Senior feed

I am currently feeding Shadow Life Choice. I have tried Triple Crown and Purina but she just wasn't gaining any weight. I would like to hear opinions on what everybody else is feeding their Seniors. Should I mix anything with the feed when I feed her?

I feed my hard feeder a scoop of woodys senior with his pellet. In winter I like to add rice bran.
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My two mid-20's fellas are hard keepers.

The Arab is on Triple Crown Senior and rice bran. I also feed him three times a day which has been a big help as he has gastric ulcers.

I started giving him two pounds of rice bran daily about two weeks ago and I can already see chub to his tummy

The TWH has equine metabolic syndrome, hind gut ulcers and lipomas - he's a trainwreck and just can't keep anything going thru his system without colicking.

I have him on 3-3/4 lbs of rice bran and Tuttles Liquid 747 vitamin because that's about all that seems to agree with him. He is also getting fed three times a day and has started to put some weight on.

Upping their rice bran was the most helpful.

Both these horses also get Omega-3 Horseshine.

I think I will pick up some rice bran today and mix that in her feed and see if that helps. I tried alfalfa and I wasn't seeing a difference. She has a chubby belly (yes, she has been wormed by a vet regularly) but I just can't get her hips and back to fill out. When I got her she was a walking skeleton and I knew at her age (pushing 30) she would be a challenge to put weight back on but she got so far and I can't tell if she is really gaining anymore weight or just maintaining. At this point I am starting to get a little concerned with the weather dropping. I am also getting her a blanket today and she has recently had her teeth floated. The vet said she is really healthy for an older girl and has a lot of energy but I am just struggling here with her weight.

I'm not sure I'd give up on the alfalfa as she needs the protein and amino acids for her muscles.

Tractor Supply carries Manna Pro's "Max-E-Glo" equine rice bran. They also carry Standlees timothy/alfalfa cubes.

Until my snot-faced Arab decided he wasn't eating his soaked cubes anymore (I'm going to smack him one of these days

I thoroughly soaked one pound of dry cubes into wet grass mush and added the rice bran to it.

That WAS giving him all his protein and healthy fat. He will eat his rice bran mixed in with the Triple Crown Senior but it just tisses me off to no end that he has now decided he doesn't need his tim/alfalfa cubes. WHO doesn't like timothy/alfalfa????

Feeding these older horses is not fun when they decide to get really persnickety

Anyway, if you are in a position to where you can feed her three times a day, I would mix in the rice bran and some thoroughly soaked cubes somewhere in the day and still mix some rice bran in with her TC Senior

I feed Nutrena LifeDesign Senior and add 1/4 cup Rice Bran Oil.
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Triple Crown Senior for my Arab and she is doing well on it.

I wish I could feed her three times a day but with me working grave yard it just isn't possible. I feed them in the Am when I get home and then in the PM when I get up.

Ok, I am going to stick with the Alfalfa cubes too. I have always had to soak those because when I first got her she choked on feed and I just don't take the chance anymore. And then I break them down and mix them into her feed. Now, how much rice bran should I mix into her feed and alfalfa? I was told to give her 5 alfalfa cubes a feeding (fed twice daily) is that too much or too little? Should I change that ration when I add the rice bran? Should I feed the alfalfa cubes to my donkey and other horse during the winter?

I sure understand about work getting in the way

What's your feed routine? When you get home from work and before you leave? If your up a few hours on either end, you might still squeeze in a third feeding.

I feed the ulcer meds, mixed in rice bran around 7:30 AM; they also get about a pound of hay, just to wake their tummies up.

I go down around 9:00 AM with their supplements that have more rice bran mixed in, give them another pound of hay while I get everyone ready for turnout.

They get their last portion of rice bran and supplements around 7:00 PM.

It all works and nobody gets sick eating two meals fairly close together.

The other option might be to stick to twice a day but cut the TC Senior back to one pound daily, as that is the minimum to get all the required vit/min in them. Make up the difference with rice bran, in the two feedings.

Yes, soak the cubes. I soak them and hand crush them into wet grass mush so nobody chokes.

I measure out 1 pound of dry cubes per horse, then soak.

I called Manna Pro (who sells Max-E-glo rice bran) and asked about amounts, since the bag says a max of 2 lbs pounds daily.

The 25 yo with hind gut ulcers only gets rice bran, so they said I could up him to as much as six pounds a day if I have to.

He's at 3-3/4 lbs daily and has already gained weight, since I started the new diet in the first week of October.

The 26+ Arab is on the TC Sr. He is only 13.3H and ~840 lbs. He's been getting 2 lbs of rice bran daily and also has put on a few pounds since the first week of October.

Both these guys have ulcers; the rice bran settles well and digests. They leave me lots of piles to muk in the mornings

Someone else has mentioned rice bran oil. I think that's a great idea in warm weather but, even here in Tennessee, anything oil gets really yukky and hard to deal with under 45 degrees. We wash feed pans after every feeding. If I used oil in the colder weather, I would have to carry hot water to the barn to wash them clean

I feed them at 7:30 AM when I get home from work and then at 7 AM right before I have to get ready for work. But I am up a few hours before that so I guess I could sneak an extra feeding. ;)

Thank you so much for the help! You have no idea how much this information helps me. I haven't had horses in 20 years and when we had them before they were only young horses and my parents did all the feedings. So I am pretty much clueless. I just want the absolute best for Shadow and will do anything it takes to make her last years the best for her.

This is off subject but a little touching. Some friends of mine here (we are pretty new to Georgia) recognized Shadow and contacted her old owner that had her for 25 years. He had her and had no intention of ever rehoming her but he is elderly and got cancer and couldn't afford her anymore so he thought she went to a good home. When I got her from the guy he gave her to she was just turned out to pasture and was almost starved. I invited him over to see her and they hadn't seen each other for years. When he got out of the truck he started crying and Shadow got really excited and started bobbing her head up and down and RAN to him. It was definitely a touching moment. He tried to see her for years but the guy would never answer his phone for him and he thought she was dead. So Shadow did have excellent care for most of her life except for the 5-7 years that the other guy had her. Her old owner is also the one that confirmed Phar Lap is her son. And apparently, Shadow was an excellent barrel horse and had been in several parades and done thousands of miles of trail riding. She has had about 5 babies and some of them made it to the highest competitive levels in barrel racing. It was really neat hearing her great history. I knew she was a good horse but it was so good hearing she was so loved and what she has done. The best part is he brought me pictures of her and Phar Lap when he was a baby. :) And the old owner is going to come out and ride her when she has proper weight on her and show me all of her tricks she can do. I offered her back to him because I couldn't imagine having a friend for long and not being able to have her back but he still wouldn't be able to afford her but he is so glad she has a good home for sure this time.