Quality and Safety for Racing and Performance Horses

Why cutting corners on feed can cost you far more in the long run.
Walk down the aisle, pick up a bag, and the tag looks familiar: barley, corn, molasses. The protein percentage seems decent. And the price? Tempting. It’s easy to think, “Feed is feed. My horse will be fine.”
But for racing and performance operations, that assumption can be a costly mistake. Many operations still turn to livestock feed out of convenience or to save money, since these products are often cheaper and even non taxable. But horses do not share the same digestive system, metabolism, or nutritional requirements as cattle or other farm animals. The result is a classic false economy — one that puts equine health, safety, and performance at risk.

Horses Aren’t Livestock

Horse and livestock feeds can look similar at first glance. In reality, what’s inside—and how it works in the horse—differs a lot. A cow’s rumen and a horse’s hindgut function very differently, so “close enough” isn’t good enough for equine athletes.

Different jobs, different nutrition

Livestock feeds are built for animals whose main jobs are to gain weight or produce milk. Horses are athletes. They need nutrients that many livestock feeds simply don’t deliver—particularly:

• Vitamin B‑complex for energy metabolism
• Vitamin E for muscle function and recovery
• Balanced amino acids, not just crude protein
• Horse‑appropriate, highly digestible fat sources (unlike animal fats, which horses struggle to digest and often find unpalatable)

Even when the tag lists familiar grains like barley and corn and includes molasses—and even if the protein or fat percentages look similar—the source, type, and digestibility of those nutrients matter. Some dairy feeds, for example, boost crude protein with urea, a compound that horses poorly absorb and which can even become toxic.

The Bigger Danger: Medications Horses Should Never Consume

Nutritional mismatches are one concern. But accidental exposure to livestock medications is far more dangerous.

Certain additives commonly used in feed for cattle and other livestock—such as Monensin, Lasalocid, and Ractopamine—are extremely toxic to horses. Even tiny traces can be fatal within hours.

And contamination doesn’t only happen if someone intentionally feeds a livestock product to a horse. Risks also include:

• Shared manufacturing equipment
  If horse feed is mixed immediately after medicated livestock feed, residues can remain if cleaning isn’t rigorous.
• Recycled livestock feed bags
  Even a small amount of medication dust still in the bag can pose serious danger.
• Bulk feed transport
  Hauling horse feed in equipment previously used for medicated livestock feed can lead to contamination if biosecurity isn’t strict.

While many feed mills are aware of these risks, not all follow stringent enough protocols — making your choice of manufacturer critically important.

Purina Canada’s Safety Promise

All Purina Canada equine feeds — including high‑performance and racing formulas like Veloci‑T Force — are produced in a medication‑free plant. The facility is:

• Annually inspected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
• HACCP certified
• Operated with strict transportation, sanitation, and biosecurity protocols
• Backed by consistent mycotoxin testing to safeguard ingredient quality

This ensures your equine athletes receive feed that is purpose‑built for horses, protected from cross‑contamination, and formulated to support optimal performance.

Need Support Selecting the Right Feed?

Your equine athletes deserve feed designed for their bodies, workload, and safety — not livestock leftovers. For help choosing the right Purina products or fine‑tuning your feeding program, you can connect with a local Purina Equine Consultant who is here to support you and your horses every step of the way. You can reach us through Purina Connect, which provides direct access to an equine nutrition consultant from the comfort of your home or right at the stable.