What the title says - I wonder why people feed their young and maybe even competing horse Senior Feed?
And referring to some of the recent posts some ask why the horse doesn’t gain weight.
My thought would be if you feed commercial feed - why not to feed one that is designed for the age/demand of your horse?
I don’t know - I feed my own “custom made” oats to the old and to the young.
Well, I don’t do it, but once I took a boarder’s horse to a vet clinic that I’d never dealt with before. I knew she was going to stay for awhile so I started to tell them what she was being fed, and they proceeded to tell me it didn’t matter because they fed all the horses Sr. feed. Didn’t matter if they were weanlings, or what they were. Their reasoning being that it is a “complete” feed, and more easily digestable than any other types of commercial feed. Of course, they wouldn’t necessarily be concerned with keeping an athlete in peek condition.
[QUOTE=Toadie’s mom;7404110]
Their reasoning being that it is a “complete” feed, and more easily digestable than any other types of commercial feed. .[/QUOTE]
This is exactly it. Senior feeds are complete feeds. They’re often high in fiber, which will pack weight on a horse in no time flat. They are often easy to chew, and very palatable, to tempt even the pickiest of horses.
There’s nothing wrong with feeding senior to your average horse. The senior part is only in the name. It’s a good “base” to start with, which you can then adjust depending on energy and weight needs.
[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;7404134]
This is exactly it. Senior feeds are complete feeds. They’re often high in fiber, which will pack weight on a horse in no time flat. They are often easy to chew, and very palatable, to tempt even the pickiest of horses.
There’s nothing wrong with feeding senior to your average horse. The senior part is only in the name. It’s a good “base” to start with, which you can then adjust depending on energy and weight needs.[/QUOTE]
This, but, I only like TC Senior. It is beet pulp based, the NSC is 11%, lots of fat and fiber and 14% protein. Great for keeping weight on TBs and doesn’t typically make them hot.
TC Senior and BlueSeal DynastyPro are pretty much comparable. These (and beet pulp shreds) are all we feed in our programs, from broodies and foals to competition horses and the elderly stallion. One brand is sold close to one facility, and the other near the second facility. Good quality, good outcomes.
ETA: we credit these feeds with the appearance of amazing dapples on my buckskin and Irish horses, as well as JER’s black Akhal-teke, Zizi. Beautiful coats!
A girl brought a horse into the barn that was an ex polo pony. It was skinny but she knew it had a tendency to get hot. She thought feeding it Senior feed would make it act like an older horse. Well, she be wrong lol. At 14% protein, easy to chew and digest, the mare blossomed and had quite a tiger in her tank. Not sure what happened since she moved to another barn. But hopefully she found a better feed for her.
You kind of have to dismiss what the grain is called and look at the ingredients/nutritional values (fat, NSC, etc). I feed TC Senior to my 9 yr old horse because it has high fat, low NSC, and he holds his weight better on that than any other non-senior grain he’s been on. It is good for all ages, not just seniors. Going back to reading the back of the bag vs just the front/name - SafeChoice, for example, which claims to have a low sugar/starch level really does not when you compare it to other options out there… It’s quite the opposite unless they are comparing it to sweet feed!
Many of the senior feeds need to be fed in high quantities (several pounds a day) in order to provide the minimum required nutrients (vitamins/minerals). You have to look at the feed label. It is because senior feeds can be used to replace forage (if needed for older horses that can’t chew well) that their intent is that they be fed in higher quantities. If you are feeding it at an amount less than recommended on the feed label, then you should considering adding a vitamin/mineral supplement
[QUOTE=FlashGordon;7404226]
This, but, I only like TC Senior. It is beet pulp based, the NSC is 11%, lots of fat and fiber and 14% protein. Great for keeping weight on TBs and doesn’t typically make them hot.[/QUOTE]
This is why my 7 year old eats TCsr. He is hot anyway and a higher nsc feed makes both of our lives unpleasant. He gets 6#/day along with 6qt(dry measure) beet pulp and 1 cup of flax. I add oil when he starts to get a rib, which is not often anymore.
TC Senior and TC Growth are almost identical in profile. I saw no reason to stock two basically interchangeable feeds so the labels would fit the age of the horses better. So when I have a baby on the farm, I just use Senior.
My middle-aged TBs stay on TC Senior because they can eat a lot of it without getting hyper, because of the low NSCs, as others have pointed out.
The horses that only get a little supplement get TC 30%.
OP, my theory is that it is kind of like with human athletes…Michael Phelps, or FEI-fit horses, might need 10,000 calories a day of pasta and pizza, but most of our horses are us really are more like us, and all we really need are need low sugar, moderated diets. We don’t need sports bars and gels to hop around little jumps and trot 20m circles. a banana and a glass of water is probably a lot better choice. Nor do our horses need the same diets as their upper-level companions unless they really are in that kind of work.
All of our horses regardless of age get TC Senior. It is just a very good feed. All of my horses fox hunt and event.
Because it meets all the qualifications I want for my horse’s diet. He’s five and is on TC Senior. Lots of calories, fiber, and weight gain without getting nutty. A bonus of probiotics already being added in means I don’t have to buy Optizyme anymore.
The name on the bag isn’t all that important.
I used to use it, but when it got to $22 per bag, decided my horses could do just fine on regular oats and good hay
What is TC Senior?? Triple Crown?? Does anybody here feed Purina Senior?
I feed TC Senior to my 38 yr old, it is the only senior feed I have ever tried that 1) she loves to eat and 2) keeps her in really good weight/coat/spirits.
I have her son, who is 22 this summer, and he gets TC30 as he’s usually more than fine on his 24/7 pasture (people kindly describe him as ‘stout’). But when we were hitting single digits around here and highs in the 20s for days in a row, I gave him some TC Senior as well as the TC 30 to just hit him with some extra calories, etc.
[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;7404134]
This is exactly it. Senior feeds are complete feeds. They’re often high in fiber, which will pack weight on a horse in no time flat. They are often easy to chew, and very palatable, to tempt even the pickiest of horses.
There’s nothing wrong with feeding senior to your average horse. The senior part is only in the name. It’s a good “base” to start with, which you can then adjust depending on energy and weight needs.[/QUOTE]
It’s also easy to water down into a mash.
[QUOTE=Purr-FectCrime;7405575]
What is TC Senior?? Triple Crown?? Does anybody here feed Purina Senior?[/QUOTE]
Yes, TC Senior is Triple Crown Senior. My young gelding was getting Purina Senior, and he held his weight pretty good but not quite where I wanted him–it just didn’t seem to put the “finishing touch” on him so he really bloomed. I suspect it also made him hot as the NSC is much higher than in the TC Senior. TC Senior is overall a much better feed, and while not every horse will get nutty on Purina Senior, I’d pick TC every time. I don’t know how much it costs in other areas, but in my area they’re the same price for a 50lb bag (~$23/bag.)
Tcsr has 2x the fat, half the NSC, and is fixed formula. Purina isnt. For the same price it is a much much better food.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
