We’ve recently moved to an area that gives me more options in feed. Before, my only option of a high fat, high protein feed was Purina Ultium- which my OTTBs do very well on. However, I now have access to Blue Seal feeds as well. I noticed their Sentinel LS has similar protein and fat content. Blue Seal advertises a high nutrient density, so you can feed less, as well as added fiber.
So, do I give it a try or stick with the Ultium?
I have been feeding Blue Seal Dynasty XT-Pro 14/10 for a few months now and highly recommend it. Horse has an amazing coat, good energy and is priced right.
I fed the Sentinel LS to my old TB right up until I put him down at age 31. He was on it basically since the day it came out. He looked ridiculously good on it - weight was perfect and his coat was as shiny as a copper penny. It is an extruded feed so it’s very lightweight - the volume you feed is a lot because the pellets are rather large (as you know feed by weight not volume). Some horses get overwhelmed by that much but others do just fine. I always soaked it for my old guy - he loved it that way and he would drop barely any at all (his teeth were fine - he was just a slow eater who would get distracted easily looking around while eating).
I’m a big fan of Triple Crown products especially the Senior feed (due to the high fat content/low NSC). I tried it with my old guy and it made him absolutely lose his mind. But on the LS he was his typical stoic, mellow, easy-going guy that is his norm so he stayed on it for years.
The Ultium is good feed - I’ve never had a reason to feed it (& not really a fan of Purina) but have known horses on it who have done well with it. So can’t really comment based on my own experience.
My 23 y.o. Paint gelding lost weight last summer, why I don’t know. He has altways been out 24/7 and on round bales, and since he is the alpha literally has free choice hay. I tried the Strider pellets that the barn feeds out, but they didn’t do much. I put him on Sentinel LS per recommendation of a Blue Seal nutritionist at Equine Affaire last fall. Not only has he gained the weight back, the vet pronounced him the fittest he’s ever seen him. We still ride 5-6 days a week.
I think the LS is very similar to Ulium based on having looked at Purina’s online info. But I think the Ultium is a lot more expensive. I’m paying about $18 per bag, frequently have coupons, and feed about a scoop which is about 2.5 pounds. For all the reasons ryansgirl notes above, I really like it and would definitely feed it instead of Senior.
I’ve fed both. I have one horse that got a little high on Ultium but is fine on Sentinel LS. I think the Ultium has a bit more molasses, which is what I attribute that to. Also the Sentinel LS is a large, firm pellet and the Ultium is a smaller more crumbly pellet that tends to freeze a bit in the winter, if that makes a difference. Both seem very palatable.
They’re both great feeds. My TBs didn’t have the attention span required to finish the increased amount of LS (because it’s lighter, so more volume), but looked fantastic on Ultium. I’ve since switched to Poulin Fibremax which I like even better.
The ones I had on Ultium were a bit hot. They did well on LS. I love the extruded grains -my 30 yo ate it and looked great on it. Blue Seal has a good product (even if they did just change the bag design and I am no longer on the bag 
)
Another vote for the Sentinel LS. My 19 y/o TB looks awesome on about 6lbs a day with added beet pulp, nice pasture or free choice quality hay. I switched from Triple Crown Senior (which I love as well) because of availability and it was a good switch. Love the stuff!
My horse was on the Sentinel LS for a couple years, TC Senior for about a year and a half, and is now on Ultium (changes were due to boarding situation changes). All of them have been great for him and he’s been able to keep weight and muscle on with all of them. Honestly now that he’s on Ultium I’ve noticed he seems to have more energy than on either of the other 2 feeds - but not spooky or hot energy. He’s an OTTB but tends to be more on the lazy side, and I think having him on Ultium has really helped the laziness factor. But I can take him to shows/on trail rides/out hacking with no spooking issues. The Sentinel required a lot more volume to be fed as well, so it would take him forever to finish his meals when he was on that. However, I’m sure each feed affects each horse differently!
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