I use all Purina Mills horse grains and LOVE them. They are palatable even for my picky eaters and do the job without having to feed in huge amounts. Purina has a wide enough range of grains, that I am able to tailor feeding programs to EACH horse individually ... not just a "one size fits a few" approach.

When I rescued my Thoroughbred and he was very skinny and lethargic. We tried a few other options, but the only thing that worked was Purina's TriMAX -- it helped him safely gain upwards of 300lbs! Since he is still a harder keeping horse, I feed him Purinas Evolution Elite during the winter when he is not being worked and switch him up to TriMAX in the summer when he's being worked.

Now on the other end of the feed scale, I have my super easy keeping Quarterhorse and Miniature Horses! Purina has a really great, basic grain called 12% Commercial Stable Mix. It keeps my easy keepers from becoming overweight, but they still get their much needed vitamins and minerals.

And to top it off, I have a young growing Paint horse whom I spent alot of time researching feeds -- even from other companies. I decided on Purinas Evolution Juvenile because it will allow my baby to have all the extra vitamins and minerals that he needs throughout his younger years, but then he is also not likely to "over grow" or grow too quickly or become overweight, which can cause big problems! The grain is also very palatable, since my baby didn't know what "grain" was and that he was supposed to eat it ... he caught on pretty quickly though!

So, my horses and I LOVE Purina Mills products.

Pros: Very Consistant, High Quality Grains!

Cons: Can Be Expensive Depending On Product.

Most barns feed Purina. My TB mare has been on it since she was 5 shes 8 now and doing well. Shes on Equine Senior and seems to be doing well on it. They have many different formulas so there is variety! Most of the horses at our barn are on Purina Senior. I've seen it help alot of older horses. The great thing is it isn't like sweet feed. It fills the horse's stomache up and doesn't have a ton of sugar. The young horses at our barn (3 being the youngest) seem to do well on Senior too! Also it is a complete feed. Meaning it has most of the stuff that horses need from grain not just one type of substance. I met with the person who is heir to Purina Mills and talked to them. They were very interested in how to feed horses more effectively. Overall I have not had any problems with this feed.

Pros: A complete feed

Cons: None that I have encountered

Many, many years ago I entered the horse world with the love (and invincibility) of a teenager. A trainer working with me at the time stressed how important it was to have the same feed available wherever I traveled going to horse events. This left two choices... carry enough feed for several horses for 7 to 10 days sometimes, or be able to find the food in the area of the show. Purina fit the bill.
I no longer ride, but do still have one horse. Tonka was born 37 years ago. He has been my best friend and partner since birth. His mom ate Purina feeds, and Purina is the only feed Tonka has ever ate. Today he uses Equine Senior.

Pros: Good, nutritional feed available throughout country

Cons: sometimes hard to find a Purina dealer without driving 30 or 40 miles

Purina has filled an interesting niche... mostly their products are easy to find anywhere, include a large variety of types, uses, and price ranges. You can find multiple products for all stages of life, pelleted or complete, maintenance or performance and everything in-between!

Even though they have a new Low Starch product - it really is not low enough for those horses that truly need low starch.. it is lower than their standard feeds though.

Summary - lots of choices, easy to by across the country, variety of price ranges, horses love the food but not a great option for horses with Insulin Resitance.

Pros: Easy to buy, many choices, various price ranges

Cons: No true LOW STARCH choice

our horses at habitat love this food. they cant wait for us to fill their bowls at feeding time. the food is nutritionally balanced and fresh. we use a lot of the senior feed to help the senior citizens maintain a proper body weight and when watered down a bit it is easy for them to chew and swallow.

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[updated on 2009-02-28 03:46:56 GMT]:
this is the feed we use, the regular and senior feed. it is one of the best and is affordable when feeding a lot of horses. it is full of the required nutrients and the horses love it.

Pros: good nutrition

Cons: none