Cost effective senior feed options?

[QHEventer]

I have a small retirement farm and currently feed Triple Crown Senior. I have a couple of boarders who are in school and their budgets are stretched to the max. I’d like to offer them a less-expensive grain option but need to ensure it’s still a good quality feed for hard-keeper senior horses. Most get 3-4 scoops of TC Sr a day now and are all in good weight.

I’d rather not get into offering beet pulp, or alf cubes, or anything that will complicate my feeding regimen…just a less expensive complete feed.

Any suggestions?

[mmeqcenter]

There’s a whole lot of options, it would help to know where you are and/or what brands are available in your area.

[lenapesadie]

The Seminole Dyna Sport is popular here. Buckeye too.

I’m honestly not sure of the details of either feed, but in my area both are priced below TCS.

[QHEventer]

My feed store only carries Triple Crown and Buckeye feeds, but we have a Rural King nearby that carries Nutrena as well. We also have an MFA and a Tractor Supply close by, I just don’t normally go there.

[CowgirlCoffee]

If you don’t already, perhaps you could look into buying TC Senior by the pallet-load? Many local stables purchase their feed in bulk this way and save at least $3-5/bag.
There are couple horses in my barn who do quite well on Nutrena’s Low Molasses Senior Feed. I did a quick lookup and the max starch is 14%. Not sure I’d switch any seniors with metabolic or PPID concerns, but I think it would be alright for the others.

[walktrot]

Grain prices.

Blue Seal and Kent are one company. They have their Sentinel group of grains with some recent additions. All of them are pressure cooked which makes nuggets, not pellets. That means they all have the same digestibility so you can pick the nutritional profile. Ingredients are on the bag and their website. When they change a recipe it is done when updated bags are available at the mill and the website is ready.

My horse gets LS. He is a senior at 27 but his teeth are still okay. I’ve had him on this for years because it is high fat, high fiber, protein and low carbs. He needs the extra calories. 15-20 years ago “senior” was all that was out there. Now there are more choices. I have a Blue Seal company store nearby and the manager is very knowledgeable. She helped me pick out what I need and how much to feed.

They have a rewards program so I get cat food there, wormer, treats etc. Coupons save some money and I’ve gotten a couple of free bags this year.

[Texarkana]

My local feed store likes to constantly remind me that they make their own senior feed that is a few dollars cheaper than Triple Crown Senior. In my case, I have a picky horse whom I wouldn’t dare switch. But maybe you could ask around to see if there’s a more economical, local product?

With that said, often a cheaper feed just results in more headaches for hard keepers.

[candyappy]

In most cases you do get what you pay for. It may turn out that the lower cost feed has you needing to feed more of it and the savings go out the window?

If they are thriving I would hesitate to switch them to something else. If the owners are in school they can probably find somewhere to work just a few hours a week to get a little extra cash if they are that strapped.

Here in my rural area everyone is hiring. I can’t imagine it is much different anywhere else.

[JBCool]

What candyappy said!!! Every customer I’ve had at work that tried a “cheaper” senior feed ended up going back to TC. If you find a feed that is comparable, it isn’t going to save you much (if any $) and if it’s cheaper, it probably isn’t as good and you will end up feeding and spending more to get the same result.

[JB]

You definitely have to dive deeper into the ingredients, not just the GA.

Not all horses need the gut support packages in the TC Sr, and there are some that are a little cheaper without that, but still good quality. But if that’s part of what’s making the horse look and feel as good as he is, and you end up having to add something then you’ve mostly (if not all) negated the savings, and made more work.

So definitely do the detailed comparison, not just “this is what my horse is on and he’s doing well”

[Chief2]

If you are in the Northeast Poulin Grain (VT) offers Fibre Max, which is comparable to TC Senior but runs about $9 less per bag. My horse likes it very much and does quite well on it.