Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
I would love to know what everyone else around the country is payng for feed. I stopped by the feed store last weekend to pick up next month's feed supplements. RM takes care of the hay, but anything else I want to feed I take care of myself.
I usually don't look too closely at the receipt as I've been buying the exact same thing for years. For this trip however, I picked up something for our barn owner so I needed to see which portion of the bill belonged to her. Wow - was I surprised. When I first started feeding beet pulp, a 50 pound bag was just under $8.00. I paid $20.22 this weekend. The rice bran was no better. I seem to remember that running about ten bucks a bag. It's now $19.55 a bag. As I write this, I am realizing that I first started buying these feeds at least fifteen years ago. Crap. I'm getting old. Back when candy bars were only a quarter and gas was less than two bucks a gallon ... I use a small mom and pop feed store that's been around since the 1950s so their prices might be a tad higher than say, Tractor Supply Company. So what does everyone else pay? I'd really like to know.
Even though we're from the same area, I occasionally buy feed in San Luis Obispo. I go to Lemo's (central coast chain) for 50lb bags of beet pulp. It cost me a few cents over $19.
Karen
10/28/2012 01:46:16 am
I've used CLS, but Fred C. Gilbert is closer to me. A buck or two in the price difference isn't quite enough to drive farther. $5 - more likely to go out of my way! :0) 10/27/2012 03:35:46 am
Since last fall - beet pulp has gone from $12 - $20 for 50#, and my ration balancer from $16 - $30 for 40#. As soon as hay prices jumped, so did the hay substitutes... good thing my horse is so cute! ;D
Karen
10/28/2012 01:47:32 am
CFS - I just haven't been paying attention. You may be right. I bet prices did take a hike when hay went up so high. Now that hay prices are nearly half what they were, I wonder if the rest of the horse feeds will come back down in price?
Val
10/27/2012 09:06:33 am
A 50 lb. bag of my horse's feed is $23. Ouch. Harley eats the most expensive feed that they offer, but he looks great, so it is worth it. I pay extra on my board bill to account for his feed bills.
Karen
10/28/2012 01:50:38 am
I don't mind paying $20 - $25 a bag if it lasts a month. It's when you have to buy two or three bags a month that it starts to sting! Does Harley's feed last the month or do you have to buy a couple of them?
Val
10/28/2012 10:58:16 am
This is going to sound crazy, but he goes through more than three bags a month. He eats more at a meal than any other horse on the farm, including the big draft! You would think he is galloping sprints or preparing for a 100! I remember that you said Montoya was similar with her caloric needs. At least his weight is looking great this fall. :)
Karen
10/28/2012 11:03:44 am
That's a lot of feed to buy, but you have to do what is necessary. Good thing Harley made it into your family and not someone with less compassion. 10/28/2012 02:37:02 am
I only buy feed for my 2 every other month and I spend $25 on their vitamins and $18.99 for their grain. The grain is just to help them put the vitamins down as they are both so fat right now off of air and a flake of hay it's silly!
Karen
10/28/2012 11:19:01 am
Those prices sound about the same as what we pay. Thanks for sharing! I haven't fed beet pulp for about 5 years - but I remember it being pretty inexpensive. Our barn recently switched to Tribute - which I had been feeding Riva for several months - so it is included in my board fee now. When I was buying it - KALM by Tribute - is was about $19 for a 50 lb bag. It was creeping up though in price.
Karen
10/28/2012 11:20:10 am
Kelly - it sounds as though prices around the country are actually pretty similar. I would LOVE it if my extra feed were included in the board bill. That's nice!
Emily
10/28/2012 05:04:06 am
I am in Indiana
Karen
10/28/2012 11:22:00 am
Emily, thanks for sharing. I am actually surprised to hear so many people reporting prices similar to ours. I thought we might be paying more than every one else. This is California, land of high prices! I guess I can stop complaining as everyone else is in the same boat. And as Calm, Forward, Straight said, it's a good thing our horses are so cute! Comments are closed.
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About the Writer and RiderI am a lifelong rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010. Welcome to my dressage journey. About Speedy GSpeedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
About IzzyIzzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
National Rider AwardsState Rider Awards
State Horse Awards
Working Towards:
CDS Sapphire Rider Award Third Level: 63.514% Third Level: 62.105% Fourth Level: Fourth Level: 2023 Show Season
Show Rating (***) CDS/USDF/USEF (*) CDS (s) Schooling (c) Clinic (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic 2023 Show Schedule
TBD 2023 Completed … Pending 2023 Qualifying Scores
Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Training Level 3 Scores/2 Judges/60%: Score 1: Score 2: Score 3: Archives
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