What do you feed and why?

[danacat]

What has been interesting is the ‘journey’ feed has taken since the 1960’s. Back then (if I remember correctly) we only had oats and corn (dried on the husk) and maybe some other grains - and those big white salt licks and bran mashes (ugg).

I boarded my horse then - and was too young to care what my horse was being fed. Relied on the BO for that. Big stable, mostly Thorougbreds but also some ponies and Appendix and a few grade horses. Us kids rode every day for hours and hours over hill and dale and in the ring too, schooling for shows. Horses were turned out in HUGE pastures in between; and they were healthy and happy. Go figure!

Didn’t mean to hijack thread - it just got me thinking about all the different feeds and how finely tuned (and manufactured) they are these days-- extruded, textured, sweetened, with supplements added, etc. etc. Mind boggling really.

…and it’s come full circle where some of us (most of us) are trying to find the most natural and healthy ways to feed our horses. Still, after all this time!

[FatCatFarm]

I feed Triple Crown Sr to my draft crosses and to my yearling Irish Sport Horse gelding. I feed Purina Miniature Horse and Pony to the 6 minis. Otherwise they have adequate but not lush pastures and free choice mixed grass hay in a hay hut. Right now my pastures are crap due to an extended drought in my area so am currently keeping round bales out in the hay huts as if it were winter.

I do add additional fat to the TCSr for two of my draft crosses who are PSSM affected, when they are in work. Currently, it’s just too hot to do much here GA. It’s been hideously hot and dry in my neck of the woods. Mid 90s most days and up until getting just a half inch of rain last evening, all we had had in the last two months was 3/4 of an inch of rain since early May. I’ve never seen it so dry!

[JB]

[QUOTE=danacat;8755640]
Us kids rode every day for hours and hours over hill and dale and in the ring too, schooling for shows. Horses were turned out in HUGE pastures in between; and they were healthy and happy. Go figure! [/QUOTE]

The 1st sentence is why the 2nd (along with oats and corn being fed) was able to happen. Horses could still be trim and healthy today if fed oats and corn if they were in solid work a few hours a day. But we also know that isn’t the healthiest diet - it just “worked” because their workload was counter-acting many of the detriments of the high sugar feeds.

Once we take the horse into an unnatural environment, we also have to feed him “unnaturally”. We remove nutritional diversity by greatly limiting forage variety, and since that’s the majority of a horse’s diet, we’ve got to make that up elsewhere. Cereal grains aren’t where it’s at - not nutritionally balanced.

[quietann]

First cut grass hay (approx. 20-25 pounds but it’s not weighed) divides into 4 feedings, 3/4 pound Poulin MVP ration balancer split between 2 feedings, 3/4 cup flax (morning only), and some supplements.

Works well for a somewhat easy keeping Morgan mare who gets worked about 5 days a week for an hour or so.

[equuspeace]

This has been great guys!! I’m learning so much, keep it coming! My gelding is out on grass, not super lush, but decent paddock. I may just play with the amount of grain he’s getting since he will be out most of the day and hay when grass is not available. Hmmm so much to consider!

[IPEsq]

Free choice grass hay (amounts to in the neighborhood of 25lbs on average, maybe 30lbs on extra hungry weeks either made up by more grass hay or an extra flake of alfalfa, if I have it on hand). A couple flakes of alfalfa hay (3-5lbs each). He has access to very little grass at the moment. Approx 17 hands, 6yo WB, still growing. Concentrates are approx 2qt beet pulp (after soaking), 1/2lb RB, custom HorseTech supplement (flax, certain vitamins and minerals, amino acids, MSM), 4000IU Vit E, Probiotics, RiteTrac, 2x a day. Evening snack of about 1/4lb RB with either a little bit of TC Sr or a little bit more beet pulp and added salt.

He used to be on TC Sr but holding weight well on current diet. If that stops, then I’d put him back on the senior. Sometimes, he will lose the taste for beet pulp, but since he’s been on shreds (versus soaked and rinsed pellets) and less total weight of concentrates, he has been eating it better.

[Tiffani_B]

My horse that’s only on a ration balancer now was getting about 5 pounds of Safe Choice and 4 flakes of hay a day. Since getting my own barn, I can now feed free choice hay and that’s made all the difference in the world! He hasn’t lost any of his pep and he seems less grumpy. He’s had ulcers flare up at horse shows in the past, and that hasn’t been an issue at all since coming off grain. I was worried he’d have less energy without the grain, but nope! He’s just as firey and game as ever!

