[cd_horton]

I have been feeding my 2 year olds in reining training, Purnia Ultium (1/2 the recomended level of feeding) and Alfalfa for the last 2 years...they seem to do well on this feed and I do not see any weight gains or loss'...I find they have plenty of energy for the work, but never a spike in energy levels even when left off for a few days.

[Shotgun93]

I got a horse in late march from a big hunter barn that was on sweet feed and pure alfalfa. When he arrived he had a nasty cut that wouldn't heal on his leg and he was hard to deal with. After weaning him from the previous feed to grass hay, boss and dynamite HES, his whole demeaner changed and his leg healed beautifully. He is a TB and was really ribby when we got him - and he came with the hard keeper note. He was getting almost 15 pounds of hard feed per day.
Now, he is in hard work being ridden daily at a good pace and jumping. He is on pasture 24/7 and that is really all he needs. He has free choice vitamins and minerals and gets a little boss daily. I noticed when he started working that he didn't get too sore and really responded quickly to training.
I also have a friesian cross and my horse on pretty much the same diet and workout regime with all the same results.
So, based on my experiences I would agree. Little or no grain seems to be doing them good.

[Sue B]

Originally Posted by LilyAnn

The special was basically an infomercial for the ADM Alliance Nutrition brand, but it was still interesting and informative. And follows the same train of thought the OP started with - even high performance horses can do well on a low/no grain diet.

Yes, ADM was one of the first companies to promote "forage first" feeding programs. For those interested in reading more about what they have found, there are articles on their website that are worth the read....
Equine Nutrition.htm

[luvs2ride79]

Originally Posted by Sue B

He noted that when he gets horses that have been grain fed that they tend to require more conditioning, lose more weight at the onset of work and require much more feed as they go into a hard work routine.

On the other hand, he noted that horses that have been on low grain or no grain diets require less conditioning/muscle building work, have little to no issues transitioning to work (eg. sore muscles, muscle tightness), maintain their weight and require little in the line of increased feeding as their work load increases.

Any opinions, comments....other observations?

This is EXACTLY why I have my horses on forrage based diets. My Anglo Gelding lost weight when we pumped him full of grain or feed pellets in his early training. As soon as we switched him to a forrage based diet, his weight stabalized, he gained, and has maintained on 1/2 the feed he was getting before. He has also calmed down, is less spooky on the trail, and his work ethic has improved.

He's on as much good quality grass hay (Bermuda mixed with local grasses) as he can eat. To gain and during heavy work, he was on 5-6 lbs of Alfalfa pellets and 2 lbs of stabalized rice bran a day. He also get Source Focus WT to gain weight. He has been a pasture pet the last year because of time constraints and an injury flare up. To just maintain pasture condition, he gets 2-3 lbs of alfalfa pellets and 1/2 - 1 lb of stabalized rice bran.

My mare, who is a VERY easy keeper, also lost weight when in heavy training when she was on sweet feed (and Ultium at one point). We were feeding her 4x the amount of feed she had gotten before, and she was barely maintaining... And this wasn't super heavy training, 30-60 minutes rides 3 days a week plus one trail ride a week, 2 to 3 hours in length, which we built slowly up to.

My mare is on a similar diet now, though less as she gets FAT quick on this feed! Her weight has stabalized, her work ethic has improved, and her heats are barely noticable (she used to be a real pill!).

Both horses get plain whole oats on work days (2qts for the gelding, 1 qt for the mare), really as a treat. And they both have access to a mineral salt block.

The whole barn is on this kind of diet: foals, mares, working horses, fat mules, and seniors. They are ALL doing very nicely and feed costs have reduced by 40% for the barn owner.

Also, my horses have come off their coat and hoof supplements and still look great!

I am 100% sold on an all natural, forrage based diet. I will NEVER go back to commercially prepared sweet feeds or pellets again...

[Sue B]

Thanks everyone for contributing to this thread with your experiences. They have all been interesting to read. I think that there will probably always be a faction of horseowners that insist horses need grain...but it is becoming apparent that those who are willing to look a little deeper into the management of their horses are discovering a whole new approach to it....one that allows the horse to reach their full potential.

Thanks guys!

[SJgirl]

I haven't read any other post but the first, but my 3yo and a half year old is nice and solid with a lovely coat and condition (and we are just getting into winter here), she also never lost weight during the time of her getting broken in to now when she is 'semi turned out'. She has never been hard feed, lived on hay and grass her whole life. She only started being covered from when she was broken in to keep her clean, she survived snow falls with hay and her own coat as my horses live outside 24/7.