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  Discussion on feeding purina athlete
Author Message
Member:
Chellis6

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2005 - 9:53 am:

Hi My question is if any one is feeding Purina athlete and what they think of it. I have read the info on nutrition. But my TB Stallion is just not putting the weight on like I would like to see. He is getting 12lbs of hay, two lb. of legends equitic, two lb. beet pulp, and 1/2 lbs gro n win.
We have always owned paint or qt Horse and they have always been easy keepers. SO this one is a challenge Now. I would like to hear what some of you who have TB Are feeding them. He is worked four times a week about an hour. We are doing dressage.
Look forward to hearing some replies
Member:
Jgordo03

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2005 - 12:26 pm:

Estella,
I have the same problem with my TB. I have a feed mill close to my house that puts together a special blend of high calorie feed using steamed oats, corn, etc. that has about 2,000 calories per pound. The recipe is closely guarded, but if you have a feed mill close they may have a special blend of their own for this purpose. The gentleman who own's the mill said he is always getting requests for hard keepers and that's why he developed this formulation. It puts about 50 pounds on my TB in two weeks. Good luck, if you don't have a mill in your area, I would increase the beet pulp to three pounds a day to increase the protein in his diet.
Member:
Vickiann

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2005 - 3:23 pm:

Purina Athlete is a pretty good product. I used it as a supplement for years, though switched over to Triple Crown products about a year ago. The first thing I would do in your case is feed the horse all the hay he wants to eat and you could let part of it be alfalfa or T & A, or T & A cubes (4 - 6 pounds of cubes per day) Make sure his teeth are floated if needed, and that he is well wormed, including for tape worms. Make sure whatever you are feeding has enough lysine in it and enough fat. There are lots of products that use rice bran to help build weight. You don't say the age of the stallion, and sometimes horses seem to go through a stage where they don't put weight on and you just have to keep upping the rations gradually. One of my boys was a poor keeper when younger and per Vet. instructions I gave him about 6 pounds of high quality grain (plus "Natural Glo" supplement -- later used Athlete) and all the grass or grass hay he would eat. For many years now he has been an "easy keeper."
Member:
Vickiann

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2005 - 3:45 pm:

Be sure to read Dr. O's articles available on this site regarding nutrition. They are truly excellent!
Member:
Chellis6

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2005 - 4:03 pm:

Thank you so far with the info Its always good to hear what others are feeding. I live in northeastern Pa. the stallion is ten . His teeth where done in spring. We just had a fecal count done and double dosed him with strongid. He basicall gets two flakes of hay four times during the day. One thing I have learned lately is to get a scale . . I did read the articles. But like I said its nice to hear experiences of others.
Member:
Morg1

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 9, 2005 - 8:00 pm:

Purina has a better product called Ultium. It's expensive, but you tend to feed less of it so it ends up being cheaper than many feeds in the long run. It is a very high calory grain, and is the best on the market. You can always ask your purina dealer for advice they will put you in touch with their equine nutritionist.
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