what to feed the pleasure horse...?

Hi,
You're right to question the sweet feed. Horses systems aren't built to cope well with sugar/starch/grain & obesity, laminitis, ulcers, colic, are among some of the possible problems it can cause. It also depends on how you feed & your horse's workload - whether he can burn the extra calories. They are designed to eat tiny amounts near constantly & the more tiny meals the better. If you're feeding larger meals less than a few times a day this increases the risk of problems & lack of digestion.

I think the best basic diet is free choice hay/grazing & good nutritional supplementation. If he needs more, lucerne/alfalfa, oil, copra meal or such are some possible options.

I recomend the Nutrena Safe Choice to all my clients.  You should really read the specs on it.  Its a pelleted feed and is low in starch so as not to create the extra pounds and extra energy.  We have fed to underweight horses and have them come back great without trouble of colic and I feed Shadow a full 3 quart scoop once a day as mantinace and he does great on it. 
 
They had a thing on Chris Cox the other night and they were showing the difference in it verses sweet feed and other popular feeds.  The starch level was so low compared to others and the digestability of it was super.  Might be something to check out.  Around here it is 11.50 a bag but often on sale for ten.

I'll 2nd the Safe Choice!  WE have noticed a difference with their hair as well after being on Safe Choice, especially in the winter. The 1st year I had my mare, she didn't get much of a winter coat, now she does.

I would love to buy Safe Choice for what you are paying. It is $13.50 here in SC, and $11 bags are damaged!

SeniorGlo is closer to $20/bag.  I feed tiny amounts.  Zag gets less than 3 cups a day and stays fat, same with Dani.  The older boys double that but they are both hard keepers.  I try to keep hay out 24/7.  Grazing is going to be tough this year, I fear.  I have another pasture I've used but an interloper has his horse there, I was just told.  There's a new pasture I'm going to use a couple days a week, I think. 

I'll have to check out the Safe Choice, see if I can find it.  I'm paying $20 a bag for Purina Strategy.  My guys get about 2 cups twice a day and do very well, great coats, condition (well, the pony's a little fat so he's gets about 1 cup!) plus pretty much free feed grass hay.  I just use sweet feed if they are on meds and I need to disguise it.

Exactly what else you should feed is going to depend on what you are currently feeding, your horse's body condition and what you use him for.     For example, if you are feeding grass hay then you are going to need a different kind of vitamin/mineral supplement than you are if you are feeding grass hay.  
But in general, if you have a horse that is maintaining a good weight on hay alone then you really don't need to add more than an appropriate protein/vitamin/mineral supplement to help ensure that he is getting a balanced nutrient content in his diet.   For grass hays, these protein/vitamin/mineral supplements are going to be high in protein becuase most grass hays are lower in protein than is appropriate for maintenance.  For alfalfa hays then you don't need nearly the protein supplement but you do need a different ratio of minerals to compenate for the high calcium to low phosphorus content of he alfalfa.    These types of protein/vitamin/mineral supplements are often termed "ration balancers" and are designed to be fed at a rate of 1-3 lbs per day dpeending on the quality of the hay being fed.   Most quality equine feed producers have a ration balancer on the market.     For example, Purina's are Enrich 12 and Enrich 32.  The Enrich 12 is designed to be fed with alfalfa and is only 12% protein.  The enrich 32 is 32% protein and designed to compliment grass hays.   (It sounds like alot of protein, but you have to look at the overall protein content of the diet.   If you are feeding 15 lbs of an 8% protein forage then it will take 2 lbs of a 32% protein feedstuff to bring the total protein content of the diet up to 10.8% protein.)
 
 

wow, ok ill definatly be looking at these different feeds, ill have to see if my feed store has them whch im sure they will and see which does better,
geeez 20$ a bag!!!? (i could put gas in my car for that) i only pay about 11 for the sweet feed and it was around 13 for the 12%  
last year a friend of mine had her horse get hurt and he couldnt work anymore he is a roping horse, and he had to stay penned up in the barn so instead of the grain she fed her other rope horses she fed him just plain oats and alfalfa hay well actually i think it was an alfalfa/grass mix, he did really good on that and didnt loose any weight like she thought he was going to being on all the meds and what not  

Sounds like a lot but I feed so little, it lasts longer.

Ryle, your second sentence.... sorry.  I meant to be an English teacher.

[quote=Ryle]

     For example, if you are feeding grass hay then you are going to need a different kind of vitamin/mineral supplement than you are if you are feeding grass hay.  

 
I meant that if you are feeding grass hay then you will need one type of supplement and if you are feeding alfalfa you will need a different kind of supplement.  [8|]

thanks everyone for the quick replies and the help!

I just started Reidar on the Triple Crown Ration Balancer.  He's an air fern and doesn't need any extra calories but I'd like to be sure he's getting his vitamins and minerals and the protien.  We've been starting slow (started with 1 handful, now up to 2) and a splash of ACV.  I'll work him up to the reccomended 1.5 lbs gradually.  So far he loves it and I've noticed his coat is softer.  Not sure if I'm going to continue it though due to the cost... let's just say it was way more than a tank of gas for my little gas sipping foriegn car.
Have to drive an hour to get Purina feeds around here and it's not to an area I travel to frequently so I don't think that will be a viable option.  I think a lot of people around here either don't grain or they feed whole oats or beet pulp.

I feed my mare, who is a performance horse and is being ridden or worked 6 days a week, daily she gets 3 flakes at about 5 lbs each of 80/20 80% Grass Hay/ 20% Alfalfa just so she gets at least 15 lbs of hay, and depending on the work load for the week about 5-10lbs or Purina Ultium, with a scoop of electrolytes, she doesn't drink much in the winter so it helps, and sometimes a splash of vegetable oil to get the salt to stick and throw in some extra shine. Yeah I know she eats ALOT, AND she's on pasture. Her body score is still around a 4 and I'd like a 5 but  wouldn't mind a 6.

[quote=trainer101]

I recomend the Nutrena Safe Choice to all my clients.  You should really read the specs on it.  Its a pelleted feed and is low in starch so as not to create the extra pounds and extra energy.    


 
 
As far as low carb feeds go, Nutrena SC is not very low in starch.  It is quite high in NSC% and is not a fixed formula which means contents can very by bag.  I don' remember the exact number (IIRC, 25%)   It is quite high when compared to other low starch formulas like Triple Crown (15%), Blue Seal Carb Guard (11%) or even Triple Crown Senior (11.7%).
 
OP-if your horse is not in heavy work good hay and a ration balancer/vit supplement should do.

Since you have access  to Purina try their  Enrich32