By Theresa Gibilisco, owner, The Hungry Puppy
Short version first. Stock & Stable is Nutrena's plain, dependable everyday sweet feed. Triumph is the step up, with controlled starch, prebiotics, added amino acids, organic trace minerals and biotin, and it comes in several formulas for different horses. Both are 12% protein feeds in their basic form, and both are good feeds. The question is which one fits the horses in your barn.
Here are the everyday Nutrena feeds we carry, side by side. Further down, I've added a short guide to the rest of the Nutrena family on our shelves: SafeChoice, ProForce and Empower.
Nutrena horse feed at a glance
| Feed | Type | Protein / fat | Made for | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock & Stable 12% Textured | Textured (sweet feed) | 12% protein | A wide range of everyday horses | Simple, balanced energy feed at a value price |
| Stock & Stable 12% Multi-Species Sweet Feed | Textured | 12% protein | Horses and other livestock | One bag for a mixed barn (read the tag for each species) |
| Triumph Active 12 Pellet | Pellet | 12% / 8% | Mature horses at any activity level | Controlled starch, prebiotics, lysine and methionine, biotin |
| Triumph Active 12 Textured | Textured | 12% / 8% | Mature horses at any activity level | The Active 12 idea in a sweet feed texture (special order) |
| Triumph 12-8 | Pellet | 12% / 8% | Mares, breeding horses, maintenance and performance horses | Balanced to work across several life stages |
| Triumph Fiber Plus | Beet pulp based feed | 12% / 10% | Mature horses at any activity level | Beet pulp base, calories from fiber and fat, 7% max starch |
| Triumph Senior | Complete senior feed | 14% / 7% | Older horses | Can be fed as the whole ration, or soaked into a mash |
| Triumph Complete | Pellet | 12% / 3.5% | Horses short on hay | Fiber built in to stretch or replace hay |
| Triumph Triple 10 | Textured | 10% / 10% | Hard keepers and performance horses | Ties Fiber Plus for the most fat in the Triumph line, in a sweet feed texture |
| Triumph Professional Pellet | Pellet | 14% / 8% | A wide range of life stages, weanlings to stallions | More protein, 14% max starch (special order) |
Protein and fat are the minimums on Nutrena's labels. Feed tags get updated, so always read the bag you actually buy.
When Stock & Stable is the right call
Stock & Stable is the bag for the horse who is doing fine. He holds his weight, he isn't metabolic, his hooves and coat look good, and you want a balanced, palatable textured feed that horses clean up. Nutrena sells it as a value priced, nutritionally balanced energy feed, and that's exactly what it is.
The multi-species version is handy for small farms with a horse, a couple of goats and maybe a steer, where nobody wants five different bags in the feed room. Nutrena says to feed it along with clean, good quality hay. Read the tag for each species before you feed it, and if you keep sheep, check with us first, since copper levels matter for sheep. For goats, I usually steer people to a goat feed with ammonium chloride. I explain why in our post on sweet feed for goats.
When Triumph earns its spot
Triumph is the better fit when you want more than basic energy. Most Triumph formulas, including the Active 12 feeds, add a controlled starch formula with prebiotics, lysine and methionine for muscle, and organic trace minerals with biotin for hooves and coat. A few of the Triumph formulas are built for specific horses:
- Mature horse in any kind of work: Triumph Active 12 Pellet, or Active 12 Textured if your horse prefers sweet feed.
- Several life stages in one barn: Triumph 12-8 is balanced for mares, breeding horses, maintenance and performance horses.
- Horse that needs calories without much starch: Triumph Fiber Plus gets its calories from beet pulp and fat, with starch capped at 7%. Work with your vet on any horse with a metabolic condition.
- Older horse: Triumph Senior is a complete feed for seniors.
- Short on hay: Triumph Complete is the hay stretcher of the group. Our post on hay stretchers, pellets and cubes walks through how much to feed.
Pellet or textured?
Within the same formula, this mostly comes down to your horse and your barn. Textured feeds are sweet feeds, and a lot of horses love them. Pellets are easy to measure, and a horse can't pick out the parts he likes and leave the rest. If your horse is a picky eater, try textured. If he sorts his feed and leaves the pellets behind, a fully pelleted feed solves that.
Switching between them
Going from Stock & Stable to a Triumph feed, or the other way, is still a feed change. Mix them over about a week (Nutrena's own guidance is 5 to 7 days), and weigh your scoop, since a coffee can of textured feed and a coffee can of pellets don't weigh the same.
The rest of the Nutrena family on our shelves
Triumph and Stock & Stable are the everyday bags. Nutrena makes three more lines, and we carry feeds from all of them. People ask me how they fit together, so here's the quick version.
SafeChoice is the line Nutrena builds around guaranteed maximum starch and sugar on the tag, plus a digestive blend and guaranteed amino acids. We carry SafeChoice Maintenance (12% protein, 5% fat), SafeChoice All Life Stages (14% / 8%), SafeChoice Special Care for horses with metabolic concerns or easy keepers (Nutrena lists its NSC at 10%), SafeChoice Senior and SafeChoice Mare & Foal.
ProForce is Nutrena's high fat line. ProForce Fuel and Fuel XF are Nutrena's highest calorie horse feeds, both at 13% fat, made for horses in heavy work and hard keepers.
Empower is the supplement and balancer line. Empower Topline Balance is a 30% protein diet balancer, Empower Boost is a 22% fat supplement for extra calories, and Empower Digestive Balance is a pelleted top dress supplement made to support gut health and normal stomach pH.
Nutrena's senior feeds, side by side
Since a lot of you are feeding older horses, here are the three Nutrena senior feeds we stock, by the numbers Nutrena publishes:
| Senior feed | Protein / fat | NSC (starch + sugar) |
|---|---|---|
| SafeChoice Senior | 14% / 8% | 18% |
| Triumph Senior | 14% / 7% | 21% |
| ProForce Senior | 14% / 11% | 18% |
ProForce Senior is the one with the most fat, for the active older horse or the senior who struggles to hold weight. Whichever you choose, have the vet check his teeth, and work with your vet if he has Cushing's, insulin resistance or any other health condition.
Ordering Nutrena feed from us
You'll find these in our horse feed collection. Triumph Active 12 Textured, Triumph Professional Pellet, ProForce Fuel and SafeChoice Mare & Foal are special order, which usually means a few extra days. Our own trucks deliver to the barn Tuesday through Friday on your town's route day, free with a $20 minimum, and our drivers carry the bags. See our farm feed delivery page for route days, or call 732-938-4470.
Nutrena feed questions
Is Stock & Stable a sweet feed?
Yes. Both Stock & Stable feeds we carry are textured, which is what most people mean by sweet feed.
I used to buy a Southern States feed from you. Where did it go?
Several of the Triumph bags on our shelves took the place of Southern States feeds we used to carry. Tell us the name you remember, and we'll show you what replaced it and walk through the tag with you.
Can I feed Stock & Stable to a horse with insulin resistance?
That's a question for your vet. For a horse that has to keep starch and sugar low, we usually look at lower starch options like Triumph Fiber Plus or the Triple Crown low starch feeds, compared with your vet's target in hand.
Which is better for a senior horse?
If your older horse is holding weight and chewing well, he may do fine on an everyday feed. Once he starts losing weight or struggling with hay, a complete senior feed like Triumph Senior is the better tool. Have the vet check his teeth first.