We don’t see much pure Bermuda, but we do see mixes from time to time.
Perhaps another lesson in all this is that what is common in one place can be unknown in another and before Absolute and Universal Judgments are rendered taking a peek “over the horizon” can be a Good Thing for all hands!!! 
I haven’t read all of the posts here, so this may have been mentioned already. Dr. Geoff Tucker in FL advocates a hay only diet (short term) for horses that stop sweating. No treats, no supplements, etc, for 2 weeks, I think. Its worth checking out his website for info. He discusses how many feeds have added sugars, which are inflammatory.Then, he recommends adding in soy meal for protein. I am far too tired to go in to all the details tonight. BTW, I haven’t fed my GP dressage horses grain for 8 years. I was feeding beet pulp for a while, but we all hated it. Now they are on grass hay, Renew Gold (about 1 1/2lb/day), and Outlast (does have some molasses, which pisses me off). I’ve started using a Haygain steamer, and have seen an incredible change in my horses–that surprised me!
I think at the end of the day, we put way to much thought and effort into this stuff. For horses, dogs, etc. Do any of us put even a fourth of this kind of effort into what we eat?! Oh wait, I forgot that is why we are crazy horse people 
When I got my mare off the track, I treated two separate times with Omeprazole, and after the second time I overhauled her diet to a no-grain and no-molasses diet. She got free-choice grass hay and large quantities of soaked alfalfa cubes, and rice bran oil for fat. This was her diet for about six months, but it was about impossible to keep her at a good weight with this. Part of the problem is she is just not a big fan of soaked anything, so I couldn’t get her to eat enough soaked cubes. After a bunch of research, I opted to try a no-corn and no-molasses grain/feed, and put her on Tribute Kalm N EZ pellet, which worked out great. Now in Florida, where Tribute is significantly more expensive, I have her on Seminole Wellness Perform Safe and it’s also working out great.
Well, yeah, I do What good are we to our horses if we feel like crap because we eat like crap? :winkgrin:
My horse would argue I can still carry a scoop of feed to his stall if I feel like crap or not hahahha. He may actually prefer it because then he would get the day off too.
LOL! I mean, overall. Look at all the known health issues that are directly related to poor diets. Look at how much diet affects energy. If someone is doing ok in a poor diet, imagine how much better they can be with a health one. Imagine not having the daily grind be the thing that absolutely wears you out by the end of the day. It’s all connected - healthy diets lead to better quality sleep, more energy, less down time from illness, lowered risk of all sorts of diseases, and therefore more energy to do the things that matter in your life like ride your horse, better.
So yeah, some of us to pay as much attention to what we eat as we do our cats and dogs and horses 
This is a false equivalency. The true nature of the problem is still unknown. https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/11/dcm-update/
Just feeding Hills, Purina, Eukanuba, etc is not the solution. Hills has a long history of recalls due to toxic vitamin D levels and is currently being sued because of this. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/vitamin-d-toxicity-dogs#recalls
Purina is being sued for adding propylene glycol to food thag may have made pets sick.
https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/purina-reformulates-beneful-dog-food/
https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/purina-no-quality-issues-with-beneful/
There are other manufacturers that make raw food where the food is formulated by a veterinarian or nutritionist.
Answers has a vet on staff. Darwin’s has a specific line that’s available by prescription from a vet. Dr B’s Longevity was started by a vet who formulates all of the foods offered as is Dr Harvey’s.
I’m very frustrated with dog food personally, since I’m used to horse feed and supplements that gives a guaranteed analysis for vitamin and mineral levels. Most dog foods don’t. It also seems like there are no independent PhD or vet canine nutritionists like there are with horses.
As far as horse feed goes, I feed mine a variety of different forages. All are healthier now than when they got feed or a vitamin mineral supplement.
Labelling requirements are set by state authorities, and are typically based on AAFCO guidelines.
As for veterinary nutritionists, there are plenty of them, some with DVMs, some with PhDs, and some, like a classmate of mine, with DVM, PhD, and board certification from ACVN. (And yes, she is independent, and does consulting for owners.)
