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SafeChoice Horse Feeds

The SafeChoice you trust. Only better.

This is no ordinary feed. Inside each bag are generations of breakthroughs in equine nutrition for the whole barn. It is proof of our rich history that dates back to the controlled starch formula we pioneered for the industry. With tastes to please even the pickiest palates, SafeChoice® feeds continue to advance what’s best for horses: formulas to provide gut health, immune support, healthy coats, toplines, and muscles. No matter the horse, no matter the life stage, you know each bag is here for them. Just like we are.

  • Nutrena SafeChoice Digestive Shield Icon

    Digestive Shield™

    Supports your horse’s gut and immune health with our precise blend of controlled starch, pre + pro + postbiotics, and calcite

  • Topline Balance icon

    Topline Balance®

    Includes a specific amino acid profile to help support healthy topline for proper muscling and core strength

  • Nutri-Bloom icon

    Nutri-Bloom Advantage®

    Increases fiber digestion to support more muscle tone, better body condition, and improved overall health

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  • SafeChoice

    All Life Stages

    14.0% Crude Protein
    15.0% Max Crude Fiber
    8.0% Crude Fat
    Nutritionally balanced, controlled starch formula for all life stages and activity levels including performance horses – now with Digestive Shield™
    Learn more
  • SafeChoice

    Special Care

    14.0% Crude Protein
    21.0% Max Crude Fiber
    7.0% Crude Fat
    Low controlled starch formula with only 10% NSC for horses with metabolic concerns and easy keepers – now with Digestive Shield™
    Learn more
  • SafeChoice

    Senior

    14.0% Crude Protein
    16.0% Max Crude Fiber
    8.0% Crude Fat
    High fat and controlled starch formula designed for the unique needs of performance horses, hard keepers and older horses – now with Digestive Shield™
    Learn more
  • SafeChoice

    Senior Molasses Free

    14.0% Crude Protein
    16.0% Max Crude Fiber
    8.0% Crude Fat
    Specially designed, molasses-free formula with high fat, controlled starch, and key ingredients for older horses – now with Digestive Shield™
    Learn more
  • SafeChoice

    Mare & Foal

    16.0% Crude Protein
    15.0% Max Crude Fiber
    7.0% Crude Fat
    A controlled starch pelleted formula for pregnant or lactating mares, weanlings, and yearlings – now with Digestive Shield™
    Learn more
  • SafeChoice

    Maintenance

    12.0% Crude Protein
    18.0% Max Crude Fiber
    5.0% Crude Fat
    Controlled starch formula to help maintain body condition, best suited for maintenance or light exercise
    Learn more

See What’s New with SafeChoice

SafeChoice® feed still contains quality ingredients, organic trace minerals, controlled starch and sugar levels, Topline Balance® with guaranteed amino acids, quality fat sources and probiotics – but we’re making it even better with Digestive Shield™ and Nutri-Bloom Advantage®.

Nutrena SafeChoice Mare & Foal Testimonial Yearling

“My picky eater broodmare actually ate SafeChoice Mare & Foal during her pregnancy, and the foal who is now a yearling is still on it and loves it. She loves it even more now that Digestive Shield is in it. She is strong and healthy and thriving.”*

“We’ve been feeding SafeChoice Senior to our almost 31 yo quarter horse for the last 5-6 years to help maintain his weight and topline. It’s always met his nutritional and digestive needs. We whole heartedly believe SafeChoice Senior have given us many years to love our old man.”

“I’ve owned horses for many years and have tried tons of feeds; never have I seen such a difference one feed has made. I bought a very underweight horse who turned out to have PPID – SafeChoice Special Care keeps him from getting laminitic and other issues PPID horses are prone to…”

SafeChoice Athletes

  • Andrea Fappani riding horse

    Andrea Fappani, Reining

    “I have fed SafeChoice for 20 years. I like it because I can feed my show horses as well as all of my pregnant mares, weanlings and yearlings. When it comes to a feed that is balanced for every level of horses training program its Nutrena.”

  • Dan Tremblay riding horse

    Dan Tremblay, Reining

    “SafeChoice is my favorite because it is safe. Horses look good and clients are happy.”

