Re: Re: RE: Strategy Feed

["Amber Knight" <ambrnite@earthlink.net>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>
To: "Kathy Mayeda" <kathy_mayeda@atce.com>
Cc: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2000 5:06 PM
Subject: RC: Re: RE: Strategy Feed and Quicksilver


> >
> > I think Strategy is one component of Complete Advantage.
> > I'm sure Susan G. knows.
> >
> > Kathy & Beau Joust
>
>
> I don't *believe* that Strategy is in Complete Advantage (Amber, help me
out
> here)---you might be thinking of Athlete, a high fat pellet that is in
some
> of the Purina products like the Omolene line.  I don't have a Complete
> Advantage or Strategy tag here (at least not where I can find it), I think
> the only pellet in CA is probably a vit-min, and probably soybean meal
> pellet.
>
O.K. Susan I'll quit lurking.....
As usual Susan is correct, The Complete Advanage contains Athlete, a 14% fat
14% Protein,extruded product.  Athlete is also in Equine Jr, Equine Senior,
and Omolene 200. Strategy is a separate  formula.  Strategy AX is formulated
to feed with high quality Alfalfa and the GX for grass hays or Combination
of grass & alfalfa hay or low Quality Alfalfa.

> I've fed Strategy in the past and liked it---the advantages are that, like
> any good-quality concentrate mix, the vit-min are pretty well balanced for
> average horses on average pasture, etc, so supplementing with anything
extra
> is generally unnecessary (or even contraindicated) except for specific
> nutrients for specific reasons (ie, to correct a regional selenium
> deficiency).  It's a mix of different grains, which is often preferable
> because of better amino acid profiles and such and sometimes less glycemic
> spikes.  The disadvantage is, if memory serves, the feed tag to Strategy
> lists "grain products" or "forage products", not specifics like "corn,
oats,
> barley".  This is an okay thing for feed manufacturers to do, it means
that
> exact ratios or types of grain used from one batch to the next might
change
> somewhat, thus the "blanket" terms.  The guarenteed nutrtiion stays the
> same, just the ingredients *might* change.  However, this is where
choosing
> a reputable company comes in, because while a small local mill might make
> drastic changes in ingredients from one batch to the next based on
whatever
> grain is cheap this week, the really large companies tend to buy their
> commodities in enormous amounts, and/or have contracted for some huge
> amount, and/or are situated in areas where supplies don't fluctuate all
that
> much.  So the ingredients generally stay pretty stable, at least stable
> enough that you really don't have to be concerned about causing digestive
> problems from unexpected or unknown changes in the diet.
>
  Quite Simply, for Purina Mills the reason the Feed Tags say "forage
Products" & "grain products"
is because being a national company with 55 mills across the United States,
each mill buys regionally grown commodities, here in california we have more
access to oats and barley where in the midwest they might have better access
to corn and wheat. There is a  small fixed % that each ingredient can
adjust in the formula.The generic feed Tags serve the purpose of not making
tags for each mill.
Every Purina Product has a very Specific formula which is not only balanced
for the usual, Protein, fat & fiber,
But also for specific fatty acids, amino acids and use very highly
digestable
forms of vitamins & minerals. The strick formula does not allow much
varience even for region to region so you can buy Strategy in Texas and
switch to Strategy made in California the next day Safely. Each feed mill
has a NIR machine and all  ingredients are tested before the feed is made
and the ingredients adjusted to maintain constant quality. Everything is
computerized to adjust for the commodities used.
So althought the ingredients may slightly change from region to region the
nutrition is very consistant.

> The other potential disadvantage to Strategy, like any other commercial
> concentrate mix, is that they're sometimes more expensive than mixing it
all
> up yourself.  If you can balance a ration, mixing it up yourself is fine.
> If you can't, and.or are having someone else "feed him two cans of this",
> then it's a lot more reliable to feed an already balanced feed out of a
bag
> rather than trust that two scoops of this, a pinch of that and a glug of
> something else will all get mixed together the way you want it.  In the
long
> run, the difference in cost isn't all that much, anyway.  When I had
horses
> in the backyard and had time to crunch spreadsheets all the time, I fed
> commodities.  Now that I'm boarding them all over the country, they're fed
> commercial mixes.

> Susan hit the nail on the head with this one, unless you have a
complicated computer program and an exact analysis of all ingreedents or a
advanced nutritionist education, chances are it's better to buy a
commercially formulated feed, from a reputable company. In the long run you
will save money and provide better nutrition for your horse.

Amber Knight
Purina Mills, Equine Specialist and Endurance Rider Newbee ( 3 LD's & 1- 50)


> Hope this helps.:-)
>
> susan g
>
>
>
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