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| Which is the best way to feed? Pros cons |
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 Expert
Posts: 5290
| I feed alf/orchard mix thats about 70 % orchard 30% alfalfa. Grass helps their bowels move a little better and the alfalfa gives some calcium and higher protein. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| We are probably about 70/30 alfalfa/grass. We've never had any problems with it. I think feeding straight alfalfa can cause them to get a little hot, and you have to be careful because it's so rich. |
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Addicted to Baseball
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright, TX | We feed straight alfalfa and prefer it if given a choice, never in all my life have had one get "hot" on it. |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
 
| Myth 4: Alfalfa is too “rich” to be safely fed to horses. This seems to be a regional myth: Many horses in Western states happily and safely eat the very alfalfa that some East Coast horse owners are afraid to include in equine rations. Alfalfa does contain more protein, digestible energy and calcium0 than grass hays, but it is usually lower in soluble0 sugars. Its reputation for being “rich” may stem from the highly nutritious leaves, which are more digestible than most hays and can contribute to gastrointestinal upset and even colic if introduced too quickly into a horse’s diet.It’s wise to gradually introduce alfalfa hay to your horse’s diet, just as you would acclimate him to lush pasture grass. Most horses would get obese if fed good quality alfalfa free-choice, so it is usually best fed in limited amounts, supplemented with grass hay that provides adequate “chew time” to ward off boredom.
Alfalfa’s higher protein and calcium content do result in increased urine output (and water intake) but are not at all harmful to a healthy horse’s kidneys. In fact, it has been reported that the addition of alfalfa to rations of horses confined to stalls and fed limited amounts of forage actually protects against ulcers0, probably due to the buffering effects of the higher protein and calcium. Finally, contrary to popular belief, research has shown that alfalfa will not cause, and may actually prevent, developmental orthopedic disorders, such as osteochondritis0 dissecans in young horses.
The above has been circulating on fb and I'm SOOOO glad. Pulled this from http://equusmagazine.com/article/fact-based-feeding-14578
Love alfalfa and wish I could feed it free choice! |
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Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Any horse that is overfed can get hot. Alfalfa is wonderful, or I wouldn't have a 70/30 mix. But you throw a horse from grass hay with a huge lot of grain/pellets to supplement and on to huge amount of gain/pellets and alfalfa and they are going to get to feeling better because alfalfa is more nutritious. Just balance your feeding rations and you should be fine.
We've only had one horse with ulcer issues on our mix, but he came with the ulcers so we had to fix them. Once fixed, he's doing exellent. |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| It does recommend to use normal grass hay. I believe in using grass hay as well for the purpose of the long stem roughage cleans them out....totally my theory there but we've had to colic episodes *knock on wood* in twelve years.
We feed alfalfa pellets with oats then their hay is timothy orchard mix. I would love to have an alfalfa/timothy mix available but we can only find it sometimes. It seems everyone local he starts growing alfalfa only stays with it for a lil while. |
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 I'm not opinionated
Posts: 4597
Location: Online | There are horses out there that can't digest alfalfa well. I have one. I feed her alfalfa and she gas colics. There's just something in her system that can't handle the extra fermentation from alfalfa. Also, you have to be careful feeding it to anything that has been foundered. |
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Addicted to Baseball
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright, TX | Right, but it's not the alfalfa that's the problem...it's the person making the feeding decisions. Lower calories to an increase in calories, alfalfa being more nutrient-rich, better for horses with ulcers - the horse may act like he's "feeling better" because he's actually feeling better.
I'm not against a mix...I have an OTT horse who does fabulous on an alfalfa/wheat mix vs. straight alfalfa. But the myths about alfalfa are many. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1898
| The only way to know how nutritious the hay is, is to have it tested. I only say this because I was completely blown away by some results from a small local grower. I have never fed grass because I've always been told it did not have enough fat and protein to sustain a hard working horse. Our local grower's straight grass tested 1.2% higher in fat and only .8% lower in protein than his straight alfalfa of the same cutting and the sugar content was almost identical. There was quite a difference in fatty acids, minerals and vitamins between the two however. For whatever reason though, I have a mare that drops so much weight on the grass hay it is unbelievable.
According to Texas A&M, horses that are prone to ulcers actually do better on alfalfa diets then they do on grass hay diets. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1094
Location: Idahome | Alfalfa is a great digestive herb, WHEN USED IN MODERATION. I grew up feeding straight alfalfa because it was all we had access to. Never had any issues, but the more I have learned over the years I can't believe we didn't. It can be pretty hard on their kidneys. I have been using a mix for a long time now and notice a major difference in my horses. They don't seem to get sore as often or as easily. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| KylaKris - 2015-01-20 10:28 AM Alfalfa is a great digestive herb, WHEN USED IN MODERATION. I grew up feeding straight alfalfa because it was all we had access to. Never had any issues, but the more I have learned over the years I can't believe we didn't. It can be pretty hard on their kidneys. I have been using a mix for a long time now and notice a major difference in my horses. They don't seem to get sore as often or as easily.