[Magicboy]

Free choice hay, and two “meals” of a cup each of ration balancer, Renew gold and BOSS. This time of year I add some salt I use a handful of alfalfa in place of treats

[abrant]

My thoroughbred gets:

3lbs AM Nutrena Senior am & pm as well as 1.5lbs Purina Strategy am & pm (I know, but the Strategy is the “barn grain” included in my board so I take it)
1/2lb AM Purina Supersport
1/4 cup AM CoolCalories (just enough to keep his coat shiny)
Horseshoer’s Secret and Electrolytes at night

He’s not in work right now but when he was - no Strategy and TC Senior rather that Nutrena keeps the NSC low enough to make his brain work

My POA gets 3 cups of Purina Pony and Miniature Horse as a reward more than anything. He LOVED getting a handful of the TC Senior when I was feeding that but turned his nose up at the handful of Nutrena Senior when I switched. They started carrying the Purina Pony and Miniature Horse locally and I grabbed a bag and thankfully he loves it and it’s nutritionally more appropriate for him. Unfortunately, I can’t get TC Lite locally unless I buy a pallet (lol!)

He won’t touch grain that has anything it in other than what comes out of the bag. No salt. No electrolytes. I had him on SmartBreathe and even that mixed with applesauce was hit or miss. I tried the SuperSport because I thought it would be good for him when he’s on steroids… nope. Little turd.

[danacat]

[QUOTE=JB;8755750]
The 1st sentence is why the 2nd (along with oats and corn being fed) was able to happen. Horses could still be trim and healthy today if fed oats and corn if they were in solid work a few hours a day. But we also know that isn’t the healthiest diet - it just “worked” because their workload was counter-acting many of the detriments of the high sugar feeds. [/QUOTE]

Exactly!

Any (good) site on laminitis, cites exercise – and lots of it-- as a a preventative measure.

[Frog_Pond]

[QUOTE=abrant;8756427]

He won’t touch grain that has anything it in other than what comes out of the bag. No salt. No electrolytes. I had him on SmartBreathe and even that mixed with applesauce was hit or miss. I tried the SuperSport because I thought it would be good for him when he’s on steroids… nope. Little turd.[/QUOTE]
Ha, my herd is SO good at picking out the add-on’s, too! My big horse will actually spook if I dare to add say, 1 tbsp of himalayan salt to his feed – approach bucket, dive in, freeze, sniff dramatically & rattle nostrils, back up as dramatically as possible, blow, shake head, toss mane. Repeat.

The mini grabs the lip of his feed pan and whips the grain around like Jackson Pollock . . . and then spends hours picking the kernels out of the bedding.

Then there’s the crazy lady stamping her feet and wailing ‘nooooo, cut that outttt!’
:lol:

[meaty_ogre]

What I feed:
I feed my full-size horses Tribute Kalm N EZ GC Plus, and the pony gets Essential K GC Plus. All get the best quality hay I can find, sometimes grass, sometimes alfalfa. All have access to loose salt, but I do add Enduralyte electrolytes to their feed and/or water during excessively high heat like we are currently having.

Why I feed it:
Because my husband’s feed store sells it. :lol:

In all seriousness, I feed it because it is a fixed formula, made in the same ionophore free facility every time. It has guaranteed levels of essential amino acids, chelated minerals, pre and probiotics, plus the glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate and MSM already in the pellet. It’s also low NSC. And of course the most important reason, it has gotten me the best results. My 24 year old TB has never looked better. My TB is also not a fan of supplements and will sort or refuse to eat strange additions, so I love that the MSM, glucosamine and CS are already in the pellet.

Ideally I’d love to feed free choice hay and just a ration balancer to all of mine, but the easy-keeping pony is the only one who does well with that. The TB is a hay snob who requires inordinately high caloric intake to maintain good weight. I have used the Kalm Ultra for him as well when I need him to pick up weight.

[chalice18]

Depends on the horse and their needs. We feed Poulin grain to all of our horses and they’ve always thrived on it. Currently feeding Decade Stable Sweet Tradition, E-TEC Carb-Safe (NSC 7.0), and EQUI-PRO Mare and Foal. Also feed beet pulp and alfalfa pellets to the old guy. My easy keeper mare gets a taste of Carb-Safe, SmartVite Thrive, loose salt, and Quiessence, as well as grass hay.

So, it depends greatly on the horse and their needs, but essentially they get pasture, grass hay, and most get a Poulin sweet feed of some sort.

[JB]

What one feeds will depend on feeds available, and needs of the horse.

The 101 is to feed the amount of forage it takes to keep the horse in as good weight as that forage can. Ideally we’d have horses who, for their amount of work, ate all the forage it took to supply their calorie needs, and we just supplemented nutrition.

Unfortunately, we can’t all get hay that good, or the horse won’t or can’t eat enough hay/grass to do that, so we have to supplement calories as well as nutrition.