Feeding horses has been made recently (since 2000, I’d say) into Rocket Science. By whom? FEED companies!
They all have a different selling point, ever more technical and “sciency” sounding, and these days they all seem to be competing to sell you the prettiest bag and the most inspiring brand name. But what does any of it mean?
(1) Why do you feel the need to feed concentrates? For most of us, because the horse can’t hold sufficient flesh (both fat and muscle) on forage alone (hay/grass). This depends in very large measure on his age, breed, work demands. Most pastured horses or those on high-quality grass hay need no concentrates at all unless they are underweight or have insufficient energy needs for training and competition.
(2) What are you really doing when you’re feeding concentrates? What is the horse’s problem you need to solve? If forage won’t be enough because of dental compromise or age, you want a “pre-chewed” pelleted forage rather than a high-energy feed like oats or corn. If the horse is a TB with a high metabolic rate, the oats or barley might be just fine. Ponies should be fed nothing, ever, but hay IMO.
(3) When dealing with the underweight horse who has all his teeth, you’ll put condition on him much quicker by giving him UNLIMITED quantities of the best hay procurable in lieu of any concentrate product, and make his gut happy and healthy in the bargain. The problem of “ulcers” has been overplayed dramatically, and in my experience a very few horses are legitimately (clinically diagnosed) troubled by this. Ditto “Cushing’s.”
(4) Cattle and hog operations know that it isn’t really “calories in–calories out;” INSULIN stores fat. Sometimes a handful of old-fashioned Cheap Sweet Feed is more to the point in kicking their insulin up a notch to keep them fat in cold weather outside. Don’t go nuts, though; starch and sugar can cause big problems in horses used in excess. Just a “pinch between yer cheek n’ gum!”
ALL the rest, in my opinion, is MARKETING the idea you’re the BEST pet-mama in all the world. Isn’t really all that much difference in what stuff is in the bags!
Most horses on that high quality hay (not terribly easy to come by), may not need more calories, but most of them will need additional nutrition. This is particularly true of horses eating only hay, either ever, or for enough months of the Winter, or as the majority of their forage all year due to limited grass. There is all but no Vit E in dried forage. Dried grass hay is easily low in Vitamin A. Many parts of the country don’t have enough selenium in the soil. Much of the US has way too much iron, and not enough copper and zinc.
Ponies should be fed nothing, ever, but hay IMO.
Ponies still have the same nutritional demands that horses do, titered for weight.
. The problem of “ulcers” has been overplayed dramatically, and in my experience a very few horses are legitimately (clinically diagnosed) troubled by this. Ditto “Cushing’s.”
LOTS of horses have been clinically diagnosed with ulcers and Cushing’s.
I do agree that a lot of horses are also “diagnosed” with ulcers based on symptoms, but also, a good bit of those are “diagnosed” in hindsight via appropriate response to treatment
(4) Cattle and hog operations know that it isn’t really “calories in–calories out;” INSULIN stores fat. Sometimes a handful of old-fashioned Cheap Sweet Feed is more to the point in kicking their insulin up a notch to keep them fat in cold weather outside. Don’t go nuts, though; starch and sugar can cause big problems in horses used in excess. Just a “pinch between yer cheek n’ gum!”
A handful of sweet feed isn’t going to do anything of any significance to insulin or fat for the average healthy horse. Hay is MUCH more appropriate for keeping weight on, and barring metabolic issues, adding some alfalfa will increase body temperature a little, which helps preserve calories in the cold
Isn’t really all that much difference in what stuff is in the bags!
In some cases, the difference between specific feeds, and even entire brands, is very significant. There are entire brands who use corn, there are entire brands who use zero corn. Some brands use animal fat, many do not. Some preserve with BHA/BHT, many do not. Some brands have higher levels of amino acids, or trace minerals, others don’t - sometimes that’s based on region-specific formulations, sometimes it’s the entire brand or line with in a brand, making them more, or less suitable for specific situations.
The difference between, say, the Purina Omelene line of feeds, and the Triple Crown line brand of feeds, is pretty large.
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