FAQs About Horse Feed for the Whole Barn

If you’re a horse owner trying to feed multiple horses, it’s important to read these frequently asked questions about ingredients, diet requirements, and what is guaranteed on your feeding tag. In order to choose the best horse feed for the whole barn, you have to know what factors go into whole horse nutrition and how to compare different products on the market.

• What feed is suitable for a multi-horse barn looking for one main feed?

  When you have multiple horses, it can become cumbersome and time consuming to have to buy a different feed for every individual horses. While sometimes it is necessary to customize feed and supplements for each animal, if your herd doesn’t have any unique diet requirements, you can usually streamline your feeding program with one or two main feeding options.

  If you are a barn with multiple horses looking for one main feed, it is important to choose a nutritionally balanced, controlled-starch feed that can be fed to a variety of ages, activity levels, and body conditions. At a minimum, your feed tag should guarantee a maximum level of sugar and starch, basic limited amino acids (such as Lysine and Methionine), organic trace minerals, vitamins and biotin to support quality hooves and hair coat. As a rule of thumb, a healthy total diet (forage plus concentrate feed/grains) for most horses without special dietary requirements can be made up of 12-14% Protein, 8-12% Fiber, 7-10% Fat, and 15-20% NSC.

  Many of our horse owners choosing one feed for the whole barn choose Triumph Horse Feeds (such as Triumph Professional) because it provides great value to all horses in your stable, SafeChoice All Life Stages for additional topline, gut and immune support, or Empower Topline Balance for a diet balancer.

  As always, use the feeding rate on your bag as a guide for feeding. Be sure to monitor your horse’s body condition closely and adjust the feeding rate as necessary for the desired body condition and activity level.

• How does Nutrena feed support whole horse nutrition differently than other feed brands?

  Nutrena works hard to guarantee minimum and maximum levels on our feed tags, so you know exactly what you are getting in your feed every time. Don’t just take our word for it. Compare our feed tags with other brands to see how each product compares.

  In addition to our guarantees and sourcing quality ingredients, Nutrena changed the feed industry over 20 years ago with the first major Controlled Starch horse feed to hit the market. More recently, we changed the game again through our Topline Balance^® Technology, which focuses on amino acid content and balance to build muscle. Ensuring amino acid balance in feed is critical for delivering great appearance, strong recovery from performance, and sound growth and development. And it doesn’t stop there. Throughout the years, Nutrena has continued to focus on digestive health by including ingredients such as Pre and Probiotics and organic trace mineral complexes to support a healthy gut. Then in 2023, Nutrena relaunched SafeChoice formulas, being the first feed on the market to offer a complete Digestive Shield™ with Controlled Starch, Pre + Pro +Postbiotics and Calcite to help optimize the entire digestive tract. In addition, ProForce and SafeChoice have Nutri-Bloom Advantage^® to increase fiber digestion to support more muscle tone, better body condition, and improved overall health. The Nutri-Bloom Advantage works by making it easier for horses to digest and absorb nutrients.

• How can I use the same feed for horses with different calorie requirements?

  The feeding instructions are one of the most underutilized parts of the bag. Horse owners are notorious for eye-balling feed (we are all guilty). However, it is important to reference your horse’s weight and life stage/activity level to make sure they are receiving the appropriate number of calories and their minimum nutrient requirements. By adjusting weight of feeding, you can use a feed like SafeChoice All Life Stages to meet requirements for a range of horses.

  For example, a barn with five very different horses can use SafeChoice All Life Stages at the recommended daily feeding rate to feed:

  • Horse 1: 900lb Senior Horse in Maintenance: 2.25lb – 4.5lb
  • Horse 2: 1,200lb Performance Horse in Heavy Exercise: 12lb – 18lb
  • Horse 3: 550lb Yearling: 4.13lb – 5.5lb
  • Horse 4: 1,000lb Lesson Horse in Light Exercise: 5lb – 7.5lb
  • Horse 5: 1,100lb Broodmare in Early Lactation: 11lb – 16.5lb