay order back from 350 to 280. That means we now have to finish fencing the other 9.6 acres we have so we can open it up for winter feeding. The new acreage will give the four horses ~22 acres to forage around on, not to mention all the added up and down hill climbing it will give them so they stay in condition.

It is all expensive - I have never broken things down to a per diem rate because I really don't want to know. They are why I go to work. I am commited to their health until their eyes tell me they are ready to meet their ancestors, regardless of what their health issues become:cowboy:

That is why I only have four -- they get the best care I can provide. Anymore than four and I would become the person I have always tried to save animals from:(

[palomino]

I just moved Inka to a full care facility (I can actually enjoy owning a horse now) and they feed Equus Senior to all the horses.

[OwnedByOurHorses]

Strategy
Heaven 5yr and Gunner 10yr get 1.5 lbs a day, plus free choice hay, and 24/7 pasture
Rein 9yr and Shadow 14yr get 1lb a day, horse shoers secret, plus free choice hay and 24/7 pasture
Cash yearling gets 2lb a day ,horse shoer secret, free choice hay and 24/7 pasture

we were having to double that feed amount before we were able to finish clearing that rest of the pastures....Now that they access to all the pastures not as much concentrated feed is needed

[vicklynn]

KEnt's Horsego32 $23 per 50
1lb per day
No grains, high nutrition,low feeding amount ;)

and free choice hay had ours bales average cost per bale is $1.45 for 50lbs of hay

Question on that. Is it pellets? You feed 1lb per horse?

Right now I feed City 4lbs a day of pellets, is good stuff, but Im sure you wouldnt feed it..lol.
I feed Myst 2lbs a day, and she only gets pellets cause she would not be happy if City got some and she didnt.

You dont need anything else with that feed?

See, my thinking here is, 50lb divided by 1.5 = 33 days. Thats a long time for one bag of feed. That is not a complaint, thats an observation. I would feed 1lb for City and 1/2 a lb for Myst per day. Does that sound right? Myst is a hearty girl, holds her weight well.
But still, if I had to feed her 1lb a day, that is still 25 days per bag.
Thats less than a buck a day per horse.
City approx weight 1000lbs
Mysts approx weight 1100lbs
per the vet.

Any comments?

[Peggy Sue]

the deal with ration balancers is HIGH nutrition low calories .. you would prob need 1 lb per horse for nutrition then you MIGHT need to add some beet pulp to City IF he needed it

It is a pellet...my 3yo gets 1 1/2 lbs per day because he is still growing.. I wish he would stop goign UP and start going OUT!!! I am fighting one day ribs next day fat looking right now. My two girls get 1lb per day and plenty of hay I TRY for free choice when not on rounds but doesn't always happen

http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/pictures/files/1/5/3/7/4/feed_sizes_buckeye_left_kent_right_002_thumb.jpg (http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/pictures/showimage.php?i=164219&c=)

[Peggy Sue]

You will also notice quieter horses on it... there is no HOT to this feed... if they are already quiet they will be quieter... not as much sweat, better muscle tone year round even when not being ridden, less flies, less skin hoof issues, better attention span, less spook, less illness, and less MONEY to feed

[Dakota Sunrise]

You will also notice quieter horses on it... there is no HOT to this feed... if they are already quiet they will be quieter... not as much sweat, better muscle tone year round even when not being ridden, less flies, less skin hoof issues, better attention span, less spook, less illness, and less MONEY to feed

Is that with all of the viatamin/mineral supplement feeds (I'm not sure what they're called:huh:) or just a certain kind? Would the one I want to try for Beauty--the Blue Seal Vita something or other-- fit into the catagory you just described above?

[Peggy Sue]

yes the blue seal on eyou are looking at fits with the ration balancers min vitlite wasn't it ??

1lb is about 2 3/4 measuring cups of most of the pelletes I have weighed ... and that is prob 10 different ones and textured feeds are a little lighter...

