Having spoken to my vet and stallion owner, I now have choices for feed. What does everyone feed and why. My choices are Triple Crown growth or Legends mare and foal. The igredients are totally different (Legends is oat based and TC is Alfalfa, beet pulp) I don’t mind either. Protein is a little higher in Legends.
Thanks for your opinions.
What is the feeding rate on each of them? You need a feed that you can give to them as per the instructions on the bag without them becoming over or underweight.
I feed Legends Grow and Perform textured and have liked it. I add Omega Plus to it as well. I fed TC Growth with our first foal and was convinced she was growing too fast on it and switched to Legends. But I was a worried newbie then (now I’m a worried more experienced newbie)!! The Legends works for my broodies, babies, and youngsters. Good luck! 
Of those 2 choices, the TC by far.
If that becomes too many calories with the minimally recommended 5lb (for the mare, depends on the age of the foal) then you can reduce it by a bit and add in some TC 30 ration balancer, or even totally replace it if you need to.
My foal was raised on Progressive’s grass balancer.
The Legend’s M&F is 24.8% NSC. I know many horses have been bred and raised on that and are fine, but that’s too high for me, by at least 6-8%, and when you have the much lower TC alternative (Growth is 13%) the choice is clear for me.
Pennfield. Love the Fibregized.
well i am a total newb when it come to pregnant mare care but my vet okay’d using ration balancer as long as she is in good weight. So i feed LMF Super Supplement at 1.5 lbs /day and knock wood so far she looks fab!
So nowadays, I try to use a RB and if added calories are needed try to add something like Beep and Rice Bran if needed instead of the grain products that require many pounds a day.
it is for me much cheaper and i get better results.
i like Pennfield too but it is no longer available here.
I like the TC-30 supplement. My mare packed on the pounds too much so that ended up being all she got from 5mos on. But initially it was a mix of the TC complete and the 30 supplement. If your mare is getting to big on the regular TC, add the ration balancer
I used TC Growth or TC 30% supplement or a combo thereof from gestation through three years for all the young horses for at least the last 6 years.
I would creep with the Growth, then upon weaning use a combo.
[QUOTE=mbm;6897532]
well i am a total newb when it come to pregnant mare care but my vet okay’d using ration balancer as long as she is in good weight. So i feed LMF Super Supplement at 1.5 lbs /day and knock wood so far she looks fab!
.[/QUOTE]
Another California resident - and I also use LMF Super Supplement for the broodies and young horses, and Performance for the riding horses. Triple Crown is VERY hard to find out here - I have to drive 1.5 hours to find anyone that carries it. Our choices tend to be Nutrena, Purina, and LMF. We also have a local mill (Elk Grove Milling). So part of the feeding decision depends on which part of the country you live in.
If I need to add pounds, I usually go w/ the Elk Grove Milling pellets which have rice bran along with alfalfa, oat, and grass.
[QUOTE=mbm;6897532]
well i am a total newb when it come to pregnant mare care but my vet okay’d using ration balancer as long as she is in good weight. So i feed LMF Super Supplement at 1.5 lbs /day and knock wood so far she looks fab!
.[/QUOTE]
Another California resident - and I also use LMF Super Supplement for the broodies and young horses, and Performance for the riding horses. Triple Crown is VERY hard to find out here - I have to drive 1.5 hours to find anyone that carries it. Our choices tend to be Nutrena, Purina, and LMF. We also have a local mill (Elk Grove Milling). So part of the feeding decision depends on which part of the country you live in.
If I need to add pounds, I usually go w/ the Elk Grove Milling pellets which have rice bran along with alfalfa, oat, and grass.
We use TC Growth or their Ration Balancer combo with the growth. I am extremely happy with the Growth, all of our mares are on it and we start the babies on it and adjust as needed.
If you have access to Seminole feeds, I highly recommend their Wellness Grow Right. This is what I’ve used for years for both broodies and babies. It’s low starch and only 6% fat. Every now and then I’ll get one that needs a little extra oomph and I’ll use the TC Growth (10% fat), for all reasons other people have mentioned it. And an added bonus for the TC Growth-- if for some reason your feed store was temporarily out and you desperately needed feed, you can pick up a bag of the TC Senior to tide you over. Virtually identical products.
I don’t feed either of the feeds that you mentioned, though I have fed Triple Crown in the past (so you might want to skip over my post if those are your only two options). 
But, just in case anyone is interested in other feeds,
about two years ago I started feeding Junior Glo (by ADM) along with their Gro-strong minerals supplement to my broodmares and foals as well as my young horses. I noticed a huge difference in both how well the mares kept weight on and how healthy they looked (shiny coats, even in winter, great feet, etc.), how good the foals looked when they were born, and how well the young horses kept their weight and looked fit and healthy. I have tried all of the other top brands, and this is more expensive, but well worth the cost to me.
Others have commented on the difference in my foals and other horses as well, which is what really sold me on it.
It has 19% protein, 6% fat, and 20% fiber. The other thing I really like about it is that it contains flaxseed, soybean meal, probiotics, and other beneficial “stuff,” and has less starch than some other products. This is their product description:
JUNIORGLO is a premium feed for foals and growing horses with protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals balanced specifically for safe, rapid growth. JUNIORGLO is especially effective in programs for show and sale preparation of weanlings and yearlings. JUNIORGLO contains Stabilized Rice Bran, Omega Flax ground flax seed, and Soy Shine along with highly digestible fibers from alfalfa and soybean hulls and is low in starch and sugar. It does not contain whole corn or corn starch. JUNIORGLO is also excellent in broodmare rations, especially when only low protein forages are available.
and a link to the product, for anyone who might be interested:
http://www.admani.com/horse/Products/Horse%20JuniorGlo%20Feed.htm
I don’t sell it by the way. Just as a strong believer in its worth.
FWIW Legends Grow and Perform is different from Legends Mare & Foal.
“Legends Grow & Perform Textured 50lb is an oat based formula with 14% protein, 6% fat and 12% fiber designed for growing horses, breeding, pregnant and lactating mares and mature horses in performance and show activities. Promotes a lower feeding rate while building strong muscle and supporting immune system function.” http://www.southernstates.com/catalog/p-1948-legends-grow-amp-perform-textured-50lb.aspx
Blue Seal’s Sentinel Grow N’ Excel
I use Legends as we have done well by it and it is less expensive than TC
Buckeye Gro N Win with added alfalfa and rice bran, as needed.
Also a Ca resident here. I found my WB foals grew too fast on TC growth. I’m very happy with TDI -10, good quality grass hay supplemented with small amounts of alfalfa, and I add omega-3 supp (pretty cheap from smartpak).
Yep, Another TDI 10 Fan here in CA. I have used LMF Super and Progressive as well—all very good products.
We use Triple Crown Complete and Triple Crown Lite depending on their weight. So far, absolutely no problems with epiphisitis (I’m sure I’m spelling that wrong), growing too fast, or keeping weight on. Our horses really look wonderful, and when I did cost analysises on some of the different feeds we have available to us, it was more cost effective to feed the TC.
Sheila
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