Please suggest bagged feed that can be fed dry for 30 days or skip?

[cardinale]

Going to be gone for a month. Horses at home are 3 easy keepers, 3 yo and older. When I’m at home I mix supplements into soaked forage pellets plus ample amounts of good timothy + alfalfa hay. I mix the supplements/forage pellet mash up at the barn, then haul it down to the horses. Unfortunately, there is no water source at the end of the pasture where hay is located and horses are fed, and I’m not going to ask this guy to haul water down there (trying to KISS for him).

Please suggest something for supplementation–a bagged feed available at Chewy (for easy delivery) that the horse sitter can feed straight from the bag (dry EEK), at the rate of several pounds per day (not <2 lbs so they have something significant to eat rather than scrambling for smaller amounts). I have been looking at the senior-type feeds that are easier to chew and low sugar. I was also going to get a dry Vit E supplement to mix in. Don’t want to make it any more complicated than that.

Or, would it be better to just skip anything besides hay for a month (other than putting out salt and mineral blocks) to avoid any possibility of choke?

[Cowboy_Girl]

Purina Enrich - its a mineral/ration balancer, small pellets and soft so no need to soak. A cup to 2 cups per horse per day plus your supplements.

[Simkie]

If horses are okay to go without bagged feed without risk of losing condition, I’d just skip it in the KISS principle.

If that’s just not tenable, really any bagged feed should be fine to feed dry as long as none of these horses have a history of chronic choke. A senior feed would be fine. A ration balancer might not be enough volume if you want them getting more than 2 lbs and all occupied for awhile.

[Scaramouch]

OP is looking for something to be fed in volume (2+ pounds) though.

I wouldn’t necessarily jump to feeding senior to a bunch of easy keepers, though it wouldn’t hurt them, they just don’t need it. Plus if they get used to senior they might be insulted when you go back to soaked hay pellets…

From a cursory look at what Chewy has available, I would probably go with Buckeye Safe N Easy Complete for what you want.

[Arzny]

Enrich is a ration balancer, not a senior feed.

[Kyrabee]

I just got a couple bags of this to try. I do not feed it as a main part of her diet but take 1-2 pounds to give her before I ride. They are ‘soft’ pellets’ they claim the pellets do not need to be soaked but I did put some water on them. I got the 1/2 inch ones. I did not realize they came in two sizes. I got them from Chewy and next time will opt for the smaller ones (if they have them). She was a bit hesitant about them but got over it did lick the pan clean.

Sprout Pellets: High-Energy Horse Feed

[paintedpennypony]

Dang that’s a good price!

[clanter]

@Simkie

If horses are okay to go without bagged feed without risk of losing condition, I’d just skip it in the KISS principle.

fully agree, the only horse we have that gets any feed is the mid twenties mare, the six others just a good hay and pasture

I believe we as owners have become conditioned that to be Good owners we must feed them some sort expensive processed feed

[Bonnie2]

Bagged forage feeds like Dengie or Triple Crown might work. My easy keepers would eat anything mixed with TC Alfalfa forage.

[Scaramouch]

I meant to reply to the OP

[CHT]

If you are worried about choke, can you alter how you feed the pellets? I am not sure what your current set up is, but scattering the feed on a mat, or on the hay so they have to search for it a bit, or even in an empty water trough, could reduce the risk of choke.

[Kyrabee]

I think that is just a sample bag. 50lb bag is $30.

[maskme]

Honestly, if they’re easy keepers and getting good hay, I’d lean towards skipping the bagged feed altogether for just a month. A salt and mineral block should cover the basics. It’s less for the sitter to mess up, and you avoid any potential choke issues.

If you’re really set on supplementing, maybe a small amount of a low-sugar, high-fiber pellet would be okay, but I’d still be cautious about choke, especially if they tend to gobble their food.