My guy ate the TC Gold Balancer pretty well. He’s not hard to please. If it goes in a bucket and at least smells somewhat like he’s supposed to eat it, he’s game.
I just added the Wholesome Blends Balancer to my dog food auto ship at Chewy. It’ll be here Friday. If the horse likes it and doesn’t go kookoobananas on it, it’ll work out perfectly because I’ll need it at the same frequency as the dog food.
This is really going to simplify my feeding. Fingers crossed!
I saw the TC Diamond Senior at my local store and it is not at all clear what I would get for the extra $1. Why not put it on the bag!?!
what would you want on the bag?
The Diamond line is basically the TSC version of the Gold line that TSC can’t carry. One big benefit is the marine-sourced calcium which is the gastric buffering part that’s on the front of the bag
The Sr and Perform are also 1800 cal/lb, same as the Gold equivalents, but nobody puts calories on a bag.
$1 more per 50lb bag is $0.02. My TSC lists them at $33 for regular Sr, and for the Diamond Sr right now, but let’s say it really is $1 more
6lb of regular Sr at 1546 cal/lb is 9,276 calories
6lb of gold/diamond is 10,800
If you’re having to feed basically 7lb of regular Sr for that 10,800 calories, that’s $4.62
But if you can feed 6lb of the gold/diamond, that’s $4.08, so it’s cheaper.
Costs aren’t just about the purchase price, it’s about the cost to feed the product.
I have 2 horses that get chopped forage, but for very different reasons. I prefer the TC Safe Starch Forage, but will readily use the Grass Forage if for any reason the other isn’t available. One is my super air fern gelding; he gets it in addition to his v/m and other supplements just to keep him occupied and make him think he’s getting as much food as the other horses. The other is one of my mares that likes to bolt her food like a dog. (and she has never in her life lacked for a meal! 
) With the chopped hay mixed in with the feed, it forces her to slow down and chew. I’ve been doing this for years with her, and have had zero problems.
No nutritional advantage, you can get any chopped hay if you want, and use it as bulk to a small meal. 1lb of chopped forage is a ton more volume than hay pellets even if they’re soaked, and you can wet the forage down if you’re mixing in some powders.
Having previously fed the TC Gold Senior and recently switched to the Diamond since I moved to a new state where the Gold is not sold anywhere within reasonable driving distance, I happen to have empty bags from both. Here’s some pics so y’all can do side by side comparisons. 
Well, my gelding and the mare he lives with both acted like I was trying to trick them into eating health food this evening when I offered them each a handful of Wholesome Blends Balancer.
These two hoover up food of all kinds, and my gelding tried to eat it but spit most of it out. The mare wouldn’t even try it. Took one whiff, made a face, and walked off.
I’m going to try again with just a little added to my guy’s mash. Everything is coated in Spirulina in that, so maybe he won’t notice. I just don’t want him going off his normal feed, he’s got important supplements in there.
If he soundly rejects it, I’ll be trying to find someone to take it locally.
Leave it to my horse to hate the “more palatable” ration balancer. He ate TC Balancer Gold with no issues. Ugh.
Thank you, this is so helpful. My seniors need as many calories as possible so I might give it a try.
Relying on a feed product available “only” at TSC seems like a good way to find yourself frustrated.
Not judging anyone who buys their feed exclusively at TSC; I am a regular customer (even when I try to avoid them). There have been products, like Unbeetable Forage Only, that I can only get there. My dog has now decided she only wants to eat their 4Health dog food.
But OMG no matter where I have lived, TSC has been maddeningly inconsistent with their inventory and quality control. Products out of stock, spoiled products riddled with mold and mites on the shelves, etc. etc. I love the convenience of their big box store hours, but cannot stand the big box store lack of give a damn.
I patronize 3 different TSCs regularly, all about 30 minutes from my house in different directions. I have quite a few more within a 45 min radius. And it’s always a gamble which product will be out of stock at which store, even when I check the app or, gasp, pick up the telephone and call before setting out.
I only buy my grain at TSC and forgo a lot of the teeth gnashing by purchasing a pallet at a time from them. It comes special ordered for me and works out well for all of us. I also get special bulk pricing for it.
Which works well if you go through feed quickly and can store that much at once.
A small farm owner with fat horses, like me, doesn’t even go through a pallet of feed in a year!
TSC can be annoying, but mine stocks a lot of all the Unbeetable products and since that seems to be my boy’s brand of choice no matter how much I try to convince him to eat something fancier, I shop at TSC.
Whatever I’m feeding, I try to keep a bag in the can and a bag in the trunk at all times.
I order it on line and pick it up. That way, I’m sure it’s in stock. At least, so far that’s worked.
I do that a lot too. Nothing worse than getting there only to find they’re out. I also do anything I can to escape standing in line at our TSC. It’s always slow and I inevitably get behind someone who is having an issue.
I’m not trying to sound full of excuses, but I have such huge problems with getting grain mites from them that I like to look at the bags before purchase!
But I really need to start doing that with dog food.
My experience with TSC is identical to @Texarkana’s 
Rarely do I walk out of there with everything I walked in for. It’s out of stock or buggy or whatever. Even when I order online and go to pickup…about 50% of the time they just can’t FIND it. Ugh.
I think the 4Health stuff is just rebranded Diamond Naturals? So that’s an option to skip TSC. Chewy’s even carries it.
I dislike TSC… mine eats Triple Crown Senior Active- recommended after his surgery. No one else can get it- it’s some deal between TC and TSC.
For the most part I agree, however this line was designed specifically for TSC, rather than a more “public” feed that’s only available at a given TSC near enough to someone. The TC Senior Active is another designed just for TSC, and I’ve never seen it out of stock at my TSC, unlike several other feeds at any point in time, like Purina Senior Active and Nutrena SafeChoice Senior.
Right, made specifically for TSC
What about it made your vet/surgeon suggest that? It’s not a unique feed, and it’s $$
It is and it looks/smells nearly identical. I was actually feeding that several months back but hit problems with their fish formula being in stock even with online retailers!
TSC… sigh… it’s a constant love/hate relationship. I’m glad it’s there but boy oh boy has it given me headaches over the years.
That about sums up my feelings on them, too! 
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