Switching from Nutrena to Purina?

Question

So I have a 16.2 hh TB gelding who is a very hard keeper. We've always fed nutrena feeds and have had a lot of success with him on a mixture of Compete and Empower. Now I've moved across the country and the closest feed store sells purina. I can still get nutrena but out of convenience I was thinking of switching. Unfortunately I'm not that great at reading nutrition labels and am having trouble figuring out which kind would be best for him.

He's going to be underweight since he'll be traveling across country so I want to start him out with something high in fat to get the weight back on like the Empower. Since he'll also be switching to alfalfa I'm hoping that I'll be able to cut back on the high fat and protein feeds and put him on a maintenence feed like the Prime once he gets the weight back on. Does anyone know which purina feeds are comparable to nutrena's Prime, Compete, and Empower? Or at least know some tips on reading the labels. All I know to look at is the fat, fiber, and protein. Thanks.

(By the way, I will be starting him out slow and working with my vet to find his ideal diet, I'm just looking for some info from people who have experience with purina feeds)

Answer 1

Personally. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If your horse is thriving and doing well on the feeds that he is on right now, why switch and run the risk of disrupting his digestive system? I've had success with all brands of feed. But if one thing is working for your horse, then I'd stick with it. If you're wanting to cut back on starch and high fat feeds, then Nutrena's feed lines are great choices. Also, ADM and Moormans also have a great line of feeds and most often than not, will not run you near as high a price as Purina or Nutrena.

If I have a horse that is doing well on a certain diet, then the extra miles is worth getting a good quality feed and forage. The cheaper you try to go, you are more likely to get cheap results. You aren't going to want to take short cuts when it comes to your horse. Most people that do take short cuts in feed and forage find themselves paying large vet bills because the horse founders or colics.

EDIT- Ashley, you are the first person I've ever heard say they won't feed alfalfa because the protein is to high. Most horses that are kept on grass hay get large grass bellies and are more prone to colic. Most horse owners prefer a high quality grass/alfalfa mix such as timothy/alfalfa.

Answer 2

Purina feeds, according to my vet, are superior to Nutrena since they are better regulated for consistent content.

I would consider switching to Purina senior complete feed...my vet advises it's use for any age horse.  It is easily digested, which prevents colic and encourages use of all ingested nutrients.  It is especially good for hard keepers.  You can supplement the fat, although you don't have to.  I just add a cup of rice bran a day (2 in winter) for my hard keeper.  I know this isn't what you were asking, but I believe you should think about it or ask your own vet's opinion.

Answer 3

My one question is about the age of this horse.  If he is an older horse I would suggest Equine Senior, and free choice grass hay instead of alfalfa.  If he is a younger horse <5 years put him on Equine Junior, and the grass hay.  I prefer grass hay to alfalfa becaause alfalfa is too high in protein.  If he is ridden a lot, and is a hard keeper I would suggest Omolene 200 or 300(in a severe case).  I don't have personal experience with Nutrene, as I can not get it around where I live, but  swear by Purina products.  I dont have to feed as much as I would anything else.  Most of the purina feeds are a complete feed, minus the roughage, but a quality grass hay will suffice beautifully.  Don't be steered away from the Purina becasue of the price, it will even out because of the reduced amount that you will be required to feed.  Good luck with getting his weight up and keeping it up.

Answer 4

I feed Purina  - Equine Sr. and I am very satisfied with their products.

Answer 5

Your new feed store should be able to tell you which feeds are comparable. They're the experts :)

And if they carry MannaPro, you might think about using that. We've used MannaPro for 15 years, and every time someone convinces us to try something different, we always end up going back. We've tried Nutrena, Purina, Southern States, and they were all good feeds and worked fine, but none makes our horses look as good as MannaPro.

ADD: Purina's ATHLETE is the equivalent to EMPOWER. You can go to Purina's website to compare their offerings to your current feed. http://horse.purinamills.com/products/co...

Answer 6

Personally, I've never had any preference about brand.  As long as the feed is good quality, the name on the bag means very little to me.  I've never had problems with Nutrena or Purina so as long as you're careful to transition properly, I don't see any issues there.

If you're looking for feed to help put weight on him, have you thought about adding rice bran or beet pulp?  A warm bran mash has always worked wonders for any of our hard keepers.  We even had a 42 year old gelding with no teeth that lived in glowing health for years on a diet of rice bran, beet pulp, and a smidge of alfalfa meal.  Some horses don't care much for beet pulp but if your boy can tolerate alfalfa, mix them together.  For more detailed information, you could have a local trainer evaluate his activity level and make some reccommendations.