I’m looking to switch my gelding to a concentrate feed and would like some thoughts on which ones to consider. He’s been on a mix of oats and a 14% textured feed for long before I had him, but I find that he’s lost some topline in the last year. He’s a fairly easy keeper at 11 years old, 16.2, and about 1300 lbs. Loves his hay (will go for it first, it’s good quality alfalfa/grass mix), but doesn’t always finish his grain. There’s a number of brands (Purina, Nutrena, Buckeye, Triple Crown, Kent) available close to me, although I worry about how long the bags sit at times due to being in rural IA. I would classify his work at moderate- 4-5 days a week for 45 minutes and showing 1 weekend a month. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Can you not get hay? Is he on any grass?
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Can you not get hay? Is he on any grass?[/QUOTE]
My typo- concentrate feed, not complete. I have good quality alfalfa/grass hay available.
How much hay daily, by weight not number of flakes, weigh it. How many times a day is he fed. Are you sure he is getting what they claim he is getting?
IME, when they lose topline, it’s often weght loss showing up, nothing particularly exotic needed, just more calories, particularly if their workload has been gradually increasing. It can sneak up on you.
I would start there and find out specifically how much they are feeding. By weight. Get back on here with the info. 20-25 pounds of good hay daily preferably split onto 3 feedings is generally considered a baseline, closer to 20 with alfalfa 25+ with others. Most of the time when you investigate, you don’t need to go further then actual amount of hay. Observe what the barn staff throws in at hay time too, that’s a problem.
But weigh the oats and concentrate too, don’t depend on scoops of coffee cans full.
Had an experience with an alfalfa/grass mix that switched over time to mostly grass, which really creates a problem when counting on alfalfa for the majority of nutrients.
My guy is at home, so I am the one feeding him and know his loss of topline is not for changes in type or amount of hay. He’s actually the heaviest I’ve ever had him. I believe the loss in topline has to do with factors of his age and lack of essential amino acids for building and maintaining muscle. Hence the desire to change feeding programs.
I’m a little concerned that he does not always finish his concentrate. Not sure what kind of textured feed you are giving him, but I like to feed a premium brand senior feed to anything that actually needs calories. It’s 14% protein so really helps with topline. If your textured feed is similar to the composition of a premium senior feed, maybe just add a high protein ration balancer like Triple Crown 30%.
The textured feed is only about 15% of his grain ration, just enough to make the oats more palatable to him. When he doesn’t finish his grain, it’s mostly oats that he’s sorted out. I’m comfortable feeding that about of the textured feed, but don’t want to increase it as it’s not a premium feed and has a fairly high NSC. I’m really looking for thoughts on which feed to switch to before just grabbing the first bag of strategy or safe choice I see.
Eleven is not really old enough I’d expect to see age related changes to his topline-- it’s really still “prime” for horses. If something has changed, but your feed program hasn’t, I would look a little harder at why-- it could be the beginning of Cushings or EPSM. Triple Crown makes some good low starch feeds, and I would probably go with them if possible.
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… If your textured feed is similar to the composition of a premium senior feed, maybe just add a high protein ration balancer like Triple Crown 30%.[/QUOTE]
If the OP is already feeding a full ration of the textured feed, adding a ration balancer is just adding more vitamins and minerals the horse likely does not need. Ration balancers such as the TC 30% are designed to supplement a feed that’s not being fed at the full recommended ration, or to be fed alone for easy keepers who don’t need a full ration of a concentrated feed.
I do agree that something like TC Senior would be a great feed for inputting calories while reducing the NSC.
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The textured feed is only about 15% of his grain ration, just enough to make the oats more palatable to him. When he doesn’t finish his grain, it’s mostly oats that he’s sorted out. I’m comfortable feeding that about of the textured feed, but don’t want to increase it as it’s not a premium feed and has a fairly high NSC. I’m really looking for thoughts on which feed to switch to before just grabbing the first bag of strategy or safe choice I see.[/QUOTE]
I would switch to TC Senior, fed at the daily recommended amount, and ditch your oats and textured feed.
[QUOTE=RBH411;8194714]
The textured feed is only about 15% of his grain ration, just enough to make the oats more palatable to him. When he doesn’t finish his grain, it’s mostly oats that he’s sorted out. I’m comfortable feeding that about of the textured feed, but don’t want to increase it as it’s not a premium feed and has a fairly high NSC. I’m really looking for thoughts on which feed to switch to before just grabbing the first bag of strategy or safe choice I see.[/QUOTE]
Oats have a higher NSC than just about any textured or complete feed available. So if you’re worried about that, you shouldn’t be feeding more than a pound or two of oats per day anyway. (P.S. Neither Strategy or SafeChoice Original are all that low in starch either.)
How much is he getting of the mixture? If he’s really an easy keeper and is only getting a few pounds a day, you could try the Triple Crown Lite. Or the Low Starch if he gets 5 pounds or more per day.
What kind of oats are you feeding?
