Hi I have a 9 yr old clyde mare she seems to have enough weight on her but she never seemed to fill out in the rump and point of hip area so people i spoke with led me to the draft diet and i changed her and all my drafts about 6 months ago. they all seem to being great on it. My questions are i am wondering about feed type and oil type both for best quality and for most economical.I currently am feeding triple crown low starch and they do seem to be good on that with adding corn oil to their feed but both the corn oil and the triple crown seem to be more expensive than others. what is the most economical oil to feed and is still good for the horses. i thought of switching to vegetable oil but wasnt sure if that was ok and i definitely don't want to ruin anything but the corn oil from sams has gone up $7.00 in the last 2 months. I also thought of switching my geldings over to nutrena safe choice and leaving my clyde on the triple crown but wasn't sure about that either. i would love suggestions on whether or not triple crown low starch is a good feed to use, i don't mind spending the extra if i know it is good for them and I would love any suggestions on the most economical yet healthy way to feed is with what type of feed and oil to use. Also approximately for a 1500 lb horse how much feed should they be eating daily. i also put them on a vit e and selenium supplement, i am giving them 1 tbs. each day and they get t&a or o&a hay 2x a day.
Thank you so much

It sounds like you are doing all the right things. Triple Crowne is a good feed,but so is the Nutrena Safechoice. I feed mine the Safechoice and I really like it. As far as the oil... I know it is expensive. I feed the Soy Oil in the 35 lb. jug from Sam's. It has gone up in price too, but it seems to be the economical way to go as far as oil's. You should be giving about 2 cups per 1000lb's for an EPSM horse. I give my Draft's without any symptom's at least a cup and a half a day. And the Hay sounds good. Your Clyde Mare sounds like she could have the beginning's of EPSM, if she isn't filling out in her behind. I suggest 3 cups of oil a day for her weight, and hopefully this will help.Goodluck

Good for you to be looking for the best ways to feed your drafts. You can definitely switch from corn oil to vegetable (soy) oil and save some money. Make the switch gradually, just to get your horses used to a slightly new taste. As to the base feed to add oil to, there are lots of good ones out there now. The best one will be the one you are happy buying that your horses are happy eating and that keeps them healthy and happy. If Safe Choice is less expensive than the Triple Crown Low Starch, and if your horses will eat this with added oil, that would be fine. Again, make all changes to the feed gradually. Everything about your diet plan sounds great. The right amount of feed will be what keeps your horses in good weight. Aim for that 1 lb fat (2 cups oil) per 1000 pounds of horse per day, and plenty of good quality forage (at least 1% of their body weight per day), along with the E and selenium supplement and they should be in great shape, nutritionally speaking.

Becki, check the prices at Sam's--I recently realized the 1.25 gallon jugs of Wesson veg oil at my local Sam's are slightly cheaper than buying the 35 lb. jug, and they are much easier to carry and pour from. Two weeks ago the Wesson was just under $7, while the 35 lb. was over $28.

I feed Wesson canola oil from Sam's, which as the previous poster noted is just under 7.00, and is a very manageable size.

I have been very happy with Seminole feeds Wellness line, most of which are low sugar/low starch.( It was previously called Spillers Safety 1st, but Seminole was making the feed for Spillers, now they are making their own line based on those feeds.) I don't think there is any inexpensive horse feed right now!

Thanks Tina... I will check it out. Anything to help in the oil Department.
And Feed is getting expensive! I guess it is a good thing I have the Draft's. They are such easy keeper's.

thank you everyone i really appreciate it! one question, is the soy oil the soybean salad oil at sams?

They are the same thing... I get the Soy oil from Sam's it is less expensive.