I can only vouce for the results of the two I have used whihc is Buckeye Gro N WIn and the Kent Horsego32... but they are all close in ingredients and formula so you shoudl see close to the same results

[vicklynn]

Well Peggy Sue.
Ill call around to the stores I found that are suppose to feed it.
See what I can find out. Sounds like it may be a good deal.
Your laughing at me, good deal, well duh vick...lol
They dont have blue seal in the area, so thats out.

[cloedoll]

Currently I feed Blue Seal Trotter (http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/Hey%20photoshop%20queen%20and%20design%20genius... did%20you%20have%20problems%20putting%20the%20link %20for%20your%20background%20to%20custom%20your%20 page.%20Mine%20keeps%20saying%20it%20isn%27t%20val id%20though%20it%20is%20from%20an%20album?%21%20An y%20advice%20o%20wise%20one%20lol%21). It isn't doing anything for my horses really, so I'm going to be switching to either Blue Seal Min-A-Vite-Lite (http://blueseal.com/equine/productpages/21_MinaViteLite.pdf) or Blue Seal Carb Guard (http://blueseal.com/equine/productpages/8_Carb-Guard.pdf). With the Min-A-Vite-Lite I would have to increase their hay and put them on a Lysine supplement, with the Carb Guard things would stay the same, they would just be getting less grain.

[Peggy Sue]

if you guys want i can post my thread with all the ration balancer dealer locators ?! there are so many to choose from itis unreal

[Peggy Sue]

and Cloe you are right it is a tad low in amino acids .. formulated more for alfalfa type forage ... hmm I am off to dig soem more there

[cloedoll]

I was going to switch to Buckeye's Ration Balancer, but I wanted to try out either the Min-A-Vite-Lite or Carb Guard first. xD

[Peggy Sue]

if the Min a Vite is about $24 a bag you might as well go with the Gro N WIn

[quicktodance21]

Dance gets 2 qts strider and 1/2 qt Omelene 200 twice a day. The strider i believe is about $15 a bag and the omelene is close to $20, I'm not exactly sure because the barn manager is in charge or ordering the grains and its included in board so yeah but I'm pretty sure that's about what each is.

[grandmadeb]

Al gets 8 Quarts of Nutrena Sr feed a day split up into 3 portions. He also has hay 24/7, and a bran mash twice a week. He is not a senior horse, but when he had colic surgery the surgeon suggested we go with a Sr feed that is soaked and served in smaller amounts more frequently.

[Cat]

We feed a mix from our local mill for horses. It has a pellet, oats, and a smidge of corn and is between 11-12% protein. They also have a "stock mix" for cows and such but can be fed to horses, but I prefer the first one. Its $13 for a 100 lb bag. They do have molasses in it, but only a little bit - not super sticky like some of the commercial bags I have opened up, which is why I feed it. My haflinger doesn't need much molasses for his fat bum.

How much we feed depends on the horse. My haflinger gets a treat of it, and my 3 year olds get close to 5 lbs of it.

Due to the 2 years of drought that is messing up the nutritional value of the hays and grains around here, I am looking for a good supplement to go with this to use over the winter. My one requirement is it needs a decent amount of Vitamin E - hard to find just vitamin E supplements anymore and I don't know why. I used to be able to buy it online, but it is something that is helpful for my haflinger ever since he had the EPM. Now it seems to always come with selenium. Blah.

[JetLagaside]

Lil'Bit gets 1/4 qt oats with oil, vitamin mineral suppliment and grass hay as well as 24/7 grass turn out.
She can't have any pellets as they are all made with alfalfa and she's allergic to them.

[BalooEyes]

I just moved Baloo to my trainer's barn and she feeds Triple Crown products. So Baloo get a scoop and a half (roughly 4 1/2-5 lbs) twice a day. I like it because it's a higher fat feed, and he needs weight, and had rice bran in it too. Minimal oat content, I don't think it makes him hot (but unfortunately the weather and good conditioning seems to!)

