Are you curious or concerned about your horse’s nutrition? Want ideas about how you can optimize what you feed your horse? If so, take a look at Feed XL.
“Simply tell FeedXL about your horse and what he is being fed and FeedXL will clearly show you if any nutrients are above or below the amount he needs to stay healthy.”
-From the FeedXL website
I will say upfront that I am not a current FeedXL member, but I have used the program in the past about seven years ago. I recently came across a piece of literature from them. It reminded me of their website. I then wondered how many other horse people are aware of their service. Thought it would be worth passing along to The Backyard Horse Blog readers.
FeedXL calculators allow you to input specific criteria about your horse (including specific medical conditions very much affected by nutrition like EMS and PSSM) to help analyze your current feed program and suggest the most appropriate diet.
There are other very handy calculators included such as a supplement finder and a comparative feed-cost calculator. FeedXL can do this because it keeps nutritional and price information from most USA feed and supplement manufacturers. For hay values, you can use their general calculations or input specific numbers from any hay analysis you might have performed on the hay you are currently feeding.
One of its best features is that it is independent of any feed company. It is refreshing to see information that is not tied specifically to wanting to sell you a particular product.
“FeedXL is totally, 100% independent from ALL feed and supplement companies. This means we don’t have any sort of vested interest in what you feed. All we care about is that your horse is getting everything he needs and that what you are feeding is truly what is best for him!”
– From the FeedXL website
FeedXl offers different pricing plans depending upon length of membership and number of horses. Plans start at $20 USD per month for one horse and increase from there. Not ready to plunk your money down yet for a membership? You can still access a ton of general horse nutrition information by signing up at the bottom of their website home page for their free enewsleter, browsing through their “Knowledge Hub” or downloading free ebooks on equine nutrition.
Please note that FeedXL plans are paid in US dollars. While you can sign up online and use their calculators from anywhere in the world, I am not sure how well the program would work for those based outside the US if you are feeding a product not manufactured in the USA or if you use a different metric system. If this is your situation, I would suggest contacting FeedXL directly for more information before signing up.
I am also aware that if you board your horse, you may not have control over what your horse is fed. Due to the issue of working with a volume of horses and owners, it is not always practical for a boarding barn to feed every horse in a highly individualized manner. If this is your situation, you’ll have to judge how much value you can get out of the program in relation to how much input you have over what your horse eats.
Fortunately, most horse people are able to feed their horses adequately throughout their lives without the help of a specialized calculator! But I remember finding it really interesting to play around with the calculator, inputting different types of hay and feed and supplements to see what combination seemed to provide the best nutrition for my horses. It also could help save you money if the calculator shows you are feeding multiple supplements that are unnecessary from a nutrition standpoint. And for some situations, like when you are feeding horses with certain health challenges, FeedXL could be especially helpful in formulating a safer feeding program along with your veterinarian’s input.
Go to https://feedxl.com/ to learn more.
***Please note this post was unsolicited and uncompensated by FeedXL.***
The Backyard Horse Blog 
I remember years ago we used to be able to buy individual grains & feeds by the kilo so you could mix your own animals feed up. No one does that here anymore, boohoo. It is great that there is a program out there that at least you can choose a feed that best meets the need of our horses. Great info thanks pony friend.
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I also have some mixed feelings about the changes in horse feeding over the years. On the one hand, the proliferation of different types of feeds and supplements is overwhelming. I think it can lead to some people feeling as though they are “bad” horse owners if their horse isn’t fed a highly individualized feed. On the other hand, for those horses that truly benefit from that individualization, it IS helpful to have all those specialized option. I suppose the trick is in figuring out if you really have a horse that actually needs all that stuff- sometimes too much of a good thing can be harmful to horse health or the owner’s pocket book. Anywho, thank you for reading and commenting!
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