  • Woman barrel racing

    Stevi Hillman, Barrel Racing

    “I choose to feed Nutrena feed because they have so many types of products for all of our different horses. Whether we are feeding our babies, or older performance horses, we are confident that each horse is getting the proper nutrition. Nutrena also has national distribution, and we can find it anywhere we are traveling.”

  • Jennie Brannigan

    Jennie Brannigan, Eventing

    “I only represent the companies that I truly respect and believe in! I am honored to represent Nutrena because my horses love the feed and I love how they look and perform.”

FAQs about Nutrena SafeChoice

What sets the SafeChoice products apart from other premium Nutrena feed like Empower and ProForce? It’s important to read these frequently asked questions to understand if the SafeChoice line is right for your horse or feeding program.

  • What is SafeChoice known for?

    First, the Nutrena brand changed the feed industry over 20 years ago with the debut of the original SafeChoice® horse feed, the first-ever Controlled Starch horse feed to hit the market. Prior to the launch of the original SafeChoice feed, unknown starch and sugar content levels were the norm in the feed industry. While starch and sugar are effective and efficient calorie sources in horse feeds, excess intakes per meal, particularly for starch, can lead to problems in the horse. By “controlling” and setting maximums on the starch and sugar levels, our SafeChoice horse feed provided a new direction in the feed industry and helped reduce the prevalence of digestive concerns for a wide variety of horses.

    SafeChoice also changed the game again through our Topline Balance® Technology, which focuses on amino acid content and balance to build muscle. Ensuring amino acid balance in feed is critical for delivering great appearance, strong recovery from performance, and sound growth and development. With the technology incorporated in our Nutrena products, you can build topline muscling on your horse through the feed you put in the bucket.

    Throughout the years, Nutrena has continued to focus on digestive health by including ingredients such as Pre and Probiotics and organic trace mineral complexes to support a healthy gut.  Then in 2023, Nutrena relaunched SafeChoice formulas, being the first feed on the market to offer a complete Digestive Shield™ with Controlled Starch, Pre + Pro +Postbiotics and Calcite to help optimize the entire digestive tract.

  • Why did SafeChoice change its formula and product line in 2023?

    SafeChoice is still the same research-backed, controlled starch feed horse owners have learned to love and trust in the last 20 years. SafeChoice feed still contains quality ingredients, organic trace minerals, controlled starch and sugar levels, Topline Balance® with guaranteed amino acids, quality fat sources and probiotics – only we wanted to make it even better.

    Our original SafeChoice feed that was formulated in 2003, and as our team of researchers and equine nutritionists continued to do research over the years, we unlocked ways we could make the line even better by improving palatability, lowering % NSC, adding Nutri-Bloom Advantage to more products, and unlocking our Digestive Shield blend of pre + pro + postbiotics and calcite. 

  • Do other brands have Digestive Shield?

    No; Digestive Shield™ is only from Nutrena and only available in the SafeChoice horse feed. In 2023, SafeChoice updated its product line up to include this proprietary blend of pre + pro + postbiotics and calcite because we know that horse owners are more educated and knowledgeable about their horse’s gut and immune health. Unlike other products on the market, SafeChoice guarantees biotics for the entire digestive tract.

  • Is Controlled Starch the same as Low Starch?

    No; Controlled Starch and Low Starch are two different things, and they are intended to be.

    Controlled Starch means that we guarantee maximum sugar and starch levels on our feed tags, so horse owners know exactly what they are feeding in every scoop. Until SafeChoice pioneered Controlled Starch formulas in 2003, many feed companies did not guarantee maximum sugar and starch levels on their feed tags.

    While SafeChoice pioneered the starch and sugar trends over a decade ago—it has never focused on being the “lowest” starch and sugar feeds on the market. What the SafeChoice products deliver is the control, and the options for horse owners to choose feeds with the proper starch and sugar content for their horse and their needs.This is on purpose because horses require different levels of Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSC) depending on their activity level, metabolic conditions, etc. SafeChoice horse feed ranges from 10% NSC in SafeChoice Special Care to 25% NSC in SafeChoice Maintenance.

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