What are your top three feeds you would/will always have stocked in a multi horse barn? What supplement will you never go without?
I’m looking for some inspiration regarding feeds, different brands, supplements, etc. for a site with 20-30 moderately exercised horses of varying ages and health, with limited storage space.
We currently stock: timothy pellets, alfalfa pellets, a seniors feed, and Omneity mineral.
Triple crown 30 and senior
Pro-Elite Senior, Buckeye Gro ‘n’ Win, alfalfa pellets
Outlast
Electrolytes, hay pellets (alfalfa or timothy usually), and an oil (Cocosoya) are my basics for my mare, but ymmv. I prefer to feed electrolytes year-round (Farnam Apple flavored granular powder) ad just up the dosage in the summer. Hay pellets + water are great for excuse for getting extra water into horses and if the horses are already used to eating mush, it’s less of a problem when I need to hide something in it. I like oil for coat and horses find Cocosoya very yummy.
In terms of specific feeds, I’d say a ration balancer, a low-starch feed, and a senior feed (senior being a non-growing horse, not necessarily an ancient one). Switch out the low-starch one for a high-calorie feed if you need something with more oomf and no one needs a special feed. The barn I’m at fed Hygain and really liked it (ration balancer = Balance, low starch = Zero, senior = Senior, high-calorie = Showtorque). Unfortunately, it is pricey and there were some issues getting it in-bulk so the barn recently switched over to Tribute. Tribute is also pricey, but not as much as Hygain and more places have it in stock.
I have to have these four:
Standlee Bagged Forage (alfalfa and beet pulp.)
Triple Crown (preferably Gold) Ration Balancer
Omega Horseshine
Iodized Table Salt
That ALL depends on what brands are available, so we need to know what brands you have access to.
A ration balancer is a start. Easy keepers get just that, and those in between really easy and needing a regular feed get that + a bit of alfalfa pellets
A good quality Sr feed can be used for a lot of horses, from 2yos to 20yos, from no work to pretty decent work.
What you currently have is pretty basic and can work. The only thing I wouldn’t likely do is use Omneity (or any forage balancer) for something less than 2, unless you can also feed several pounds of alfalfa. < 24 months, and especially < 12 months, there’s a higher protein need that’s starting with a lower hay intake, so you need more protein, and forage balancers don’t offer that. Otherwise, Omniety can be used as the “ration balancer” as per above.
Thanks for the feedback everyone!
JB, as always I look forward to your replies. I am in western Canada, and not only limited with what I can buy brand wise but also price as I am working with a non-profit. The Omneity is usually donated to us. We typically stick with the forage pellets + seniors feed as we have metabolic horses to seniors to just your average joe. I have been considering taking out the timothy pellets and replace with a complete/maintenance feed for ease of use for staff and our long term guests.
Brands that are readily available: Hoffman’s, “Superior Feeds” complete feed (12%), and the Step series.
I am in Western Canada and also experience the very limited market of feed brands and ration balancers or VMS.
I feed 2 adult mares a mash of beet pulp and alfalfa cubes with salt and Omniety PreMix added at the last minute. One also gets a cup of flax (which has tripled in price in the last few years). That’s the most economical mash recipe I can put together out here. I don’t really like the Step products, they are high carb and not great fortification profile. Feeding actual alfalfa hay is as JB says the most economical way to get more protein. It’s the same cost or less per ton than Timothy much of the time. There is no really good ration balancer in our market IMHO.
Currently being fed:
Balance Cubes from Ontario Dehy - I think it’s the same as Triple Crown Balance Cubes in the US - low starch, low sugar, fortified Timothy hay and beet pulp cube. Lovely to feed as they are a very soft cube and soak up very quickly, if you have hot water almost instant. This is my ‘base’.
Tribute Essential K - the ration balancer of choice for the easy keepers, low starch, low sugar and very faintly smells like delicious bananas
Tribute Resolve - the high fat, high Fiber but low starch feed for the slimmer ones that need more calories
Arizona Copper Complete - we are in a high iron area, need more copper | zinc to fix the ratios and keep the feet strong. Confession time … I feed this at 1/2 dose as I want a boost but a full serving of ratio balancer/resolve gives us almost enough, but not quite. This is my back up insurance.
Vitamin E - I stock up when it goes on sale at Costco, aim for about 3K to 4K for healthy muscles and improve recovery
Works for me and covers mine well.
yeah, you guys are really so limited! The forage balancers (Omniety, Amino Trace) can work well if you also have the ability to manage their limitations, which are protein (for both), and the fact that AT has much more P than Ca which doesn’t work with a lot of grass forages, but does work well with a high alfalfa diet
What is it in the Omneity that does best when coupled with higher protein? The P and CA? Would I be looking at a similar problem with Hoffman’s mineral?
I care for 15 on my farm, 11 are on a ration balancer and 4 get Triple Crown Senior. That’s all I need to stock.
I have some senior horses, one of whom has almost no teeth. Therefore, he is given hay cubes and beet pulp daily, while the other horses eat first and second-cut hay. If any of the horses feel unwell or cold, they can also have hay cubes or beet pulp. Additionally, I like to feed all of them camelina oil, as it helps with arthritis, and overall health, and gives their coats a nice sheen.
it has no protein. If an adult horse is eating 2%+ of his weight in a decent grass forage, that’s not a problem, that forage is providing enough.
It’s horses < 2, and potentially even some IR/EMS horses whose forage is limited to 1.5%, and certainly horses eating forage that’s just got crappy protein, who need more protein
Great info, thank you!
This is why prefer AminoTrace to Omneity. Mad Barn has a comparison tool you can use to see what exactly is in both, but better numbers:
AminoTrace. Omneity
Protein. 33.99 g. 18.05 g
Copper. 300 mg. 120 mg
Zinc. 760 mg. 480 mg
Vitamin E. 1250 IU. 980 IU
Biotin. 19.95 mg. 17.99 mg
Lysine. 10.73 g. 3.35 g
Keep in mind AT has way more P than Ca, which doesn’t work for the majority if grass forages.
Even the 34gm of protein in AT isn’t that significant
Vita Flex Pro Accel, Gro n’ Win, flax seed, and beet pulp.
I mix my own feed, so I also have rolled barley and alfalfa pellets.
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