Saving on horse feed

[Slim Pikkens]

Many people overfeed horses, buying expensive bagged feed when it really isn't necessary. Horses that are ridden maybe once weekly are considered to be idle, whether in a stall or pastured. Rather than creating expensive manure, most horses will do fine with good hay, especially in winter. Just plain oats are fine for horses as it was discovered that it can help heal ulcers in a part of the gut where omaprazole in ineffective. A pound of oats per day is plenty and farm oats are much cheaper than at the dealer's.

[granny2u]

I'm glad to hear that! Mind you I just have ponies, but they are definitely IDLE all winter, I am to much of a wus to ride in the cold (age may have something to do with it) but all I feed is a nice alfalfa/timothy mix and a salt block! Lil Milly was a fat furball, but happy!

[jazzymonster]

while oats may be a good solution for some, you have to keep in mind that a pound of oats is equal to 1/2 pound of sugar. Just something to keep in mind.

[Slim Pikkens]

I cannot see how you can compare oats to sugar. Both act differently on the horse's digestive system and oats are 13% fiber and provide protein.

[ToveroMom]

I have no idea what "farm oats" are but down here oats are more expensive than the pellets I feed .

[paso_lover]

I'm with Slim on this. As I stated in my post about my neighbour fishing for info on me, ALL my horses have gained weight this winter. My mix is 5 bags of oats/1 bag corn/1 bag barley with Mackintosh as a supliment. HUGE savings (for me anyway with AMAZING results). I have my work cut out for me this spring with 4 horses needing to go on serious diets and an excersize program .

[JSlow]

I would also not suggest that being the only source of nutrition for a growing youngster. Not well-balanced and can actually cause developmental problems.

[enigma]

what about beet pulp? From both a feed and a cost standpoint... (trying to learn....)

[jazzymonster]

Originally Posted by Slim Pikkens

I cannot see how you can compare oats to sugar. Both act differently on the horse's digestive system and oats are 13% fiber and provide protein.

that is the comparison that our PHD of equine nutrition has developed. oats and corn are VERY high in sugar levels, don't even get me started on starch.

"Oats do increase blood sugar about 1 1/2-3 hours after being fed, so horses with Cushings disease or gastric ulcers should not be fed this grain" (another reason I'm saying that oats are not the healthy choice for ALL horses)

"In a recent study (Rodiek and Stull 2007), glycemic index values were determined for 10 feeds. A high index value predicts a high blood sugar response to this feed. They are listed from highest to lower:"
1.Sweet feed
2.Corn
3.Jockey oats
4.Oats
4.Barley
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/livestk/01818.html

[fishing_trex]

I save money by not feeding grain to my horses. They get grass hay (or pasture if we have it) and a ration balancer (about 1# or less per day). In the summer I trail ride (sometimes quite hard) and I still don't feed any grain. I've never had a horse go below a 5 (on the 1-9 weight scoring scale).

I agree with Slim -- far too many people overfeed their horses, and usually the culprit is grain.

Regarding beet pulp: many people feed this with no problems. However, after seeing how it is made (in addition to chemicals used for weeds, they use a defoliant to kill the top before the beet is picked), I would not feed it to my horses for the long run... too many herbicides.

[flexy]

I feed my horses the corn oats and barley too. But i make it myself well i buy the bags and mix them ad they last rmy two horses if i am not exercising them about two and a half months. And sometimes i buy the flax seeds from the store and molasses for the sweetness.

[horselady]

OK Slim, How is feeding oats benefical to a senior horse that does not put on weight with senior feed and soaked hay cubes with corn oil?
I have a 38 year old TB that is just driving me crazy, I just put the food into him and he does not gain an ounce.
Have few back teeth to chew so the vet says.

[Slim Pikkens]

horselady - We are looking at ways to save on feed costs which may not be applicable in special cases. I attended a feed seminar on Sunday and was told that barley does very little for horses. Also, it was recommended to administer probiotics, such as found in yogurt. Now you're not going to feed yogurt but Jamieson makes Acidophilis capsuls and about 8 or 10 per day is much cheaper than that put out specifically for horses. It's all the same stuff. It helps reestablish the flora in the hind gut. It was also recommended to feed Buckeye's Grow and Win at 1,1/2-2lbs per day depending on size of horse.

[Sonseeahray's_girl]

Not to be argumentative, but I too have attended "feed seminars" and have found that not all the information presented there is accurate or necessarily appropriate for most horses.

For example, at the last one I attended, the recommended feed program included 6 to 7 POUNDS of complete feed/day plus free choice hay. This same "expert" (who has a degree in equine nutrition from Guelph University) said that it doesn't matter how long you leave your cut hay drying in the sun, it doesn't affect it's nutritional levels.

Opinions on horse feed vary from "expert" to "expert"...but I agree that the Buckeye line of feeds is high quality, and generally doesn't need to be fed at the same levels to achieve the same results as other lower quality feeds.

Buckeye is not available to everyone though, so we do what we can with what's local.

[Slim Pikkens]

When I'd mentioned farm oats, it's much cheaper to go to a nearby farm that puts up oats and they will often sell from the bin. Sometimes one has to bring their own bags but the savings are worth it. I don't worry about weed seeds as many are quite high in protein, some as much as 32%.

[tammy]

I feed sweet feed from TSC at $8.00 per 50# bag and a mixture of grass hay @ $4.00 a bale and alfalfa cubes; and pasture in the summer, I rotate 3 small lots. I only have 1 horse so I have plenty of grazing from mid-April to late-mid November

[horselady]

Thank you Slim , this geezer will eat yogurt, he will eat anything, cardboard if I gave it to him He is such a sweet old dressage TB and is doing so well other than thin. But I will try the pills and the grain suggested.

[kaykay]

These are just MY opinons so please dont kill me LOL

I never feed sweet feed to any horse ever

I prefer pelleted feeds or complete feeds

I do not grain idle mature horses that are not breeding or working

I have used beet pulp but have never seen a huge difference and if you feed complete feed most have beet pulp already in them

I would never feed any horse corn espeically if it has not been tested for mold

With grain at an all time high we have had to stretch ours. So we buy a pelleted feed and mix it 1:1 with a bag of alfalfa pellets. Just have to be sure your feed doesnt already have alfalfa in it as you may double up too much. This has really helped on our feed bill but everyone has to do what they think is best!

Kay

[Gramma Sassy]

I am surroundedf by fields of sugar beets every year. When it is time to harvest the beets, a machine comonly known as a topper slices the vegetation off the beets and generally works just a few yards ahead of the machine which digs them from the ground. I don't know tht a lot of herbicides are used at all. The beets are weeded and hoed by hand. Possibley because the beets are meant for human consumption. For that reason, I don't think I'd be afraid of beet pupl as feed.

Potatos, which are commonly raised here as well, are sprayed with an herbicide to kill the vines a week or two prior to harvest. Not beets tho....

[Orchid]

I am pleased to report that Nutrena Senior has gone down $2.00 per bag in my neck of the woods. That's the only way I'll be saving on feed for my two ancient horses.

Bailey (3yr old) does not get grained at all though and she is roly-poly!