Tribute Horse Feed Review

Caring for your horse is as important to you as caring for a child. One of the essential components to having a healthy equine is finding the proper food. Like humans, horses have special dietary needs depending on what stage they're in and the age they are. It's important to find the appropriate feed to provide all the nutrients necessary to fuel a stronger and happier horse. Tribute Horse Feed is one brand that produces feed to fill every type of need. The company prides itself on being at the forefront of developing the best product to get the best results out of any horse.

Tribute Horse Feed Nutrition

Tribute Equine Nutrition was established by horse lovers to create the best food available. After sifting through what was then available, the founders decided they could do better. These days, Tribute manufactures horse feed in one factory, free of antibiotics and chemicals that can contaminate the feed and wind up hurting horses. The technology developed by Tribute is proprietary. Their end product speaks for itself. Hundreds of testimonials give detailed accounts of the benefits of Tribute horse feed. Horse owners love the varieties offered. The vitamins and nutrients included in the feed seem appropriate for the recipe indicated.

The type of feed you need is dependent on the age of the horse, the activity level of the horse, what other kinds of food the horse has access to (hay, grass, etc.) and (easy to gain weight or lose it, DOD, etc.). If you aren't sure what type of feed you should get your horse, consult your veterinarian. However, if you have cared for horses in the past and know how to spot certain traits and signs, you can choose your feed to meet the needs of the horse.

Varieties of Tribute Horse Feed

Tribute horse feed comes in several specialized formulas, each one guaranteed to provide the best nutritional content for that particular stage of a horse's life. However, how do you know what type of feed is best for your horse? The folks at Tribute have created a nutrition selector tool on their website to help you figure out which of their products will fit the needs of your horse. We'll give a walkthrough of the process, along with suggested products in each group. Always feed your horse according to the guidelines on the product packaging or your veterinarian's recommendations.

Foal Foundation
​0 to 3 Months Old

Whether the mare rejects a foal or not, Tribute's Foal Foundation has critical minerals and vitamins to give your foal its best start. Some foals are born with special needs, but even with those, this feed is bound to help. The pellets are milk-based and formulated with the unique nutritional needs that a baby has. Use Foal Foundation for foals at least 1-week old and continuing up to 3-months old. Use this along with a powdered mare milk replacer powder to ensure your foal gets a healthy start.

Advance Paste

These pre-filled syringe-like droppers are full of Tribute's Advance Paste. This product is to be used along with Foal Foundation to supplement your growing horse's needs. Give Advance Paste to foals to help combat stress, especially if the foal is an orphan, or to foals that need supplemental nutrition to the mare's milk. Advance Paste is specially created to fight the onset of developmental orthopedic disease (DOD), which can be detrimental to the orthopedic health of the horse. You can also use this product to help fend off intestinal issues, and stress brought on by transporting the horse and administering antibiotics.

3 to 24 Months Old

Choosing the proper feed for your horse at this age requires some information about how much forage your horse eats at this level and the type. The products available to choose from are:

Alfa Essentials®

Provides more phosphorus than calcium for horses that consume more of a legume-based diet. It has a lower feeding rate because of the high concentration of nutrients, thereby making it a less expensive dietary product.

Alfa Growth® Textured

This feed is higher in fat for growing horses and pregnant mares that are lactating. The higher fat and fiber provides the right amount of calories. The feed, like Alfa Essentials®, is made to help balance legume-based forage. The balance of vitamins and nutrients is optimal for healthy hair growth and maintenance, tissue and bone growth and muscle development and growth.

Growth Pelleted

This product is for the younger, active horse. It is low in sugar and high in both fiber and fat to support high-energy horses. It is also recommended for pregnant or nursing mares as it helps with the production of milk. Growth Pelleted feed plays a crucial part in helping to prevent Developmental Orthopedic Disease, or DOD, by providing low starch and sugar (structural carbohydrates). It is ideal for horses with a diet less than half legume.

Growth Textured

Much like Growth Pelleted, Growth Textured caters to high-energy growing horses, as well as pregnant and lactating mares. The exception is this feed does not contain any corn, so it keeps starch and sugar levels low.

2 Years Old to 20 Years Old

Tribute's line of feed for this age range is the Kalm and EZ® line. It continues to supplement the needs of horses in this long middle-age range of life. Some of the products available that fit in this line includes:

Kalm 'N EZ® GC Plus

Specially formulated with the nutrients that are important for keeping joints healthy, this combination of nutrients also helps keep the lungs healthy. Kalm 'N EZ® GC Plus is corn-free, thus helping to keep starch and sugar levels at a minimum. The fiber and high-fat content help maintain performance without fatigue.

