Nutrena Triumph feeds - or, how to make the best of boarding

[Scaramouch]

My actual question is this: has anyone fed Nutrena Triumph 12-8 pellets, for horses of what breed, age, and workload, and how did they do on it

I’ve found a barn that I like everything about except this and I’m trying to figure out if it might work supplemented with a “lunch” I could feed the 5-6 days a week I’m there. I don’t even see this product on the Nutrena website, unless it’s recently been rebranded as the Active 12 Pellet (?) and I’m assuming it’s not a fixed formula and that the ingredients vary regionally. TSC doesn’t seem to carry it and I think if I ask the barn owner for a photo of a feed tag she’ll write me off as insane. I get the sense most of her boarders are weekend warriors who show up to foxhunt or trail ride unconcerned with the minutiae of horse care. Or can anyone in the mid-Atlantic can tell me what’s in this feed?

[I don’t know why I typed up that rant, it was not edifying at all!]

Of if any barn owners or managers are reading this, would you be offended by a boarder who wanted to provide their own grain and how do I ask diplomatically? No expectation of a discount of course.

[lenapesadie]

I would politely ask if supplying my own grain was an option. Preferably after everything else about the farm was deemed acceptable!

Alternatively you could ask about supplements to see what the policy is on that and then go from there.

[SBrentnall]

At our barn, each boarder who wants to design their own feed and supplement program simply makes baggies every week containing their horse’s grain and supplements. Barn staff feed one baggie each day.

[WNT]

The Triumph 12-8 is different from the Active 12. It is a “collective ingredients” list like the Purina Impact feeds.

If her body condition/weight is otherwise good but she’s missing “sparkle” and some topline, you could top dress her meals with a pre-packed supplement of a ration balancer 0.5-1 lb per day if they’re amenable to adding it. That would enhance the fortification without bringing in a whole separate feed.

[Scaramouch]

It’s good to know that they are different feeds, thank you!

My thought was to maybe do a third meal of TC30 with maybe a few soaked alfalfa cubes and flax in the winter give her that boost. But from what I can tell from the sites that sell it, Nutrena doesn’t even guarantee the starch/sugar levels of the Triumph 12-8 and that makes me nervous. Sigh.

[Alterration]

@Scaramouch

Of if any barn owners or managers are reading this, would you be offended by a boarder who wanted to provide their own grain and how do I ask diplomatically? No expectation of a discount of course

Hey barn owner, I would really like to switch my horse/keep my horse on x feed, if I supply it is there a way I can do that? Not looking for a discount or anything!

Honestly I wouldn’t mind at all. I’d have told you just make sure you buy a trash can (for storage) and marked scoop, and fill it regularly!

[fivestrideline]

@Alterration

Hey barn owner, I would really like to switch my horse/keep my horse on x feed, if I supply it is there a way I can do that? Not looking for a discount or anything!

This! BTDT, and I had great luck with the baggie system - my horse was eating a full ration of TC Senior + some supps, so everything for his meal went into a gallon ziploc bag. Barn crew just dumped the baggie into his bucket, no thinking or scooping required. Baggies went back into the bin to be reused.

I like the big plastic trash bins vs metal unless you have a real rodent problem (the metal bin lids never cooperate), the rectangular instead of round take up less space. YMMV, but a bonus benefit of this was knowing my horse got his meals and supps each day, since IF he missed one I’d notice extra baggies when I went to refill.

[Walk_N_Gal88]

Not a BO, but at our mixed family farm all of our horses (7 of the twerps) are on various feeds and supplements. We prep and set up supplements or different feeds in baggies or containers from Dollar Tree a few days at a time and it’s no biggie.

Edited to add- None of the BO’s I’ve had in the past have ever had an issue using our preferred feed as long as we kept it on hand and weren’t psycho about it. I would ask personally.
Sorry, hit enter too soon!

[Annie10]

Can you just go in the feed room and pull a tag off a bag? Or run by wherever they get it from?

[LilDunFilly]

Echoing what others have said about baggies. My barn premakes every horse’s concentrate ration (grain and supplements) in baggies and those baggies get refilled once a week. At feeding, anyone who gets oil or some type of med gets that added to their bucket along with some water. Any horse who isn’t on the barn grain/feeding program just makes their own baggies!

[IPEsq]

I have to feed my own grain because my one horse can’t have soy (no soy free option provided by the barn) and my other horse just doesn’t like the barn’s RB (and the other options aren’t a great choice for him at this time). I use Tupperware type containers and make those up with any supplements all together. One container opened per meal. The barn prefers not to store anyone else’s grain due to limited space, so I keep everything at home and just take the containers out.

[BeeHoney]

I think before you can address what you should do, you should consider what nutritional needs your horse has that would not be met by a 12% protein 8% fat feed.

