Dietary Specifications

Some people periodically like to rearrange their furniture, redo the bathroom, buy new curtains or paint their house a different color. I like to change horse feed. Don't worry, I do it gradually, so as not to make my horses sick! Trick and Eva have gone back to CT for the summer polo season, so there are only 3 elderly TBs, and an ancient pony at Stony Bridge Farm. Alcott and Sage lost weight over the winter. C'est Bon, who just came back from CT, also needs a few extra pounds. After the "Infamous Choke/Bone Chip" incident with Divine, I am trying to stay away from Poulin feeds. I still buy Poulin Forage Extender because they seem to be the only company in this area that make mini-bites. After attending a nutrition seminar, I decided to add beet pulp to my horses diets.Speedi-Beet has a beet pulp product that is very compacted, so that when water is added, it expands in about 10 minutes. Other brands of beet pulp take about 1/2 hour to expand. Wanting to get more info on this product, I contacted the company, and got immediate response with feeding suggestions for my horses. Next, I researched different grain companies that supply equine feeds to my local feed store Hardwick Farmers Co-op. This narrowed my choices to Poulin, Nutrena, Blue Seal and Triple Crown. I wanted something with a protein content of around 12%, fat content around 5, a high fiber content, and can be fed without hay-as a complete diet. The fiber content is important because my old guys have touble chewing hay, and as a result get little fiber in their diets. Maybe thats why they are always chewing on the trees! After taking into account the above criteria, I narrowed the "grain contestants" down to about 4 choices. Next, I contacted each of these feed companies with questions about their product, and feeding recommendations.Nutrena was prompt and thorough with their responses and help with my questions which was very impressive. The next criteria was price. Now, I know this shouldn't be a factor, but a few dollars saved on grain is a few more dollars towards hay, or in my case, veterinary expenses! Nutrena Triumph Complete costs $10.95 per 50lb bag, as compared with Blue Seal Sentinal Senior which costs $16.70. So, we are now feeding Nutrena grain---at least until the next time I decide I have nothing better to do than research equine feeds!

Just For Fun-Horse Terminology

Event Prospect=Big Fast Horse
Dressage Prospect=Big Slow Horse
Hack Prospect=Pretty Color
Sporting Prospect=Short Fast Horse
Camp Prospect-Fast Horse that can turn
Endurance Prospect=Fast Horse which will turn sometimes
Flashy=White Socks
Attractive=Bay
15.2=14.3
16.2=15.3
To a loving home=Expensive
To Show Home Only=Very Expensive
Needs Experienced Rider=Potentially Lethal
Elegant=Thin
In Good Condition=Foundered
Free Moving=Bolts
Quiet=Lame in both front legs
Dead Quiet=Lame in all 4 legs
Good in Traffic(Bombproof)=Lame all round,Deaf and Blind
Loves Kids=kicks and bites
Pony Type=small and Hairy
Arab type=Looks startled
TB type=Looks terrified
QH type=Fat
Warmblood type=big and hairy
Draft type=Big and exceedingly hairy
Easy to catch=very old
Must Sell=Wife left home and took kids
All offers Considered=I am in traction for 6 months
Reluctant to sell=Sale comes with a deed to the Golden Gate Bridge