Can any one tell me anything about this feed? Good? Bad? Price range?

I'm considering switching my gelding to this feed if it is well balanced enough. On other forums I have read that isnt so great but I've read a lot on here that its the best? Help! (=

Personally, I strongly disliked it.  My horse could not maintain his weight on it, his temperament was inconsistent and flightier than usual and overall, I was not satisfied with his condition while on it. 

Each horse is different, so you have to decide what's right for you but that was my personal experience with it.

I see you're in West Virginia, do you have access to Triple Crown feeds?

They have a Lite and a Low Starch feed that are great.  The Lite is fed by many folks with insulin resistant horses - I always hear glowing reports about it.

I have an insulin resistant horse but the nearest Triple Crown dealer to me is 90 miles away; that is why I feed rice bran. I really do live in a "Good Ole Boy" area that refuses to let Triple Crown come in.  It's either Purina, Co-op brand, TSC brand, or someone's rice bran

Many well known feed companies don't adhere to their own G/A tags, which can be detrimental to I-R/EMS/Cushings horses and also horses with mild food intolerances.

I think I did read that TSC is now going to carry Purina and Nutrena, but I don't like Nutrena anymore for the same lack of consistency in their G/A policies.

Triple Crown is made by Southern States feeds and they do have a nice web site.

I'm not for sure if its sold around here or not but I will look into it. I dont know all the specifics on weather or not hes insuline resistent or what so I'm probably going to call my vet & have him run some tests & see whats best & what needs to be done. Shade has had the same vet for the past 4 years, but I have only owned him for about 5 months so he should have some info about him in his files. Thanks for the suggest & hopefully I will find whats best for him cause trying to fix this problem has been a longgg process!

I've never used Strategy, so I can't comment on that. I do, however, have to second walkinthewalk's suggestion of Triple Crown feeds. Right now, I have a 5 year old Thoroughbred gelding on their Senior (yes, even though he's 5 -- it's just a great feed!) and he's doing very well on it. All the TC feeds also have probiotics in them, so you don't have to give your horse a separate probiotic supplement. I highly recommend the brand.

I've been using Strategy for several months now with my current horses. In college, thats what we fed our pleaseure horses and I'm VERY happy with it. Their coats are shinier, they aren't "hot" at all, but they are filling out in a good way. My older gelding is about 12 and I was starting to have problems with him losing weight along his topline. Strategy helped fill him out a little. TSC is now carrying Purina and average price is about $12 to $15 a bag. My Coop in town is $12.99. I've never had a bad batch (moldy etc, but that depends on the retailer more than anything I think), and because it's pelleted it's more consistant than a sweet feed mix. But you can have the best feed in the world, but if you don't provide enought GOOD quality hay and water, the feed won't mean a thing. Horses are designed to live off of forage by itself, and we should only give grain when we need the extra energy requirements.

Anways, I personally haven't heard many complaints with it. Those who say they've had a problem with it usually have a horse with special needs, or they need a formula with a higher energy content because they are in heavy training or competition. You don't mention what you do with your gelding? I'm training my 6 year old QH cross for reining competition and my other horse (12 yrs old) has been started on barrels. I ride about 3-4 a week for about 1.5 hours on average. I go to clinics on the weekends (maybe 1-2 times a month) and those are usually a little more strenuous. If your horse is in serious training meaning 5-6 days a week with INTENSE training or heavy competition, I don't know if I would use Strategy, simply because there are other formulas better suited for that type of activity. If he's a pleasure horse and with light to medium workload (see the website for their definitions on workloads), then I think Strategy would be a good choice. But also, if your horse isn't being ridden or worked and he is a "pasture ornament", then becareful what you feed because not only can overfeeding cause obesity in horses, it can make a horse "hot".   

But of course, my persoanl disclaimer here is to talk to your vet and qualified trainer (if you have one). He should know what requirements your horse needs best and route you to the best feed for him.

Hope that long mess helps you out :)....Good luck!!

Oh, and I forgot to stress that there is not ONE perfect feed. Like us humans, every horse is different and every horse needs different things depending what his life is like. Please remember that the opinions we all give you are based on our experience and knowledge, but that doesn't mean that's all there is....know what I mean?? Sheesh, I'm starting to sound like fine print LOL!!!!! But that's why I was stressing talking to your vet, because he/she is (hopefully :) ) best qualified to help you in your search for the right feed.

 Okay I'm done! Good luck !!!!

imachicadee:

Oh, and I forgot to stress that there is not ONE perfect feed. Like us humans, every horse is different and every horse needs different things depending what his life is like. Please remember that the opinions we all give you are based on our experience and knowledge, but that doesn't mean that's all there is....know what I mean??

True, there is not ONE perfect feed, but Purina has been making feed since 1894 and with over 50 feeds to choose from you can't go wrong.  We have been feeding nothing but Purina in our family for generations, and I won't feed anything else.  Everything at my house (that's 4-legged) gets Purina.  Who else has a state of the art Equine Research Facility and Nutrition Center dedicated to equine nutrition?  I've fed Strategy and found it to be a good, all around feed for my horses in lite work.  It is 14%, but the calories don't all come from the sweet grain but from the fat and fiber too, so it may help in your situation. 

Another one you might consider is the Horseman's Edge (the green bag, not the blue bag).  It comes in 12% and is not considered a sweet feed.  I have not personally tried this one but have friends who do and they love it.  

 Here;s thw link for Triple Crown:  http://www.triplecrownfeed.com/overview.php

They are excellent products that are stable bag to bag with the guaranteed anaylsis ( emzymes, probiotics etc)  - also compare what is actually in the guaranteed analysis. to other tags - it may surprise you!  Call them if you have questions on what is appropiate  for your horse and availability. This product is quality from start to finish. If you take the time to read thru their information you will start to see why TC has so many devoted followers - I used to drive an hour to get it - Thank God now it is available right in town. But I would travel to get it if I had to! I feed the TC Lite with the TC rice bran ( only one that is really balanced). But you need a specific program that is right for your horse. Nutrition is one thing I dont have to think twice about, She is shiny, healthy and happy!

We used to feed Safechoice, but Strategy had this promotion where they come to your farm and weigh your horses and recommend a feed based on the individual horse's situation, and they said we could feed Strategy with no supplements and save money because its a couple dollars cheaper.  Some of the horses got a little hotter after it, but mostly the ones who are worked the least consistently. We ended up going back to a couple of the supplements, but they look healthy and their coats are nice. So mixed bag, I think Strategy, SafeChoice, and TripleCrown are all perfectly acceptable feeds, just watch your horse on them and see what works best. Unless there is some specific health concern, in which case, I would agree that a vet should be consulted.