Elite Three Review Pt. 2 - Cost Comparison

As many of you know, I used to feed two common products but when Sierra began to drop condition, I switched her to Elite Three. I really wasn't sure what to expect, but in a short period of time she began to pick up in condition and I was sold on the product.  I have been loosely tracking what I spend (vs what I spent previously), and was shocked at the results, so much so I had to share!  Before reading further, please keep in mind this is in no way a 'bash' to what I was feeding before - every single one of my horses looked absolutely fabulous on it, however it did not work well for Sierra.  Due to my findings as outlined below, I have since switched all my horses to the E3 program with the exception of my hubby's OTTB gelding still being on Canpressco.

Often I hear people say "E3 is so expensive" and you're NOT wrong.. but the difference is how long it lasts.  While it's expensive up-front (when I do a feed run it's usually at least $200, depending on what I need), it lasts a really long time as the amount you feed is so low! It's lasted so long that I've had this post sitting in my drafts for over two months before I had all the necessary data to compile it!

So here is the quick break down..

I was feeding:

Buckeye Grow N' Win

I was going through 1.5 bags in 30 days, which equated to $70/month

Buckeye Cadence Ultra

I was also going through about 1.5 bags in 30 days, which equated to $60/month

Canpressco Oil

1 4L Jug lasted me roughly 60 Days as I was feeding around 3 pumps per day, which resulted in a cost of roughly $40/month

Beet Pulp

At roughly $15/bag, 1 bag lasted 1 horse about 30 days.

For 1 horse, I was spending $185 CAD per month, which is equal to $6.16/day (based on 30 days per month)

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Once switching to E3, I still used Beet Pulp to bind the products however due to the nature of the Evolve 5, I cut it back significantly and can 'stretch' a bag much longer..

Here is what I'm feeding now...

E3 Evolve 5

I started at 1 Grain Scoop but have since cut back to half, which allows a 50lb bag to last nearly 2 months.  This results in an average cost of $24/month

E3 Body Builder

I feed 1 cup of Body Builder, and a 25lb bag lasts over 2 months.  It is equivalent to roughly $26/month.

E3 Hemp Oil

Much like the Canpressco, a 4L  Jug lasts roughly 60 days, which is equivalent to $40/month.  

Beet Pulp

At 1 cup (measured dry) per day, a bag of beet pulp lasts nearly 2 months, thus making the monthly cost about $7.50

In total, I am now spending an average of $97.50 CAD per month on 1 horse, which is equal to $3.25/day (based on 30 days per month)

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* mic drop *

Since moving Sierra to her new winter digs (which I will post on later) I haven't been giving her Beet Pulp but instead, I switched her to Alfalfa Pellets (which is cheaper than Beet Pulp) as she's free fed on a round bale of grass hay which isn't my first choice for her in terms of nutrients, but provides plenty of fiber.  I've reduced nearly all her E3 on days that she does recieve grain, but the above E3 & Buckeye/Canpressco numbers were derived from when she was getting a big mash daily to gain weight/condition. 

Now that she has moved, she is no longer being grained daily as it's roughly 40 minutes from my house (or 15 from my work) and life doesn't allow me to get there every day which stretches length of time the product is lasting me, however the price per day doesn't change. 

I'm now feeding E3 & Canpressco to my hubby's OTTB jumping prospect who got pretty thin in the pasture, and my 16.2+ TB broodmare who's traditionally not a 'super easy' keeper and I'm continuing to be thrilled with the results!

Coming up on 6 months pregnant!