Now that we are in the great white north, I have had to adjust Brego's feed based upon availability of brands. So here is the most recent makeup of his diet:
2 parts Triple Crown Senior
(14% Protein, 10% Fat, 15.7% NSC) = $19/bag
2 parts Kent Feeds Omegatin
(15% Protein, 20% Fat, 22% NSC) = $29/bag
1 part Triple Crown 30% protein supplement
(30% Protein, 3% Fat, 13.1% NSC) = $29/bag
1 part Natural Glo Rice Bran
(13% Protein, 20% Fat, ~30% NSC) = $38/bag
Overall for just grain: 16.8% Protein, 13.8% Fat, 19.75% NSC
He gets good quality timothy blend hay, but not free choice (which is a very good thing). I also occasionally give him a few pounds of Triple Crown Safe Starch (11% Protein, 6% Fat, 8.8% NSC) as additional forage. I don't think he needs it, but it's conveniently packaged for trailer rides and shows.
NSC stands for Non-Structural Carbs which is, in general, the main component you are trying to lower in an EPSM-related diet. Conventional horse feeds contain 30% or more. Brego has never shown any symptoms of EPSM, so we are less strict about NSC. Some owners target for 10% or less which is really hard to do with packaged food. There's a lot of discussion about the EPSM diet, and I don't think we have the final answer yet. I believe a healthy diet has more going on than just the NSC count, such as fats availability and exercise level. I basically listen to what Brego tells me and am not afraid to adjust ingredients up and down.
Due to availability, I had to drop the Progressive feeds, which Brego did very well on. So far so good though, his recovery is nice. His energy level is up, but not "high" and his muscle tone is really getting there.
I should note that when I switched to giving Brego monthly Adequan shots, I dropped his SmartPak entirely (Dare I mention that his "blackening" supplement failed to deliver as promised?). So he is no longer getting any other supplements. Besides apples, that is.
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