Opinions on my feeding program??

[SD2013]

Alittle Background information: I college rodeo and do a lot of traveling- usually 2-8 hours every weekend. I have 2 horses, one for barrel racing (named Gray) and the other for breakaway (named P). Both are regularly worked and they both are stalled most of the time with but have access to a turn out that doesn’t have any grass, just for them to walk around. I do not have access to an open pasture where i board them for the school year. My rope horse, P, is close to 1300# at 14.2 hands (yes, he is as wide as he is tall) and my barrel horse, Gray, is 15.2 hands and around 1100#.
P has ulcers, and is being treated with Gastrotec. However, Gray is a hard keeper and I need her to keep her weight up during the college rodeo season so she can perform. I would like to keep them on the same feeding program since we have limited space at the place were I board.

Here is my feeding program:
4lbs SafeChoice Perform, 4oz of Platinum CJ, 4oz of SuperSport, and 3 flakes of coastal bermuda hay (I have access to unlimited Bermuda hay since we bale our own hay :))
They get this twice a day.

For extra calories for Gray and the calcium for P, should I add alfalfa hay? Also, do you prefer the dehydrated or bales?
I live in South Louisiana, and the bales are not as high quality as other parts of the world. The average small bale of alfalfa is $17.00.

Remember, I am in college. A money tree is not available at this time.

[SuckerForHorses]

Firstly, I would make their hay available 24/7 in small hole hay nets; this will be beneficial for the one with ulcers for the continuous forage, and the hard keeper for consumption of calories around the clock.

Second, IMO, there are better options than SafeChoice anything. For the hard keeper, I would try something like Blue Seal Sentinel Performance LS or Triple Crown Senior, and I would add alfalfa cubes or pellets to the grain ration.

For the easy keeper (the one with ulcers, correct?) I would feed alfalfa cubes and a vitamin and mineral supplement or a ration balancer. If he doesn’t need calories for keeping on weight, there is no need for a full grain ration, and a low or no grain diet will be best for his stomach anyhow.

So, I guess if these were my horses:
Hard keeper - Triple Crown senior & alfalfa cubes
Easy keeper - alfalfa cubes & vitamins/minerals
Continuous hay in small hole nets for both

[SuckerForHorses]

Also, have you considered that your harder-keeping horse may also have ulcers? sounds like they do a lot of traveling and it wouldn’t be outrageous to suspect them since the horse is harder to keep weight on.

I would also consider treatment with UlcerGard or GastroGard, instead of Gastrotec.

[Horseychick87]

I agree with SfH.
The easy-keeper doesn’t need the grain most likely and would get on better without it.

Ration balancers are more money per bag, but you feed far less and therefore save more money over the long run, the same usually applies to V& M supplements as well.

If you can get bales, or cubes for the alfalfa I’d go with those instead of pellets as they’ll provide more long stem fiber than the pellets which are ground up too much.

Just be careful not to throw the Calcium balance out of whack.

[Flash44]

The hard keeper should not have a small hole hay net - he should have access to as much hay as he can eat around the clock. OK for the small hole hay net for P, as he doesn’t need the calories. I don’t think both horses should be on the same hard feed as they are opposites - one needs a feed dense in calories such as a senior feed, P needs a hard feed low in calories but dense in nutrients, such as a ration balancer.

[JB]

The NSC (sugar and starch) level of the Perform is 28%. Not something I’d be feeding a horse.

That said, there are some decent enough Nutrena options The Special Care is 15% NSC, and they do have a ration balancer - Empower Balance.

There’s no reason you can’t use the Special Care for both of them, as long as for Gray you can feed at least the minimal amount (or are willing to add a half dose of a v/m supplement if you can’t). P can have more.

If the alfalfa hay you can get is good enough, you can use that for both of them as well. Horses don’t need rich alfalfa except under special circumstances.

With your schedule and P being a “hard keeper”, I wouldn’t rule out ulcers with her too.

[Flash44]

Gray is the hard keeper, P is smaller and heavier.