Then you look at the brands available, and start with the lowest NSC feed they have, and decide if that’s suitable. Some brands’ lowest NSC feed is also a lighter calorie feed and might require feeding too many pounds.

Let the horse tell you if he needs a higher NSC or higher fat feed. MOST horses are not working nearly hard enough to justify 25% or higher NSC feeds. If that happens to be the best feed you can get, and you’re feeding the minimum recommendation of 4lb for example, that’s probably ok. But even then, I personally would use a ration balancer and couple pounds alfalfa pellets.

Then it’s a matter of deciding if there’s a reasonable expectation of some nutrient deficiency, and either choose a feed that offers more of that, or supplement just that or those few things.

[ChocoMare]

As simple as possible:

Free-choice grass hay in a small hole net. (I have no pasture)
2 Cups EquiPride
1 Cup BOSS
1 Tblsp. Health-E (due to the all-hay diet)
1 Oz Seminole’s 16:8 Grass Balancer Loose Mineral

Just once a day. That’s it. With the EquiPride, they all the good stuff they need, with no sugar or starch. They get a bit of extra protein & fat with the BOSS. The minerals are to balance the high iron (low copper/zinc).

Free-choice salt lick.

They maintain their weight perfectly, whether in work or not.

[Simbalism]

I feed Seminole Wellness Senior for my two TB mares. One is 22yo and the other is 9yo. I had been feeding the older mare Southern States Legends feed for years and she had done well on it. My younger mare was a little thin when I got her and I just didn’t seem to be able to get her weight up with the Legends. Part of the problem is she is slightly picky and would not eat much grain at one feeding. Talked to the Seminole rep at an equine event in the area. I started them on it last year and my younger mare finally gained the weight she needed and my older mare has done fine on it as well. It is a 12% protein, 10% fat, 18% fiber, low starch feed.

[aquabrwn]

Also really enjoying this thread! So interesting and informative.

My guy is coming out the other end of a long rehab, so I’ve been tinkering a bit with his food of late. He currently gets:

• Lots of hay - free choice grass and 3-5 lb alfalfa; usually around 30lb total per day
• 1 lb LMF Super Supplement
• 1 c TC Omega MAX (flax)
• SmartCalm Ultra
• Free choice salt lick

I split his (measly) serving of LMF and supplements between AM and PM mostly so he doesn't feel left out when the other horses are fed :lol: Just pulled him off Platinum CJ in favor of the ration balancer + straight flax combo... was happy with Platinum but it is expensive and I think making him a little hot. He's an OTTB who holds weight well but is prone to ulcers, hence the heavy emphasis on forage.

[Rooty]

I forgot to add the why to why I feed Gro N’ Win, lol.
All but the new skinny Morgan are easy keepers so they don’t need extra help to keep weight on beyond the grass/hay they get.
Choices are limited where I live to Buckeye, Purina, Brooks or Masterfeeds. When the exchange rate drove the price of Gro N’ Win up to over $40/bag I tried switching to Purina Optimal and I had problems with feet on 3 of the 5. Switched back to Gro N’ Win and no more unusual hoof problems so I’m sticking with it.
Convenience of pick up is a factor for me too. Buckeye and Purina I can pick up with a 10 minute detour on my way to work

[RedHorses]

:lol: Rooty! I have those choices plus Blue Seal too, but I feed Brooks because I can’t get Buckeye within a ninety minute (one way) drive. I don’t like Purina, and Master feeds hasn’t caught up with the need for low nsc feeds.

My younger horse is on a very low nsc feed because I read an article in Equus about a study done with baby (yearling I think) WBs that found they were more able to focus and less flighty when fed low nsc feeds vs traditional feeds. Any advantage I can get. I also feed low nsc because…

My older horse gets a low nsc feed because he has EPSM. Way back when I found out there were almost no low nsc commercial feed options. Everything I read suggested that the low nsc diet was not only safe for non EPSM horses, but better for them. There are many commercial feed options these days. My horse is very selective about what he will eat and I started Brooks after he lost too much weight over the winter. He is happy eating it, and is doing very well on it. He even impressed Brooks feed rep.

I would feed both the same feed, but the one is picky and the other is sensitive to an ingredient in the picky horse’s feed. :sigh:

[GoodTimes]

I have similar options compared to the other Canadians, except no Purina in Alberta, but thankfully I can get Tribute feeds.
I feed free choice hay and Essential K, he doesn’t need any extra calories lol. I find its the best bang for my buck, it’s one of the only ration balancers that packs enough protein in so you only need to feed a couple lbs/day instead of 5-10lbs/day with some of the others.

My mom is in Ontario and just switched her horse to Tribute as well, even though she has to drive over an hour to get it.