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  Discussion on Complete Feeds - Info Requested
Author Message
Member:
Cozygirl

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 8, 2003 - 4:02 pm:

I have been feeding Strategy for about 1 1/2 years and I find it to be good. I feed the Strategy GX that's the one you feed with grass hay and Strategy AX is the one you feed with Alpha hay because the GX has more protein the the AX does. I have a Percheron Mare that is 16.1 hands tall,I feed about 3 pounds of Strategy GX to her for am and pm feeding and she also gets 14 to 18 lbs of grass hay am and pm. I would recommend that grain for anybody. Because it has done wonders for my mares. I have two older mares ages are 18 and 19 years old.
Member:
Gageten

Posted on Thursday, Jan 8, 2004 - 8:23 pm:

I am SO confused Dr. O. I just read that the VERY latest research on horse nutrition is that you should have a feed that has AT LEAST 12% fiber. The only feeds that have 12% fiber are the so-called COMPLETE feeds. That means Purina Strategy is NOT a complete feed, since it only has 8% fiber. I just found out that my horse is being fed a product by Purina called Complete Advantage, which is advertised as a complete feed. It has 12.5 % fiber and 12.5% protein and 3.5% fat and 22-25% starch. HOWEVER, my barn is NOT using it in place of hay. They are feeding this AND good quality grass hay (like 6-8 flakes a day per horse.) Is this a bad thing; like massive fiber overload, or could this be the "new" and better way of feeding? The horses seem fit and healthy and very calm, but I don't want to keep feeding this way if it is wrong.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jan 9, 2004 - 6:02 am:

No Molly,
If your horses are in great shape the absolutely wrong thing to do is start changing stuff around rapidly. Most of us feel that complete feeds do not supply adequate fiber length and enough chewing to really satisfy horses. When it comes to horses and fiber: the more the better.
DrO
Member:
Bonita

Posted on Friday, Jan 9, 2004 - 9:09 am:

Molly - Don't worry. "Complete Advantage" is a TERRIFIC product. I've been using it for all my horses - youngsters on up - with nothing but wonderful results for the last 6 years.

I also agree with Dr. O that the so-called "complete" feeds, while high in fiber, are not necessarily "complete" - at least from the horses' point of view. My guys all get free-choice grass/timothy/alfalfa mix hay 24/7 in addition to their minimal grain feedings. I consider hay "something to do", as well as providing nutrition. Regardless of the nutritional viewpoint, I can't help but feel that horses who are just fed one of the "complete" feeds & no hay are extremely prone to developing vices just out of boretom.
Member:
Ribbons

Posted on Saturday, Jan 10, 2004 - 8:56 am:

Hello all,
I discovered the best way to evaluate feeds is to compare the tags on the bottom of the feed bags. That's the most detailed information I could find. I think Dr. O recommends this in his articles. I would add to keep checking them.I had used one product on my mare for over two years and this winter began to notice that she wasn't "doing" as well. I went to the manufacturer's website noticed they that no longer emphasized that the main source of carbs was beet pulp. Next time I got feed, I checked the tag at the bottom and saw they had added corn.My mare does not tolerate or digest corn very well which is why I originally chose this feed. I changed her to a "corn-less", beet pulp based feed and viola, she perked up, her topline came back and her coat's bloom returned.Now of cource, this new feed cost $2.00 more a bag...
New Member:
Amadeus

Posted on Monday, Jun 20, 2005 - 12:01 am:

Although most posts are quite old, I'd like to add my two cents. Reading labels on feed bags is so important, as all feeds of the same type are the same quality or content. For example, Purina Senior lists as it's first ingredient "grain by-products". Triple Crown Senior (which costs more) lists "shredded beet pulp" as it's first. Both are the same protein, fiber (diff by 1% I think), yet TC Senior has 2X the fat Purina Senior does. Both claim that they can be fed to older horses who cannot eat hay (not teeth...). I have two who are in that situation who came in skin and bones, and now look great (both are getting TC Senior but started on Purina). One eats soaked alfalfa cubes, the other soaked alfalfa pellets in addition to their grain. Also on pasture 5 hrs day. Both are over 24, both TB, one mare, one gelding. The other seniors who are easy keepers get one or the other of the two feeds listed above, depending on the horse, though we have a variety of other horses varying in ages from 6 weeks to 32 years old. And several other feeds for all those in between the growth stage and geriatric!
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