Kalm 'N EZ® Pelleted

Along with some of the benefits of Kalm 'N EZ® GC Plus, this pelleted feed leaves out the molasses and corn to help keep sugar levels low. The formula also helps to keep NTC levels low. It is typically not for horses that need energy boosts for performance.

The nutrient combination in Kalm 'N EZ® Textured is similar to the others in this line, except it allows for some level of NTC to help boost energy during times of performance. It is highly digestible and formulated for the active horse.

Kalm 'N Fit®: The Kalm 'N Fit®

This formula has extra protein for those horses that need it, either due to forage type or performance level. This feed does not include corn and is high in fiber.

Kalm Performer®

This feed is best for the horse consuming high-protein diets, usually due to forage type or performance needs. This formula does not include corn and has a special grain added to help improve digestion.

Kalm Performer® GC Plus

This one has all the punch of Kalm Performer® with the addition of more fat for horses that need to sustain high energy during performance without exhaustion. Also, Kalm Performer® GC Plus also includes all the nutrients and vitamins necessary to support respiratory, bone, joint and muscle health.

Kalm Ultra®

This is an excellent product for those horses that are recovering from hard work, are hard keepers or have just lost a significant amount of weight due to illness. The nutrients, fiber, fat, and protein all combine to make a super dietary mix.

Performance Advantage®

The formula in this feed is designed to sustain the individual needs of a racehorse. High in fat, fiber, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and selenium, as well as other essential minerals, this feed aids in endurance as well as recovery and protection of bones and muscles.

Resolve®

This feed is specially formulated to help horses with muscle conditions. Resolve® is high in fat and low in NSC.

20-Plus Years Old

Tribute's food line for senior horses is aptly named Seniority. It has all the vitamins and nutrients required to balance the horse's declining health and the special needs that come along with that.

Seniority Pelleted

This formula of feed can be used as the only food source if foraging has stopped. It is also possible to use it along with foraging to provide what vitamins the horse is lacking. It is corn-free and low in NSC.

Seniority Textured

The only difference between this formula and Seniority Pelleted is this one is higher in NSC.

Seniority Textured GC Plus

The final entry into the senior feed category has more of the nutrients and vitamins a mature horse may need, including MSM and certain sulfates. This is a corn-free feed that supports joint, muscle, bone and respiratory health.

The Tribute horse feed also has additional supplements that can be used in conjunction with the above feed.

Pricing

The price of the product depends on which formula you choose. We were able to find 50-pound bags ranging in price from $14.99 to $39.99. The more specialized the blend, say for instance the race feed, the more it costs.

How Tribute Equine Feed Compares

Now that you have a good idea of the types of feed Tribute produces, let's take a look at how it stacks up against its competitors.

Nutrena

Variety: Nutrena is the most similar to Tribute horse feed in variety. It offers multiple products for all ages and stages of a horse's life. It also provides extra supplements to increase the nutritional content of your horse's diet further.

Availability: Nutrena can be purchased directly from the manufacturer's website. It is also available at local feed and tractor stores.

Overall rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars.

Purina Horse Nutrition

Variety: Purina is a recognizable company, typically in terms of dog food. However, it also produces a decent range of horse feeds. They have formulas that address specific digestive and allergy conditions, as well as the performance enhancement and general supplementation. They may have even more variety than Tribute horse feed.

Availability: Purina's website offers free trials of some of their feeds, which is helpful if you want to try something out before investing. You can purchase it at your local feed and tractor store. Some varieties are available on Chewy.com for home delivery.

Overall rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars.

Buckeye Nutrition

Variety: Buckeye Nutrition offers different feed formulas for different needs and ages in a horse's life, just as Tribute horse feed does. However, their line isn't as extensive or specific.

Availability: You can purchase Buckeye feed on their website or pick it up at your local feed and tractor store. There are also some varieties available on Chewy.com for home delivery.

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Please note that you should be able to special-order all of these product lines through your local feed store.

Conclusion

In terms of providing the best nutritional resources for your horse, Tribute horse feed is top-notch. With many formulations to choose from, it offers one of the most extensive and specific product lines available. The product does not seem overpriced in comparison with similar horse feeds. While it was hard to find the exact price of the higher formulations (the performance brands for race horses), we can surmise that this specialty feed is probably at the higher end of the price spectrum, possibly higher than our range stated here. However, for the other formulations offered for horses ranging from foals all the way up to retired seniors, and every age and condition in between, Tribute Equine Nutrition is an excellent choice. We give it 5 stars out of 5.

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