When it comes to the equine diet, good forage matters. So does having a choice. Horse owners still need quality roughage, but inconsistent quality hay availability, limited pasture access, and individual feeding needs are changing what they ask of it. Purina Animal Nutrition is entering the equine forage category with three pelleted Purina® Forage products built to address these feeding challenges, with added nutritional benefits and a unique ability to soften into a mash in as little as 15 minutes.

Purina is aiming to solve unmet consumer needs in the equine forage category. After more than 130 years of finding new and better ways to nourish animals, it is applying that experience to creating functional forage solutions for horses and their owners. By pairing quality pelleted forages with trusted technologies and specialized benefits, this new Purina® Forage product lineup gives horse owners more than a convenient alternative to hay and pasture, built around the horse they are feeding.

Meet The New Forage Lineup

Developed by PhD equine nutritionists, the three products offer different ways to supplement additional forage into a horse’s feeding program:

  • Purina® Forage Alfalfa Gastric Support Pellets are designed to help meet a horse’s roughage requirements while supporting the stomach with a combination of pelleted alfalfa and Purina® Outlast® Gastric Support Supplement, a proprietary blend of calcium and magnesium sourced from seaweed to support gastric comfort. This product has a limited ingredient formula made without grain, molasses, or binders.
  • Purina® Forage Beet Pulp Plus Pellets include beet pulp and alfalfa to help support body condition and hindgut health, along with rice bran for added calories from fat to help horses maintain weight. The limited-ingredient formula is made without grain, molasses, or binders and is designed as a low-starch, low-sugar roughage option for hard keepers, horses sensitive to nonstructural carbohydrates, and horses that have challenges consuming long-stemmed forage.
  • Purina® Forage Timothy-Teff Pellets feature a unique blend of timothy and teff grasses and are designed to help mimic grazing, along with guaranteed omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed to support overall wellness. Designed with easy keepers and other horses needing low-starch, low-sugar forage in mind, the formula is made without soy, grain, molasses. or binders.

“Forage should fit the horse in front of you,” said Mary Beth Gordon, PhD, senior director of equine technical innovation with Purina Animal Nutrition. “One horse may need support maintaining body condition. Another may benefit from a forage source that’s easier to chew or an option designed with gastric comfort in mind. We built this line so owners can make those choices with intention.”

More Purpose in Every Scoop

All three products feature Purina’s EasySoak™ pellet technology. In warm water, the pellets soften into a mash in as little as 15 minutes, creating an easier-to-chew forage option that can also help support water intake. The line also provides natural vitamin E and options for owners managing starch and sugar intake.

“One of the biggest pain points we heard from horse owners was the time required to fully soak traditional forage pellets,” said Jessica Normand, senior marketing manager of horse feed with Purina Animal Nutrition. “We saw an opportunity to solve that challenge by combining the convenience of fast soaking time with added benefits backed by the nutritional and research expertise Purina is known for.”

When fed according to their specific feeding directions and the horse’s needs, Purina® Forage Alfalfa Gastric Support Pellets and Purina® Forage Timothy-Teff Pellets can be partial or total forage replacement, and Purina® Forage Beet Pulp Plus Pellets can replace up to 50% of the horse’s forage. Always consult an equine nutritionist or veterinarian before making significant changes to your horse’s forage program, particularly when considering a partial or total replacement for long-stemmed forage.

Purina® Forage products are now available at participating Purina retailers. To learn more, visit purinamills.com/purinaforage.