Horse Feed Reccomendation

Question
I have an 11 year old paint mare used for mountain trail riding, lower level dressage and hunter-level jumping (i.e. 3' and under). She is worked 5-6 days a week. She was an auction rescue a year ago and came with a massive worm load. Fecal tests prove that struggle over, and so does her weight. She would be rated a 5 or low 6 in terms of weight, but she was hard to get weight on, so I'm not sure she is what I would call and easy keeper. My question is what kind of grain would you reccomend? She has been on LMF Gold for weight gain, but I want something that is not so much empty calories and better for her, nutritionally. I also don't see her needing as much grain as it says you need to feed. I am looking for a moderately priced feed that I can find in Western Washington. Any ideas?

Answer
Hi Kitty,
 
Thank you for your question.  It sounds like you've done a wonderful job at getting your mare back into shape, and a BCS of 5 to 6 is as much weight as you'd like her to have for the work she's doing.  I agree that now that she is in shape, you shouldn't have to feed her as much so I would suggest that you go try a high fat high fiber feed, ideally one that is designed for performance horses rather than a maintenance level feed, for example Purina's Ultium Competition.  If you have another feed company that you would prefer to buy from let me know and I can make a more specific recommendation.

I would also suggest you try feeding a really good quality probiotic like Alltech's LifeForce Formula, or SmartPak Equine's SmartDigest.  It will help your mare convert her forages more efficiently and derive more energy from pasture and hay.

Thanks, Corlena