Rating: 
Horizon Legacy Dog Food receives the Advisor’s highest rating of five stars.
Currently, the Horizon Legacy product line includes two kibbles… both designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages.
- Horizon Legacy Adult Dog Food
- Horizon Legacy Puppy Dog Food
Horizon Legacy Adult Dog Food was selected to represent both products in the line for this review.
Horizon Legacy Adult
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, pea, pea starch, turkey meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, source of vitamin E), salmon meal, pea fibre, flaxseed, egg product, salmon oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, vitamin E), carrots, apples, broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, blueberries, salt, fructooligosaccharides, Yucca schidigera extract, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, pineapple, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, dried Rhizopus oryzae fermentation extract, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium bifidum fermentation product, and dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, d-calcium pantothenate, biotin, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), ferrous sulphate, iron proteinate, zinc sulphate, zinc proteinate, manganous oxide, manganese proteinate, copper sulphate, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, magnesium oxide
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 3.9%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first ingredient in this dog food lists chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost… reducing the meat content to just 20% of its original weight.
To reflect its lighter mass, this item should more accurately occupy a lower position on the list.
Which brings us to chicken meal… the second and (more likely) the dominant meat ingredient in this dog food.
Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The third ingredient lists peas. Peas are considered a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re loaded with fiber.
What’s more, peas contain about 25% protein… protein that must be counted as a contributor to the total protein in this food.
The fourth item is pea starch… a paste-like carbohydrate extract probably used here as a gel-like binder for making kibble.
The fifth ingredient lists turkey meal… another high-protein meat concentrate.
The sixth ingredient lists chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
The seventh ingredient includes salmon meal. Like the chicken and turkey meals previously detailed, this is another protein-rich compnent.
Unlike many fish meals, this item appears1 to be ethoxyquin-free.
The eighth ingredient is pea fiber… a mix of soluble and insoluble plant fiber derived from pea hulls. It is probably used here to add bulk.
In addition to the usual benefits of fiber, pea fiber can account for a trace of extra protein in this food.
The ninth ingredient is flaxseed… one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Flax seeds are rich in soluble fiber.
The company assures us these seeds are ground into flax meal before processing.
The tenth item lists egg product… a dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries… from eggs that have failed to hatch.
In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to have much of an effect on the overall rating of this product.
With two notable exceptions…
The manufacturer appears to have applied friendly bacteria to the surface of the kibble after cooking. These special probiotics are used to enhance a dog’s digestive and immune functions.
This dog food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to amino acids. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are generally found in better dog foods.
Horizon Legacy Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Judging by its ingredients alone, Horizon Legacy appears to be an excellent grain-free dog food.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 38%, a fat level of 17% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 38%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 39% and an average fat level of 18%. Together, these figures suggest an overall carbohydrate content of 35% for the full product line.
High protein. Moderate fat. And low carbohydrates when compared to a typical dry dog food.
With no evidence of any plant-based protein concentrates, this is the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.
Bottom line?
Horizon Legacy is primarily a grain-free kibble using a significant amount of poultry and poultry meals as its main source of animal protein… thus earning the brand five stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
Those looking for a similar kibble with slightly less meat may wish to check out our review of Horizon Complete Dog Food.
A Final Word
This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.
For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food brand… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
07/16/2010 Original review
- Per Horizon Customer Service, 7/15/2010 ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.