I used to feed Sweetfeed, but then I switched to a pelleted for better digestibility.  I have a 16 soon to be 17 year old Arab Gelding and a almost 6 year old Arab Gelding.  I feed my older boy Kent Dynasty Senior as my Vet recommended, and my younger one Kent Dynasty Show.  I really like both feeds, and my horses like it as well but it keeps going up in price.  What do other people like to feed?  How much do you feed them?  What else do you feed them as far as supplements, minerals, etc.  I usually put vegetable oil on their pellets, plus salt right now in the winter to encourage them to drink more since my older horse just colicked end of November.  I  also have been adding Weightbuilder to my senior horse's feed, plus they get a loose mineral topdress.  I have heard good things about Equine Senior, and Nutrena Senior.  Are their some other good feeds to check into? I just would like a general opinion of what other good feeds there are out there!

I guess it depends on your area but I feed my guys Legends pleasure and show 11 pelleted from Southern States. Each get about 4 lbs a day.  I feed the same to all my boys ages 5-23.  This is also goes with the 4lbs of beet pulp they get a day...it really helped put weight on one of my horses who was too thin.  I also put a scoop of flaxseed for coat health and a scoop of fasttrack probiotic on top.  they get free choice salt and minerals in a ground feeder.   I also switched from sweet feed to pellets and have seen good improvements with this brand in the conditions...hope this helps.

I have a 10 yo OTTB pasture ornament with a major hind suspensory injury and joint problems; he's also prone to major stress attacks about any change, and this past year was not good to him.  My other guy is a 15 yo OTSB trotter, who just sort of takes things in stride.  They were on a Strategy/special mix grain, but the TB had lost mucho weight and this was just not putting it back on.  So I switched both to Merit Senior (which is carried by my feed store, as well as Purina's Equine Senior).  I started with Farnam's Platform Senior (they have a selection of feeds in the Platform series) and I really liked it, but the feed store is further away and the Merit is very good.  I DO NOT like the Equine Senior and my vet passionately hates it due to high sugar content and the super soft/moist consistency, which tends to cause choking.  My guys were choking on it all the time... not good!

In addition they get free choice GroStrong mineral crumbles (I think it's an ADM product) and free choice hay.  For supps, my hard keeper gets Ultra-Elite Weight, which is a high fat weight builder, SmartFlex Senior for joints and probiotics, and SmartHoof;  my StB just gets the joint/probiotics and hoof supps since he is definitely not a hard keeper.  I think probiotics are essential - while my several horses over the years were on them, I never had a colic, when the three I've had this past year were off them due to financial squeeze, I had 3 full colics (no surgery, thanks be) and two ouchy tummies calmed by banamine.  Definitely worth the $$$ when compared to paying for emergency hospital visits    Loooove my SmartPaks!!!

My feeding consists of beet pulp soaked and rinsed, with BOSS and horseshoer's secret supplement added. Sometimes I make a bran mash, or add rice bran to the feed, sometimes a little aflalfa cubes. Mostly they eat free choice hay.  Access to a salt block and water at all times. 

For the oldest horse, he gets plain, dry rolled oats with veg. oil and a joint supplement with a little calf manna since he doesn't hold weight as well, with hay alone,  but has good teeth and he only gets about 1 1/2 lbs oats with a cup of calf manna and a cup of oil he holds weight fine with that added. He gets ridden in the summer, walk-trot or lunged walk-trot-canter, but he's older so we don't push him. He used to barrel race and is retired. He's 23 and spunky.

My 7yr old just gets hay and beet pulp with vit. supplement. He works moderately-in the summer 2 hour rides are the norm, walk-trot-canter or longed, and he's fine on the roughage diet without concentrates. If he were to need  more, I'd start with plain oats for him as well.

 

All great replies

Much depends on:

1.  If the horse has healthy issues and if so what they are.

2.  How much pasture and the quality of that pasture.

3.  If the horse is in/out or in most of the day, or out 24/7.

4.  What feeds are available in your immediate area.

5.  How hard the horse is worked on a weekly basis.  While "hard" is by whose definition, hard to me means a performance working horse, such as a reiner, endurance, ramping up for the show circuit, etc.

 I have a 20 yo TWH that was diagnosed with EMS last spring (Equine Metabolic Syndrome).

I have three other horses.  In terms of feed only one is normal.  I am currently in the process of switching everyone over to the feed diet the EMS horse is on because it won't hurt anyone.  Supplements won't quite be the same, but at least I will only be feeding out of one feed bag and one vitamin/mineral bag - lol lol

Everyone will soon be eating EquiJewel pelleted rice bran.  It is high in calcium and is 20% healthy fat.  They will also all be getting Burkmann's vitamin/mineral supplement as opposed to Purina's "Born-to-Win". 

The BtW is 32% protein and I can see just a tch of difference in the horse that gets it to tell me he is soon going to be eating Burkmann's because it is 25% protein.  He is a very compliant, laid back horse, but I have noticed a teentsy bit of sass since he's been on the BtW - lol lol

Three are getting Omega-3 horseshine.  The EMS horse gets BOSS instead, because his Royal Highness has gotten pickey over the winter and no longer likes water in his food (to help keep everything together).

