Has anyone tried this feed product from Nutrena? If so what are your thoughts?
I love it. It smells good. I had an OTTB that kept super nicely on it. Made my Irish horse super shiny but ultimately moved to stride competitive edge because this one is allergic to life and removing corn has done wonders for him. For an easy keeper that doesn’t have a corn allergy I’d definitely reach for it again.
1 Like
thank you. I have an older, senior with a weak back I thought I would give it a try.
I assume you mean the Empower Topline which is a ration balancer feed.
I have been feeding it for years and everything I have tried it on thinks it is very palatable and seems to do well on it.
2 Likes
Assuming you mean the Empower Topline Balance, it’s “'just” a ration balancer like most brands have, with its own nuances. Many horses do well on it, many don’t, and the same can be said about every ration balancer 
@JB I have a question about some of the ingredients in the Empower Topline Balance. I see: corn distillers dried grain with solubles, corn gluten feed, and corn germ meal. When I see the word “corn” in a list of ingredients, my instinct is to run screaming away from that feed as fast as possible. But should I be? I mean, I feed treats that have some of the above ingredients, but that’s at such a small volume.
Just curious. Are those ingredients listed above the dreaded CORN (nooooo!!!) or are they okay?
Corn isn’t as evil as some want you to believe It’s like that evil molasses LOL
Some horses are sensitive to corn, so don’t feed that to them. If a horse isn’t sensitive, isn’t metabolic, then there’s no harm. The DDGs are what’s left after removing most of the sugar during the fermentation process, so…
2 Likes
My mare is 21 yo this year and I haven’t been able to exercise her as much as she should be and noticed her starting to get a little saggy and angular over the topline and butt. I wanted to change her to a RB and tried the Nutrena Topline Balancer. We got new hay which was grass only (previous batch did have a bit of alfalfa). I think it has helped her round out over the top of the butt and less angular. She snarfs it right down so I went and bought 2 more bags. We will give it a couple more months try.
Where I board has no indoor and it is winter so exercise will probably remain on the light side. I will be interested to see how she goes this coming spring when I can get back to consistent riding.
1 Like
Yes, I got the brand wrong but thats the one I saw at TSC. Did you notice any difference in their topline?
Thank you. Would it be suitable for an old horse, 20s?
Let me know how she does. I want it for some old mares that aren’t working.
1 Like
I’ve never used that particular balancer, I’ve only used Tribute, ProElite (when it was Progressive), and Triple Crown.
Empower is a 40lb bag for the cost of most 50lb bags, so that alone is why I don’t use it. Nutrena does have a rebate program but I think they revamped it recently and I’m not sure what it is now. TC does as well
It’s suitable for any age of horse who doesn’t need the calories of a regular feed The only question is - will that horse like it, will it do what you want it to do, and is the cost suitable to you
My horse was, during retirement (ages 23-29, from 2009-2014 ish) on the original Nutrena Empower when that was the only Empower product. It was a “high fat” option we used to top dress his low nsc grain and he did fabulous on it. He was stalled half of the time (ie seasonally) with the rest of the time out in a herd on sloping, rolling pasture which I believe also helped his top line.
From my post above…21yo mare.
As far as cost, we don’t have many choices here. It is just slightly less than the LMF Super supplement. For me to get Triple Crown, it is a long drive or Chewy. I am an old lady and wrestling around a 50lb bag off the front porch is not my favorite activity so I have given the Nutrena a try. Like I said, even though it is winter and her activity is low, I think she does look a bit better through the topline.
2 Likes
Empower Boost is a fat supplement, very different from the Empower Balance ration balancer
I think Angela is just saying that Empower feed used to be simply called Empower. There were not various types of Empower.
2 Likes
[quote=“trubandloki, post:16, topic:791885, full:true”]
Exactly.
This was over ten years ago.
And as an additional fat supplement, top dressing his regular low nsc grain ration, it was very beneficial.
I assume, based on that success, that the newer formulations would also be beneficial to many in their specific targeted demographic.
1 Like
Sure, I get that, it’s just not the same category at all, so not sure why it was mentioned.
And this is my point - Empower Boost isn’t in any way similar to Empower Balance. They are entirely different products. Fat supplement, vs highly fortified nutrient-dense feed
Purina Amplify isn’t similar to Purina Enrich
ProElite Omega Advantage isn’t similar to ProElite Grass Advantage.
1 Like
I’m sorry you’re not able to grasp my point.
🤷
4 Likes
It’s not a “newer formulation”. It’s an entirely different product. It’s not like Empower Boost got an upgrade to be a fully fortified feed.
22% fat vs 5%
12% protein vs 32%
.5% lysine vs 2.2%
Entirely different product for entirely different purposes.
3 Likes
