Barb Nefer is a freelance writer based in Kissimmee, Florida. She is also a mental health counselor and travel agency owner. She specializes in self-help, travel, parenting, relationship, and animal-related articles (horses, cats, birds and dogs). Her work has appeared in such magazines as "The Writer," "Animal Wellness," "SuperVision," "Bird Talk," "SpeciaLiving," and "Twins."
Overview
SafeChoice is the brand name of a pelleted horse food made by the Nutrena company. It offers complete nutrition for horses and some specific features and benefits. If you know more about it, you can compare it to other horse foods to decide if it might be the best choice for your horse.
Features
SafeChoice horse food offers balanced nutrition because it is made with a combination of high-calorie vegetable oil fats, vitamins, minerals, and yeast cultures. It contains easily digested fibers and organic trace minerals. This mix of ingredients provides energy from multiple dietary sources. This food has guaranteed levels of amino acids.
SafeChoice horse food is made with a controlled amount of starch, which is good for horses with a tendency to certain metabolic disorders.
The food comes in pellets, which are easier for horses to digest.
Feeding
SafeChoice horse food should be fed in equal portions at least twice a day. Feedings can be broken down and given on a more-frequent basis if desired. This can help prevent stall vices in horse that are kept in the barn, as eating more frequently gives them something to do and helps alleviate the boredom of being confined. It is also more natural for horses to eat several times a day, since that is how they eat in the wild.
Amount
The amount of SafeChoice that you should give to your horse depends on its size and activity level. Nutrena recommends that performance horses getting intense exercise should eat 1 to 1.5 pounds of SafeChoice per 100 pounds of body weight. Horses at a medium exercise level should get .75 to 1.0 pounds per 100 pounds of body weight, while those getting light exercise should only get .50 to .75 pounds per 100 pounds of bodyweight.
SafeChoice can also be fed to pregnant mares at .25 to .50 pounds of feed per 100 pounds of body weight for the first two trimesters of pregnancy. In the last trimester, the amount should be increased to .50 to .75 pounds. While the mare is nursing, she should receive 1.0 to 1.5 pounds of SafeChoice per 100 pounds of body weight.
SafeChoice is also appropriate for young horses. As weanlings, they can be given 1.5 to 2.0 pounds per 100 pounds of body weight. As yearlings, that can be cut back to .75 to 1.5 pounds.
Cost
The cost of SafeChoice horse food varies, depending on your area of the country and where you purchase it because dealers are allowed to set their own price. The average cost for a bag of SafeChoice horse food is around $15 per 50-pound bag.
Supplementation
According to Nutrena, horses that are being fed SafeChoice horse food should also receive hay every day. The recommended amount of hay is 1 to 1.75 pounds per 100 pounds of body weight. If the horse is on pasture and eating an equivalent amount of grass, it will not need the day. Nutrena also recommends making salt available at all times so the horse can eat or lick it as desired.
Availability
SafeChoice horse food can be purchased throughout the United States from most equestrian food dealers who sell Nutrena products. The Nutrena website offers a search facility to let horse owners find the dealer nearest to their location
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