No one, including the EMS horse, gets much grain.  They each average 8oz of feed 2X/day, plus 8 oz of vitamin/mineral supplement 2X/day. 

This time of year they all go out on 14 acres by 7:00AM and come in between 6:00 PM & 7:00PM depending on the weather.

They are all on quality grass hay, which they get morning and night.  The chemistry of the hay can also play a big part as to what grain you decide to feed your horse.  We had poor hay this year, but it turns out that was the better thing where  my EMS horse is concerned.  It still smells like tea and I would think about still put ranch dressing on it and eating it myself, but I can tell the quality isn't what it has been in the past from the same man.

This is the time of year I start using a lot of hay because there isn't much pasture.  This year my pasture is REALLY thread bare because my area of Middle Tennessee finished the year in an approximately 15" inch water deficit:(

Again, much depends on the horse and it's environment, and what  quality feeds/supplements are available close by.  Hope this helps

I have a 17 year old Arabian mare & her 2 year old gelding.  They both get Safe Choice.  It is a pelleted feed, not very pricey & they have done very, very well on it. 

They also get 4-6 flakes of Coastal hay a day (depending on the size of the flake) and free access to a salt block. 

I keep my feeding routine pretty simple & it works for us.  

My mare gets 1/3 of a pound of Equisine show horse ration, which is a low molasses sweet feed.  Basically just enough to mix her 1/2 scoop each of Hoffman's minerals and Feisty Mare with, with a couple tbs of canola oil to help it all stick together.  She's fussy, and without the oil the supps are left in the bottom of the bucket.  Once this tub of Hoffman's is done I'm planning to switch her to Hoffman's complete pellets, which are high fat and fibre, and extremely low sugar.  They also have the minerals already added in the formula, so it'll be less mixing for me.

I like to keep things as simple as possible when feeding.  Mixing all sorts of feed concotions doesn't make sense to me.  So... I am feeding 2 warmbloods both at very different stages of life.  No sugary feeds whatsoever.

3 year old DWB is on a pelleted complete feed, 12% protein and a top dress pelleted supplement. 

8 year old Hano/cross who is in regular work is on extruded.  High in fat, low in sugar and starches.  He is also on the same top dress that the 3 year old is on as well as a biotin supplement.  He has crappy feet!!

Hay.. to be quite honest I don't know the weight, only the volume of the hay at the moment.   They are hayed 4 times daily aproximately 3-4 flakes per feeding.  I did know the weight at one time, just can't seem to remember now.

I've got Annapolis on Nutrena Safe Choice now -- he gets about 12 lbs per day, divided between his feeds. He also gets a handful of Wendland's One and Only added to each feed. In addition, we water the feed down and add corn oil, so he gets quite a soupy mixture, but he loves it, he hasn't choked since he's been on it and he's held his weight all winter -- for the first time ever.

The only thing I add to that is his One AC in the summer for his anhidrosis.

I feed most of my horses Progressive Nutrition ProAdvantage grass formula, its a ration balancer, so fed at very small amounts.  My senior half-Arab gelding gets 1.5#/day in summer and 1#/day plus 3# senior in winter (the quality fiber in the senior helps him maintain weight in winter - he also gets free choice grass hay).  I also feed a little bit of soaked beet pulp in winter to help maintain hydration; the old guy won't eat more than 1# dry measure then soaked.

 

 

I use strictly Buckeye feed products.  Everything is based around the forage, which is the basis of our feed program anyway.  So, the show horses that are 3 and over get Show N Win ration balancer and Grass Plus loose mineral.  Broodmares in foal and horses under 3 get Grow N Win ration balancer and Grass Plus loose mineral.  The horses in regular work also get MSM (anti-inflammatory for those precious joints) and the show horses get Select Nu-Image to get that glossy hair coat.

Thanks for all of your input and good ideas!

Thanks for all of your input and ideas.

I would definetly feed whatever you vet recommends... Different feeds are avaialable in different areas and EVERY horse needs a customized program based on their individual needs...

Personally I feed Seminole feeds which are made in Ocala, FL - I'm not sure if they are available nationally.  They have teamed up with Spiller's (a major European feed company).  They have their "Meadow Herb" line which is beet-pulp based pellets (don't need to be watered down) with added english herbs to palatability for horses... The feed smells like peppermint so the feed room and stalls all smell great!  Really helps keep the flies down too!  My horses have put on weight, have great coats, energy but not excitability... It's great.

 I have also fed Purina's Ultium (beet-pulp based as well), Horsemen'd edge sweet feed, Strategy (high performance pellet) Omelene sweet feed and Equine Senior.

All of my horses have free-access to minerals in stalls and pastures at all times.  I used to feed vegetable oil, but switching to "performace" feeds with more fat have helped with coats and weight so I don't need the oil anymore.

Jennifer