[Country Girl 43]

OK...I'll be honest...I didn't read through everyones threads...but

I feed Ladybird a scoop of Alfalfa/bermuda pellets soaked once a day. (she is loosing her teeth) She gets free choice grass hay during the day. I also give her 1/4 cup corn oil in the winter to help keep the weight on her and help her from getting backed up.

I do keep Safechoice on hand and give 1/2 scoop to all during the Winter to go along with their supplements, if I am feeding supplements, otherwise the Safechoice is mostly just a treat.

I buy seperate bags of Alfalfa pellets and bermuda pellets then mix them together myself. I think it is cheaper doing it that way, instead of buying the blended pellets. I know it definitely lasts longer!;)

[HogWild]

KEnt's Horsego32 $23 per 50
1lb per day
No grains, high nutrition,low feeding amount ;)

and free choice hay had ours bales average cost per bale is $1.45 for 50lbs of hay

Peggy,

How does Kent's Horsego32 compare with Purina's Enrich 32? I'm feeding Enrich 32 now but it is expensive. With tax I think I paid just over $30 last bag I bought so it must have been around $27.50 per bag. Any of the chain stores carry Kent's Horsego32 that might be in my area? (Tractor Supply, Atwoods, Orschelins, Co-Op, etc.)

[Peggy Sue]

Peggy,

How does Kent's Horsego32 compare with Purina's Enrich 32? I'm feeding Enrich 32 now but it is expensive. With tax I think I paid just over $30 last bag I bought so it must have been around $27.50 per bag. Any of the chain stores carry Kent's Horsego32 that might be in my area? (Tractor Supply, Atwoods, Orschelins, Co-Op, etc.)


IMO Kent is a million times better then Purina !! it really depends on your area on if you can even get it ... here is their dealer locator http://www.kentequine.com/Results.aspx

Here is the extanded analysis off of Horsego32
Calculated
Crude protein, % 32
Crude Fat, % 5.0
Calcium, % 3.5
Phosphorus, % 1.9
Salt, % 2.0
Cr fiber, % 5.9
Copper, ppm 280
Iron, ppm 825
Manganese, ppm 660
Zinc, ppm 785
Se, ppm 3.0
Potassium, % 1.5
Magnesium, % .4
Lysine, % 1.85
Methionine, % .45
Threonine, % 1.2
Tryptophan, % .44
Vit A, IU/lb 30,500
Vit D, IU/lb 400
Vit E, IU/lb 50
Menadione, mg/lb 2.3
Riboflavin, mg/lb 10
Niacin, mg/lb 32
Pantothenic Acid, mg/lb 25
Choline, mg/lb 750
Vitamin B12, mg/lb .095
Folic acid, mg/lb 10
Biotin, mg/lb 3.35
Thiamine, mg/lb 27
Ascorbic Acid (vit C), mg/lb 50
Estimated Starch & sugars, % 5.8
1310 kcal/lb DE for Horse Go 32

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

I feed Nutreena Prime and Strategy

Strategy is one of the feeds recommended by Dr. Valentine for Drafts and my Appy does well on Prime.

[walkinthewalk]

After the horse in my avatar went metabolic in Spring, 2007, I re-evaluated what everyone was eating.

As a result no one gets oat & corn based grain. Everyone eats Purina's WellSolve L/S, Omega-3 Horseshine and a splash of warm canola oil.

The metabolic horse gets the most "feed" at 20 carefully measured ounces 2X/day.

The metabolic horse and one that is trying to head that way, also get other all-natural supplements.

(

Yes, I am quoting myself in part because I am now recanting that statement:(

Purina has been on my short list for a long time, but I thought I would give the WellSolve a try as I was having problems getting the brand of stabilized rice bran I had been using.

Several days back, there was a thread on another message board regarding "guaranteed analysis" tags.

