Opinions, please

Here's the scoop in a nutshell:

When we moved here mid-November, we began to realize the horses in our front yard were completely abandoned.

2 Saddlebreds; 1 QH and 2 young Saddlbred/QH mixes- old moldy hay; no grain; no water. (check my profile for the list of who we have right now)

QH mare severely emaciated; death imminent within weeks. She needed at least 500 lbs; nursing both new colt and nearly 2 year old filly.

We've had the vet come out and we've done the horse shuffle. We've changed out some horses and added to what we own; they've been in 2 different places.

Right now, we have our Saddlebreds at home while our others are down the road for training and rehab on the one. Where we have the 3 now are with the emaciated horse's original owner/trainer.

The feeding there is totally different from what we've been feeding.

Our other friend has all quarter horses (plus one Arabian/something mix) and he feeds one pint of grain x2 a day. We were feeding all but the one the same amount of a 14% protein.

All of the horses (less the one; so that's 10) were doing really well on this amount of feed (and hay, of course), including our Spotted Saddle horse.

New digs mean a totally different feeding arrangement- she does only 12% sweet feed with molasses (not the pellet) and feeds twice as much- 2 pints at each feeding, x2. Horses there are inside; turned out unless it's really really cold; and they get 2 pads of hay with meals; additional hay when turned out.

Magic (Spotted Saddle/Tennessee Walking) doesn't even like it and didn't eat anything but hay for 2 days, so we mixed it and now she's settled.

My concerns are sugar content, obviously, and then we're spending twice as much in feed a week on something I am not convinced is as good nutritionally. I have seen my other friend's horses doing just fine (and our Saddlebreds) on the other kind of feed and ratio with absolutely great results.

Opinions and reasoning, please.

Guess I missed the window for editing. Meh.

Scoop size is quart, not pint.

One quart x2 a day for the original amount of feed. Sweet feed with molasses is 2 quarts x2. *sigh* That means each horse is going through a single bag a week.

Sweet feed is junk food. I'd never feed it to any horse. I'd get them off it immediately, and onto something with nutritional values suited to each horses' individual needs.
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Thanks, Lins. That was our point exactly. And when you combine that with some behavior stuff, it's no wonder she's hopped up.

You already know the other place is stuffing the horse full of nothing but junk food, so you really don't need our opinions on that one - unless you want all of us to put it in writing and you can shove it in the B.O.'s face

Reasoning:

Are you looking for credible reasons as to why that horse should not eat sweet feed, so you can show it to the B.O.?

This may help. Sweet Feed for Horses although is rides on the fence when it comes to "high quality" sweet feeds. IMHO, there is no such thing as a "high quality" sweet feed. Sugar is sugar no matter how it comes out of the bowl

Along with making a Hot Mess out that horse (and I don't mean that the cute Southern way), there's the chance of the horse developing insulin resistance which begets founder just as soon as the horse goes out on spring grass. Or maybe sooner, given the amount of sweet feed they are shoving down her

It's like feeding a gallon of Hi-C and a dozen Hershey bars to a ten year old boy

If you bring the feed, is there any way the B.O. Will consent to feeding the horse what you want it to have?

I hope you can get the BO to see things your way; good luck

I agree, sweet feed is bad news! Try something like fat and fiber, which will keep them fat but not hyped on sugar. You could also try a ration balancer if any of them are easy keepers.

I would also ask B.M if you could supply your own feed.

Thanks, guys. I am the one supplying the feed on her direction, but that is going to change. I tried the "sugar hopping them up" line of reasoning and she told me it's the protein that does that and not the sugar. ????

The vet that was out last week didn't disagree with the sweet feed concept for the emaciated horse, but we added the senior feed back in (which the other vet said not to use) and within the last few days, have noticed improvement.

Because we can mix kinds of feed and still get the good discount, I am just going to get what I want to get and go from there. I told her I wanted to put the two back on it, just to see. Normally, I wouldn't mess with feed success, but at this point, I do think I need to tread carefully and leave it more open ended as far as what's said. Of course, when they come home in 2 weeks, I'm doing what I want regardless. I'm not trying to offend anyone, and yes, she has 30 plus years of experience which count.

I liken this to what I learned with my chickens: everyone has opinions; most have success; but just because someone feeds only cracked corn or just scratch doesn't mean I want to follow suit.

We got completely thrown into this, without having the benefit of internet or computers hooked back up, which means I have not done the research I would have normally. I *do* appreciate everything she's doing, and she is an awesome trainer.

Thanks, all, for your input!

Yes, this. I had already read that link before heading over there (I went through a ton on that site) and in my limited research have not seen anything to corroborate that idea.

One of the things she has said is that she's always done sweet feed for the last 30+ years and has never had a diabetic horse; has not had anyone founder, and were perfectly fine and healthy.

This is another thing I've noticed: everyone knows someone who did something opposite of what they are doing who had problems....

Because we are new horse people, I don't have a lot of personal experience to back it up. I do think she is receptive to learning, so I am going to go back to the other feed and go from there- we'll probably mix it for a while until we get rid of the other and make the transition without {hopefully} messing them up intestinally.

Having them there is not a long-term solution, although we may be sending the Saddlebreds over for training, which means they'll be there for at least a month.

Are there any good sites that make recommendations for feed quantities and brands that aren't affiliated with the manufacturer?

Thanks!!!

Maybe I missed you saying this, but have you tried an equine nutritionist? If nothing else, to validate your desires over your BO's. Many feed mills employ them or at least have connections with them.
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I have not, but can get the information on one who is in the area. As the owner, I don't feel I need to justify my reasoning, but I want to maintain the peace, too. The first vet we had come for the one said we were feeding fine, but she changed up emaciated horse's feed and then she stopped gaining; second vet said to go back to what we were doing and now her weight is up again.

I had no idea feeding was going to be riddled with so much controversy and different recommendations. Just about the time I think I've found something, it's in gallons and I have to convert.....