Anyone out there have research? Below is mine, I thought someone would like to see it. I still can't find a high fat low protien low NSC grain without whole oats that doesn't need to be fed in excess of 4 lbs. Seminole makes what I want but they won't ship to NY unless I pay through the nose! <>

The Goal is to find a feed that provides: Lower Protien levels (we have protien sensitive horses here), high fat content, no whole oats (they seem to pass through undigested and birds make a mess of the manure piles how annoying), low starch & low NSC, with little or no "middlings/suagar/fillers/crap/bad" ingrediants.

There are different classes horses fed here: Seniors, Hard Keepers, Easy Keepers, and Metabolic. We add soy oil to the feed to up the fat contents for everyone but the easy keepers.

Seniors need a complete feed as they get picky about their hay and are sometimes too tired to chew, or can't chew very well. They get less hay and more complete feed. I give hay cubes and pellets, and seek the softest, fluffiest hay or chaff for them.

Hard Keepers need to gain weight. High protein (greater then 11%) is NOT tolerated well, but extra fat is well accepted. These hard keepers don't appreciate an abundance of hay, but at the same time more then 4 lbs of grain per feeding is not desirable. I seek the sweetest smelling hay for them so they want to eat more of it.

Easy Keepers love hay, grain, trees, whatever they can put in their mouth! They will eat hay and grain of any type or amount and will often eat inanimate objects if they do not get the desired amount of hay. They need a feed that can be low in protien and fat while being higher in fiber. The object here is to lower their feed amount and raise their hay amount. I seek long stem hay for them so it takes them longer to chew.

Metabolic horses/ponies are prone to laminitis/founder, have cushings disease, or have Insulin Resistance. They need a feed that can be low in protien and fat while being higher in fiber. The object here is to lower their feed amount and raise their hay amount. I seek long stem hay for them so it takes them longer to chew.

Here is my comparision research so far, showing what I'd consider feeding and the analysis. Brand "Name": Protien/Fat/Fiber, NSC%, (Ingediants) Recommended feeding amounts.

--FOR SENIORS HIGH Protein:

Triple Crown "Senior": 14/10/17, 15.7%, (Alfalfa Meal, Shredded Beet Pulp, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Hulls, Cane Molasses, Dehulled Soybean Meal) <5lbs/meal

VS

Seminole "Senior Mix Wellness": 12/10/18, <15%, (Soybean Hulls, Beet Pulp, Soybean Meal, Steam Crimped Oats, Steam Rolled Barley, Ground Oats, Alfalfa Pellets) ***Cannot ship to NY***

VS

Poulin "Pro-Max 12 Pellet": 12/12/12, 22%, (Wheat midds, beet pulp) 4 lbs/day

VS

Poulin "PERFORMAX 12:12": 12/12/10, 24% (beet pulp, oats) 4 lbs/day

VS

Pennfield "Ultra Max" 12/12/7.5 **Cannot get them to get back to me on any more info***


--FOR HARD KEEPERS/SENIORS LOW/medium Protein:
Purina "Ultium": 11.7/12.4/18.5, 16%, (Wheat Middlings, Dehydrated Alfalfa, Ground Soybean Hulls, Cane Molasses) 7 lbs/day

VS

Seminole "Perfect 10": 10/10/12, 28%, (Steam Crimped Oats, Shredded Beet Pulp, Steam Flaked Barley, Steam Rolled Oats, Soybean Hulls) ***Cannot ship to NY***

VS

Triple crown "Complete": 11/10/15, 20.6%, (Shredded Beet Pulp, Whole Oats, Alfalfa Meal, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Hulls, Cane Molasses) 12 lbs/day

VS

Pennfield "Grand Prix Granola" 10/10/7, NSC%? (Steam Crimped Oats, Crimped Barley, Flaked Corn, Veg Oil, Wheat Middlings) 5-10 lbs/day

VS

Poulin "Performance 10:12": 10/12/10, 24% (Beet Pulp, Oats) 4lbs/day

VS

Pennfield "Enduroevent Ener-G" 10/10/12 **Cannot get them to get back to me on any more info***


--FOR METABOLIC/EASY KEEPERS:
Triple Crown "Low Starch": 13/6/18, 15%, (Wheat Middlings, Soybean Hulls, Shredded Beet Pulp, Distillers Dried Grains) 6lbs/day

VS

Triple Crown "Lite": 12/3/20, 9.3%, (Wheat Middlings, Soybean Hulls, Alfalfa Meal, Distillers Dried Grains, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Ground Limestone, Cane Molasses) 2 lbs/day

VS

Poulin "Carb-Safe": 11/5/28, <10% NSC, (Soy hulls, Beet Pulp, Alfalfa meal) 4lbs/day

VS

Blue Seal "MIN-A-VITE LITE" 10/3.5/8.5, 16% NSC, (Wheat Middlings, Soybean Hulls, Yeast Culture) Measured in CUPS per feeding, very low feeding rate.

VS

Seminole "Wellness Safe & Lite Pellets": 10/3/26, <15%,(Soybean Hulls, Beet Pulp, Ground Oats, Alfalfa Meal, Ground Flax Seed, Stabilized Rice Bran) ***Cannot ship to NY***

VS

Generic Pure Grass/Timothy Hay Pellets <11% protein, ~10%NSC, Plus a supplement

Where are you from? Manorville, Long Island, NY USA

How did you locate this forum? Yahoo search on "Equine Saver Bad"

Hi Christine,

Well, well -- you've certainly done your homework. Why not just go with making your own feed out of beet pulp, some alfalfa (not a lot, just enough to boost the protein quality), and a comprehensive supplement such as the Reitsport HA-100 Complete I mentioned in your earlier post?

I don't know what you are referring to when you say your horses are "protein sensitive." Horses need more protein than we once thought and they need high quality protein to heal, keep the immune system healthy, and produce new tissue. Unless your horse has kidney disease, he should have at least 12% protein. Donkeys need less, but horses need this amount or more from a combination of sources to provide quality levels of amino acids.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO