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Honest Ingredients
The Science Behind Cowboy’s Choice Feeds
At Cowboy’s Choice, we believe great horse care starts with understanding the science of nutrition. Our feeds are built on four proven ingredients—almond hulls, rice bran, beet pulp, and alfalfa—each chosen for its unique benefits to equine health.
Rice Bran - Balanced Energy
This formulation combines three proven ingredients to deliver clean, controlled energy and balanced nutrition without excess starch. Rice bran supplies highly digestible fat and healthy oils that provide steady, cool energy, avoiding the sugar spikes associated with grain-based feeds. Naturally rich in gamma-oryzanol, rice bran supports muscle development and conditioning, while helping balance calcium-to-phosphorus ratios when paired with alfalfa, making it suitable for both performance and senior horses. Beet pulp contributes low-starch, highly digestible fiber that delivers calories comparable to oats without the starch load. It is gentle on the digestive system, supports weight gain in hard keepers and seniors, and promotes calm, long-lasting energy. Alfalfa completes the profile by providing high-quality protein, effective fiber, and essential minerals. Moderate in starch, it supports topline development, muscle condition, and calcium intake, resulting in a nutritionally balanced, horse-friendly energy source.
Almond Hulls - Equine Wellness
Almond hulls are the fibrous mesocarp layer surrounding the almond kernel and represent a highly efficient, functional fiber source for equine nutrition. They contain elevated levels of digestible fiber with a total digestible nutrient (TDN) value of approximately 62–64%, exceeding that of typical grass hays, which average 52–58%. This higher TDN supports improved digestive efficiency, enhancing gastrointestinal transit, enzymatic activity, and overall nutrient utilization. The soluble fiber fraction increases nutrient bioavailability and absorption, while reducing fecal output, resulting in lower manure volume and improved stable hygiene. Almond hulls provide fermentable fiber and non-excitatory, “cool” calories, delivering steady energy without the glycemic spikes associated with starch-based feeds that can contribute to hyperactive behavior. Palatable and non-toxic, they are supported by research demonstrating low postprandial insulin responses, making them well suited for metabolically challenged horses, including those with insulin resistance.
BEET PULP -
COPY TO COME
alfalfa -
COPY TO COME
Ingredient Science
Blue Pellet - Complete Hay Replacer
Complete Hay Replacer is a nutritionally balanced forage alternative designed to fully replace traditional long-stem hay while supporting digestive health, performance, and metabolic stability. Formulated with highly fermentable fibers and controlled sugar release, it provides consistent, slow-release energy without “hot” calories. Its optimized fiber profile promotes healthy hindgut function, improved nutrient digestibility, and enhanced hydration when fed as a mash. Added vitamins and minerals help meet daily requirements for horses with limited or no access to quality forage, including seniors, performance horses, and those with dental challenges. Complete Hay Replacer offers uniform nutrition in every feeding, eliminates variability associated with hay quality, and supports gut comfort, body condition, and overall wellbeing. It’s an ideal choice for barns that want dependable performance, digestive support, a dust-free feed, and safe, forage-based nutrition throughout the year.
Red pellet - CONDITIONING
This feed delivers energy from fat and fiber rather than starch, providing cool, sustained calories without the risks associated with grain-based diets. Formulated with rice bran, almond hulls, and beet pulp, it is grain-free, soy-free, and contains no alfalfa, binders, dyes, or fillers, making it well suited for sensitive horses. With a minimum fat content of 4.5% and a low starch and sugar profile (NSC approximately 11%), it supports performance, conditioning, and metabolic health while remaining safe for insulin-resistant, Cushing’s, and laminitis-prone horses. Almond hulls and beet pulp supply highly fermentable “super fibers” that promote hindgut balance and help moderate insulin response. The feed can safely replace up to 40% of the hay ration. Dust-free and allergy friendly, it can be fed dry or soaked, making it especially beneficial for senior horses or those with dental challenges while supporting consistent intake and overall digestive comfort.
Science literature
Medical Benefits of Almond Hulls
Research indicates that almond hulls are a safe, palatable, and functional feed ingredient for horses, with additional medical relevance due to their bioactive compounds. Clutter and Rodiek (1992) demonstrated that diets containing up to 45% almond hulls were readily consumed, supported weight gain, and showed increased dry matter and energy digestibility, with no adverse health effects. Fiber digestibility remained stable, supporting their use as an effective energy source. More recently, Hansen et al. (2020) reported a very low postprandial insulin response in horses fed almond hulls, making them suitable for insulin-resistant or metabolically challenged horses. Beyond equine nutrition, almond hulls are rich in polyphenols, including chlorogenic acid and catechins, which exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and prebiotic properties, supporting broader health and metabolic benefits.
Almond Hull: Bio‑actives
Almond hulls are a nutrient-dense source of fermentable fiber, minerals, and polyphenols with demonstrated benefits in feed and food applications. Containing roughly 32 g/100 g dry matter of dietary fiber and nearly 30 g of readily fermentable sugars and pectic oligosaccharides, almond hulls support gut microbiota, increase short-chain fatty acid production, improve barrier function, and promote metabolic health. Their mineral profile—especially potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron—supports electrolyte balance, bone and muscle function, and oxygen transport. Almond hulls also provide bioactive polyphenols, including chlorogenic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, catechin, and ellagic acid, which exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and glucose-modulating effects, supporting their use in equine nutrition and functional ingredient development.
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