I have also had success with Mad Barn W3 and my thbds. The new box wine packaging makes it far less messy as well.
I’ve had them do the free nutritional analysis many times and appreciate their non biased (in regard to grain) feed back.
I started early with Charlie on his easy keeper meal planning LOL. All of the barns Ive been at have had their own feed offerings, but have all been agreeable to feeding him prepped containers that are beet pulp based and require soaking. Ive made it as simple as possible and that is always appreciated. Aside from a small smattering of other boarders, I find most people that board don’t know what kind of feed or how much their horse is being fed 
In all fairness to those owners if you have an uncomplicated horse there is no need to be concerned because the horse is doing just great. That is what they are paying for–someone else to make those decisions.
When the one- size- fits- all that they barn offers doesn’t fit that is when many owners become educated.
Id want to be more informed either way, but that’s probably not a shocker 
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Not shocking at all. I am the same way. I have control issues.
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I’d actually rather not HAVE to be this informed. I pay full board and pay a farrier and a vet and whatever else, but still have to play nutritionist, trimmer, and vet tech. It’s exhausting sometimes, when I wish I could just show up and ride and care for my horse instead of doing all the extra legwork. I do that for the home horses already.
Don’t get me wrong it’s all interesting, but I’ve come about my knowledge because I had no other choice. I’d prefer the middle ground. I like knowing enough to not get taken advantage of, but would like to have trusted professionals to provide the services I pay them for. There are days where it feels as if I have to DIY everything.
Oh well. Maybe I’m just tired. Horse is doing good so far, he likes the feed. I’m not thrilled about the sheer amount of feed, but as someone else said the K&E upper limit for this horse is the same weight per day. I’d be paying either way, so it is what it is I guess.
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As far as the contract - I’ve boarded places that only provide 2lbs of fees or pellets a day and the rest owner provided. Plenty of places that have owners baggie up food too. This place has a generic feeding paragraph that doesn’t name specifics, but I think the BO just doesn’t see the problem with a thin TB. Plenty of people out there who also think TBs are all hot, skinny, crappy footed, and broken.
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It sounds like you are in the West… which if you are, there are regional differences in how boarding barns handle feed.
Broad generalization: where I am (Massachusetts) full board includes some amount of hay (rarely free choice, but the barns where I have been are pretty generous and will use nets for easier keepers.) Most better boarding barns provide at least 3 types of feed in appropriate amounts: a ration balancer, some sort of “performance” feed like ProForce Fuel, and a senior feed. Owners provide supplements, and if the “barn feeds” aren’t appropriate, the owner is expected to supply feed.
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