I'm pretty sure you might be mistaken about that comment. Now alfalfa does produce more nitrogen in the body when it gets processed because of the excess protien, and nitrogen is filtered out through the kidneys, but it is not hard on the kidney's. The horse will drink more water to process the protein into calories which creates the byproduct-nitrogen, the nitrogen is then excreeted as urea, and usually has a stronger ammonia smell. I think people tend to think that it's hard on the kidney's becasue they see the horse urinating more often and the strong smell, but that's only because the horse is drinking more and the smell is normal.
Edited by FlyingJT 2015-01-20 11:47 AM
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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| I just had to buy straight alfalfa. Can't find decent grass hay anywhere. |
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 "Spaz-tacular"!!
Posts: 20309
Location: Bennett, CO | astreakinchic - 2015-01-20 7:40 AM It does recommend to use normal grass hay. I believe in using grass hay as well for the purpose of the long stem roughage cleans them out....totally my theory there but we've had to colic episodes *knock on wood* in twelve years. We feed alfalfa pellets with oats then their hay is timothy orchard mix. I would love to have an alfalfa/timothy mix available but we can only find it sometimes. It seems everyone local he starts growing alfalfa only stays with it for a lil while.
What is "Normal" Grass hay? Grass species and quality varies SIGNIFICANTLY by region alone.... |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
Location: Montana | We feed a 50/50 crested wheat grass/alfalfa mix. My reasons are because we get cold and the little extra "oomph" in alfalfa helps. Also, it is lower in starch, and my mare can look at a bale of hay and plump up! LOL. Also, it is what I found in really good hay (no mold, kept shedded, baled well and at the right time, certified weed free), and that makes a difference to me. |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| gotothewhip - 2015-01-20 4:08 PM
astreakinchic - 2015-01-20 7:40 AM It does recommend to use normal grass hay. I believe in using grass hay as well for the purpose of the long stem roughage cleans them out....totally my theory there but we've had to colic episodes *knock on wood* in twelve years. We feed alfalfa pellets with oats then their hay is timothy orchard mix. I would love to have an alfalfa/timothy mix available but we can only find it sometimes. It seems everyone local he starts growing alfalfa only stays with it for a lil while.
What is "Normal" Grass hay? Grass species and quality varies SIGNIFICANTLY by region alone....
I'm sorry. I should have said the article recommened adequate grass hay for your area to ensure accurate "chew" time for your horse to prevent boredom and that the horse's roughage requirements are met. In my area my normal "grass hay" is an orchard/timothy grass mix that HAS been tested for starch protein and mineral content.
I will say we learned the hard way that grass hay does not just vary SIGNIFICANTLY by region but care of the field as well. We had hay tested from our field which we bale and also tested the farmer literally 2 miles down the road. We usually start feeding in March when we feed out all of the hay from our field. Same mix of timothy/orchard grass but he does not fertilize and groom his field. The crude protein content of our mix was much higher and his was down pretty significantly. The (RFV) relative feed value of our hay was graded around a 55 and his was pretty low I can't remember the exact number. These were values from 2011.
Edited by astreakinchic 2015-01-21 11:58 AM
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| I have a question. Because all I've ever fed was coastal hay. They were always given 3 big flakes or blocks twice a day. Now that I've had to buy alfalfa hay which looks really nice.. very green leafy and the bales are heavy. I still have some coastal left to help introduce the alfalfa hay in with but how much alfalfa hay is usually recommended to feed at one feeding? I was told I could feed significantly less alfalfa . |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| want2chase3 - 2015-01-21 1:35 PM
I have a question. Because all I've ever fed was coastal hay. They were always given 3 big flakes or blocks twice a day. Now that I've had to buy alfalfa hay which looks really nice.. very green leafy and the bales are heavy. I still have some coastal left to help introduce the alfalfa hay in with but how much alfalfa hay is usually recommended to feed at one feeding? I was told I could feed significantly less alfalfa .
Yes you can keep one fat on less but horses still need 1-2% of its weight in roughage a day or your going to get problems. So weigh your hay first of all. You may find the most cost effective way to feed is to split every feeding with 2 flakes coastal and 1 flake alfalfa.
ETA- you will prolly be able to cut down and the amount of grain you feed which will save you money
Edited by astreakinchic 2015-01-21 5:07 PM
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