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Is this diet sufficient for horses that are ridden about 7 hours a week in sandy condition trail riding mostly at a brisk walk. She is a 15.2 hand mare, very TB looking. She has a beautiful shiny coat (would blind you in the sun), muscular, but ribby. I would rate her weight a 5. She is a hot mare, so I don’t want to feed her anything that would make her more hyper:
5 pounds of Alfalfa
5 pound of Safe Choice
10 pounds of Meadow Mix grass hay
10 pounds of Timothy/Orchard Mix grass hay
free choice Bermuda grass hay
2 scoops of Calm and cool
She is a huge eater and eats almost everything we give her. Any more suggestions on feeding her? Is it adequate to meet her nutritional needs?
Hi Nina,
Thanks for the great question, and for all the detail! That really helps.
I think you’ve got her covered when it comes to roughage – she’s getting plenty of that.
As for the SafeChoice, if you are wanting to put more weight on her, since you mentioned she’s a little ribby, you could give her more of that. You could pretty easily bump up in to the 7 lb range to add some more calories to her, although nutritionally she’s just fine where your at – adding would be for the calories. The other thing you could try, if you are interested, is adding our high-fat rice bran supplement, Empower – just a pound a day would add a lot of calories, without excess energy.
Let us know if you have more questions!
Thanks,
Gina T.
great! I think I will try the Empower and see if that doesn’t do it to cover the ribs! I don’t think she can eat any more than she already does, so I need something calorie-rich to help her out! Thank you! Hopefully my local feed store carries it!
Corn or soybean oil can add calories also. My horses get a combination of the 2. My feed store also sells a combination with wheat germ oil by the gallon. Some horse feeds have oil added.
CORN!?? Do NOT feed corn. Have you had your hay tested? sounds like you might need to have some blood work taken
Hi Susan,
Thanks for your comments. I do believe Kincsem was referring to corn oil, not just corn. However, I would like to address your concern over corn. There are a lot of opinions around corn as used in horse feed out there. While there is merit to pay attention to it, as it can cause problems when fed improperly, it is a very useful ingredient when used as part of a total diet formulation. The key, as with any ingredient or feed program, is feeding properly. Let us know if you have any questions!
Thanks ~ Gina T.
Ohh okay, corn OIL is okay. But corn really is not great for horses IMO as it usually is not fed properly and can cause lactic acid build up. It’s best to stay away from it, though it gives energy, there are better and safer ways to feed. If you’re looking strictly for calorie intake, and a lot of people disagree with the oil being fed, look for Cool Calories, which is 99 percent fat. Or feed Boss. With Boss, you get about 60 percent fat, plus added qualities of Omega’s!
The problem with a lot of feeds today, is they have large starch amounts which is so unhealthy for ANY horse. So check your starch levels in your feeds too!
Is it okay to feed Life Design Senior and Empower together? I am concerned about giving to much of the minerals etc. but need to increase fat and calories for my 24 year old gelding. He is a very hard keeper, has been is whole life.
Thanks,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much for the great question! Yes, it is absolutely OK to add Empower to Life Design Senior. We specifically designed Empower to be able to be added to any of our premium horse feeds, keeping in mind all of the vitamin and mineral balances. Any other questions, let us know! Thanks ~ Gina T.