I BELIEVE it was a member of the Yahoo Cushings Group that did their own, independent, analysis of WellSolve and discovered:

Even though Iron is not listed on WellSolve's G/A the PPM was at 886PPM:eek:

Previous to this revelation, an individual called Purina to ask the iron content and they were told it was 250 PPM.

After reading the independent analysis as being 886PPM, another person called Purina to ask why the disparity. She was told "that the 250PPM number was the amont added to the feed. So the number of 886 comes from that plus the iron that is already in the ingredients in the feed."

High iron content can cause problems for I-R horses, and it can interfere with the absorption of copper and zinc (as can high manganese).

So, "six WellSolve L/S bags later" I took back the un-opened bag of WellSolve L/S, wrote down & stated my reasons why to the grumpy old duff at the counter, got my $27.99 + tax back and went to the other feed store to buy what they assure me will be a steady supply of a different brand of pelleted rice bran.

I wrote everything down in the hopes it get to the Purina District Rep and he will actually call me for further input from an end user -- what a concept:rolleyes:

What I just said most likely is not important to folks that don't have metabolic horses, but I thought I'd share for those who do. The Yahoo Cushings Group is a great source of credible information.

I am really disappointed that Purina touts the "years of research" that went into a product for "special needs" horses, yet not only don't they mention the iron content on the tag, it is more than 3X the allowable amount these "special needs" horses should have.

It also gives indication that those Guaranteed Analysis tags won't be what's in every bag a person opens. If one name brand company is that lax, I am willing to bet many of the others are too:(

[jerseypacer]

I use Triple Crown Light and I like it because its for easy keepers. Both of my boys are air ferns! You can feed as little as 2 lbs per day and they will still be getting all of their nutritional needs met. I feed a lb in the AM and a lb in PM with free choice good grass hay and they've been maintaining their weight even thru winters. I dont know how much it cost, hubby always picks it up for me when he gets my shavings but I think its about $16 for a #50 bag. I use 2 bags per month for 2 horses.

[RosieRox]

Our oldest mare (21) gets about 3 pounds of Nutrena Senior once a day and the other mare (20 - easy keeper) gets half of a coffee can of Nutrena Senior once a day and the draft cross gets half of a coffee can of Nutrena Prime once a day. The donk gets about 2 cups of Nutrena Prime once a day. They all get BOSS and the oldest mare gets veggie oil in each feeding. Soon I'll up the feedings to twice a day for winter.

I've tried other brands, but Nutrena seems to be the best for our bunch.

[FrogInABlender]

...I am really disappointed that Purina touts the "years of research" that went into a product for "special needs" horses, yet not only don't they mention the iron content on the tag, it is more than 3X the allowable amount these "special needs" horses should have.

It also gives indication that those Guaranteed Analysis tags won't be what's in every bag a person opens. If one name brand company is that lax, I am willing to bet many of the others are too:(

Wow, that's scary! How many people would go to the trouble to have a commercially available feed like that analysed. That's really disappointing.

I love the Cushings/IR Yahoo group too. I've got a 20yr old Insulin Resistant TWH myself and I fully believe that he's only healthy and happy today because of the information I found on that board. Those guys are the best!

My old boy is doing well on about 4lbs of the Triple Crown Safe Starch Forage, along with some Farrier's Forumla and about 10 pounds of Bermuda Hay per day, divided up into two feedings. It sure is a heck of a lot easier and he likes it a lot better than soaking all that beet pulp.

[Annasmom]

ha you guys are going to laugh :) My horse is on fertilized pasture and free-acess coastal hay
she gets 1/2lb of purina essentials a day. most horses get 1/2-2lbs except the throroughbreds and my girl is still overweight. Its the pasture

[missdixie]

I use Strategy AX with my alfalfa, I give about 2.2 lbs per day. I think it's about $17 a bag... everything's going up... :doh: