DefinitelyDressage.com

The feed industry changes so much with so many different brands and options plus quality to consider. The thread on avoiding soy based feed was an eye opener regarding feed changes for mares. Totally understand the avoidance in humans and makes total sense about the impact on mares.

So what do you feed your horse(s) and why that particular brand? What are your preferences for feeding a horse who may have metabolic issues, senior citizen, minimal pasture, moderate work to heavy work schedule versus youngster or one with maximum pasture and minimal feed? Do you supplement and under which conditions and with what?

I have minimal grass as sandy soil so I rely on feeding timothy/grass hay - good clean quality. The hay is trucked in from various out of state sources so it may vary. Feed is a pellet brand Sentinel LS - low starch which I believe is Blue Seal brand. Plus senior vitamins, probiotics, Cosequin and MSM pellets for season allergies. Some days it feels like a pharmacy in the feed room.....

I'm no help. I feed grass hay, pasture, and vit/min designed for this area (selenium deficient) in a cup of soaked alfalfa pellets (twice daily). My WB also gets Renew Gold seasonally as needed for weight. They also get spirulina and either flax or chia.

Just posted more in the soy thread, but I also feed Renew Gold to both my retiree and my coming 3 year old (not under saddle yet). The retiree is suspected EPSSM/PSSM and was on 1 cup of canola oil plus LMF ration balancer for the last few years, but now that he is not in any work at all, I decided to try keeping him and the 3 yo on the same diet to buy myself just one extra shred of sanity. About six weeks in it is working well, and he seems to be doing fine. A little on the light side vs. when he was getting oil, but once this year's hay comes in I'll probably add some alfalfa to his ration (boarding stable feeds mainly grass and variable amounts of grass/alf mix depending on what they get). Obviously this guy can't do grains, but he isn't a bad PSSM case, so I don't have issues with the starch/sugars in his hay. When I was going down rabbit hole of trying to keep him sound, we tried all sorts of supplements, but now he just gets a scoop of Equerry's Choice since he's off the ration balancer. He is quarter horse, but a racing type at an honest 17H.

The 3 yo is a stockier type Hanovarian filly and seems to be fairly easy to feed so far. She is also getting the Renew Gold (was hoping the fat would help with her dandruff) and Equerry's, plus about 10# a day of straight alfalfa for the added protein (she was raised on grass/alfalfa mix pasture). She's just beginning ground work, and I think this diet will be fine for the light work she'll be doing for the next year. After that, I might reassess and decide if she needs something else.

In the summer I also mix regular salt with electrolytes about 50/50 and add ~2 TBSP, plus they get psyllium 1 week per month since they're on sand.

My mare (14 y.o. 15.2 hand 1/2 Andalusian/1/2 QH) gets 15-18lbs of hay. It is grown at the place I board but can be highly variable. It is supposed to be a 20 or 30% alfalfa in grass for first cutting. They reseeded a few years ago then put in more alfalfa the year after reseeding . Now patches of it have a lot of alfalfa (closer to 80%), some, not much at all. I have boarded here for years and this is the first year I have been a bit disappointed in the hay. It is green and clean but I don't like the variability and would prefer a higher grass content. That said, most of the last 2 years, I have been hobbled by various things and she hasn't gotten a lot of work and has been on the chubby side (maybe an 7-8 at worst). With the new cutting of hay last year, she actually lost weight and I had to up her lbs of hay. Most of the winter, she was probably a 5 on body scale...maybe inching toward 4. So, I added lunch on the days myself or my friend went to the barn (most days). She looks pretty good right now and the grass is coming in. She has the cresty neck (some of it coming by breed) and can get the butt pads so this next week, she will be muzzled for any grass turnout.

For supplements, she gets 1 cup of hay pellets, a vit/min supplement (Equerry's Choice), 2 oz of ground flax and a scoop of Ukele's TriAmino. I tried the Renew Gold and really didn't like her looks. She just didn't have much muscle and some of that certainly could be lack of work. However, I switched to the TriAmino. She has gotten a bit more work and is looking better but now (about 3 months in on the TA), she is starting to leave it. I thought I only had to deal with that stuff with my cats...
I am going to hold it in the next set of baggies and see if she goes back to cleaning up her supplements again.

I have tried ration balancers in the past but with the variability in the hay, it doesn't really work. Besides the soy in most which I would prefer to skip. Anyway, I keep it pretty simple and inexpensive. Her feet are great and she sparkles despite the dirt.

Susan

I'm not familiar with some of the supplement brands mentioned here so had to look them up. It appears they are not in our local feed stores so maybe a regional distribution. Any thoughts on Micro-Phase supplement by Kentucky Performance Products? Also any of the Nutrena Safe Choice feeds and supplements (local store carries Nutrena feed)?

The topic about the soy and the side effects in mares was any eye opener although i have geldings. However, I understand that soy has lots of pesticide applied - - correct me if I am wrong please. This is making me rethink my soy based feed and supplements.

Josette, many Vit/Min supplements are a regional thing to take into account the local soils. The Equerry's straightforward and I feed is made in Oregon for PNW soils which tend to be selenium deficient.

Susan