Does your horse have allergies? Does he have a history of founder or cushings? Is your horse elderly with poor dentition? Is your horse in hard work or a hard keeper? Has your vet diagnosed a vitamin or mineral deficiency? What type and quality of hay does the facility feed and how much? Does the facility have turnout with access to grass? Also–how do the horses on the property look? Are they shiny and healthy looking? Too fat? Too thin?

When moving to a new facility, assuming they feed good quality hay and feed an appropriate feed, my instinct would be to use their feeding program unless my horse had a specific health issue. For a horse in hard work that needs a third meal to get enough calories, I think that supplementing at lunchtime is a great idea.

You talk about giving your horse a “boost” of extra protein with a 30% protein ration balancer and some soaked alfalfa cubes, but unless your horse is growing or a pregnant/lactating mare I can guess that if you discussed this with an equine nutritionist they would advise you that supplementing adult horses with extra protein often produces no benefit and results in the excess protein being excreted in the urine as urea.

[Scaramouch]

@BeeHoney

I think before you can address what you should do, you should consider what nutritional needs your horse has that would not be met by a 12% protein 8% fat feed.

In my experience feeding horses there is a lot more to feeds than protein and fat content. I have fed 12/8 feeds in the past with great results, but asked about this specific one since there is no info online about NSC, ingredients, etc.

[WNT]

Also, not all 12/8 feeds are created equally. Calorie content can vary per ingredients, the protein quality can vary (ie more cottonseed meal vs soybean meal yields the same crude protein but very different amino acid profiles), and some horses do better on a lower NSC feed than others. Also, a less expensive option like the Triumph 12/8 may not be as fortified as other options, requiring a higher feeding rate to meet recommended nutrient needs.

[candyappy]

Before going off the deep end and buying your own feed , how do the horses at the barn look?

Is this the feed? I would think it is possible to call Nutrena and get the info you need to see if the feed may work for your horse.

Active 12 Textured Horse Feed

• Guaranteed Analysis

NutrientLevel

Crude Protein, minimum12.0%

Lysine, minimum0.6%

Methionine, minimum0.2%

Crude Fat, minimum8.0%

Crude Fiber, maximum12.0%

ADF, maximum15.0%

NDF, maximum35.0%

Dietary Starch*, maximum27.0%

Sugar*, maximum6.0%

Calcium, minimum0.7%

Calcium, maximum1.2%

Phosphorus, minimum0.5%

Copper, minimum40 ppm

Selenium, minimum0.6 ppm

Zinc, minimum160 ppm

Vitamin A, minimum3,000 IU/lb

Vitamin D, minimum300 IU/lb

Vitamin E, minimum40 IU/lb

Biotin, minimum0.3 mg/lb

*NSC (Non-structural Carbohydrates) = Dietary Starch + Sugar Triumph horse feeds are available regionally. The below guaranteed analysis represents a typical product, however there may be regional variations. Please visit your local Nutrena retailer for product specifics in your area. *NSC (Non-structural Carbohydrates) = Dietary Starch + Sugar

[BeeHoney]

I agree that feed is important, but you don’t give any information about your specific concerns. Are you worried about an allergy to a specific ingredient? Is your horse a cresty easy keeper type so you are worried about the NSC content? Or are you worried that as an easy keeper your horse will not eat enough of the feed to meet his vitamin/mineral requirements? Or does your horse have increased energy or protein requirements? There are tons of nutritional concerns that could be relevant here with regards to making a decision.

Also, the forage at the barn is a super important part of the equation here. It’s a huge part of a horse’s diet. There are barns located in areas with excellent pasture forage and top quality hay where you could feed anything and the horses would be glossy and glowing with health, and other facilities with sparse forage and poor hay quality where what feed/feeds and how much of it is more important.

There’s nothing wrong with providing your own feed, but it would be an extra expense and hassle for you and I think it’s good to consider what the concrete reasons for doing so would be.

[endlessclimb]

Agree here with CandyAppy.

I’d make sure that adjust feed was ok with the BO if needed, but wouldn’t hesitate to give their existing feed a 2 month trial to see how it goes (barring allergies etc).

[Scaramouch]

She is a 5 y/o event horse so no, not a super easy keeper. No known allergies but if a product has peanut hulls or similar fillers in the top few ingredients — that along with elevated feeding rates for horses in work is my concern with a budget feed — I’m not interested in it. I would personally rather her eat 5 pounds a day of a high-quality feed than 10 pounds of fortified “vague ingredient groupings” especially with a higher starch level. Lower risk of ulcers that way too.

Anyway another poster shared the information I was looking for about Triumph, and I’ve found a barn that feeds another product.

[Scaramouch]

Established earlier in the thread that they are different feeds, thanks!

[OTTBs]

textured =/= pellets. OP asked about pellets.