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 Rescue Rat
Posts: 2844
   
Location: Louisiana | Im feeding bluebonnet intensify (perform and growth) but it will soon be not as avalible in my area. So i am having to re group my feeding program. I was thinking about a alfafa base diet with good quality hay and minimal grain. Just wanting to get opionions on this. I have a WIDE variety of horse from a stallion, broomares, babies, yearling and competition up to seniors AND minis. |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Alfalfa+rice bran=beautiful maintenance combo |
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 Swiffer PIcker Upper
Posts: 4015
Location: Four Corners Colorado | I've done it in the past free choice ton bales and I am thinking of going back to it if I can find a goods safe free choice mineral to balance it out. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | I think a diet of only alfalfa isnt good for the minis..their lil bodies cant metabolize it as well. |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | Like any hay type, alfalfa has it's good and bad points. It is easier on most ulcer horses because of the higher calcium. It also has some good applications on pssm horses as a partial component of the roughage in the diet. Not a very good deal on IR or Cushings horses. The super high protein and calcium testing alfalfa can be a very bad thing for OCD or Epiphysitis in young horses. I am sure that you know that you need to be very careful where your alfalfa comes from in your part of the country. Beyond that, I see quite a few diets that are based on alfalfa. While some sources are very high in protein, there is plenty produced that can make good horse hay. I really like some alfalfa in a coastal burmuda or other grass based diet. I am in Northern CA and it is easier to get alfalfa here than good grass hay. Lots of horses live their whole long healthy life without ever seeing anything else. That being said, I would rather see a blend if that works with what is available. |
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Queen Bean of Ponyland
Posts: 24955
Location: WYOMING | Alfalfa and rice bran  |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I feed alfalfa and rice bran in place of grain and am *very* happy with it. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| We grow alfalfa so that is mainly what we feed. Depending on the job and amount of riding time, we might supplement with grain, 2lbs or less per day. Broodmares and young horses spend a majority of their time turned out to grass pasture with access to round bales. If the young horses are gathered off of pasture we are careful about their diets as was mentioned because of the possibility of OCD lesions and epiphysitis. We like to also have a good quality grass hay so that we can feed that along with the alfalfa and a foal specific feed. We have a couple of ponies, and do not feed them alfalfa. Alfalfa is probably the most available hay in our area, so it is the main forage for many horses. I like how well our horses maintain a good body condition. |
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | 4x4performancehorses - 2015-08-19 4:50 PM Im feeding bluebonnet intensify (perform and growth) but it will soon be not as avalible in my area. So i am having to re group my feeding program. I was thinking about a alfafa base diet with good quality hay and minimal grain. Just wanting to get opionions on this. I have a WIDE variety of horse from a stallion, broomares, babies, yearling and competition up to seniors AND minis.
I sale prepped my yearlings on BB Intensify growth and development and they looked and felt awesome. The two I bought back came home and are now almost completely off the BB and are eating mostly Danco Omnis cubes and grass hay. They still look good and what really suprised me is that the snotty nose, yearling sale crud that usually lasts a few weeks cleared up in less than a week. Not sure if the cubes had anything to do with that but I really thought they would not get over it until early Sept. |
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | I feed alfalfa cubes and pellets with Renew Gold. They look good. Thinking about adding some oats too.
They also get costal hay. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | I feel that alfalfa is the best forage God ever invented. The vast majority of performance horse trainers feed alfalfa as the sole or main forage ration, in some form or fashion. Many feed it as the sole feeding ration, although many of those use a cube when doing that.
Personal preference drives much of what is considered best, from laymen to nutrition "experts". Straight alfalfa along with no concentrate or reduced concentrate is a truly great program. Are there other good programs? Yes, indeed.
I can say that you will not be doing anything out of the ordinary by trying it. I think you will find many benefits to a mostly or all alfalfa diet. There are a lot of top quality horses out there that have never been on anything else, and never will be a reason to. Good luck! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 600
Location: Oklahoma & Texas | I feed premium alfalfa as the base for all my horses and they all look great...they get alfalfa morning noon and night and then am and pm they also get renew gold and free choice coastal hay and then omegahorseshine,a little little msm and electrolytes too...they've never looked better! |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| My vet said his ideal feed program is alfalfa and pasture. I feed Omis cubes 1 x day with renew gold, they have 100 acres to graze. I have not fed grain in years |
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 I Want a "MAN"
Posts: 3610
Location: MD | Those that feed alfalfa and rice bran. Are you feeding flakes cubes or pellets? |
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3314
Location: Jersey Girl | I grain my horses once a day. I have 2 geldings, one 8 the other 23. They get a bale of good quality have between them and a flake each of alfalfa. I will prob be switching to the cubes soon tho.
I use a 13oz coffee can to scoop feed, the younger one gets 3 scoops and the older one 1 scoop. I also have them on Equipride. They are fat and happy! They are turned out 24/7 on "pasture" (using that term loosely) there is grass buy only enough to keep them busy no real substance to it.
Edited by fulltiltfilly 2015-08-20 9:14 AM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 795
Location: GODS country | CE's wrapn3 - 2015-08-20 7:09 AM
Those that feed alfalfa and rice bran. Are you feeding flakes cubes or pellets?
I have done both alfalfa hay and the cubes and I am on cubes right now and plan to stick with that. My performance horses also get some oats and Platinum Performance with their rice bran. |
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I Want a "MAN"
Posts: 3610
Location: MD | ecranch - 2015-08-20 7:53 AM CE's wrapn3 - 2015-08-20 7:09 AM Those that feed alfalfa and rice bran. Are you feeding flakes cubes or pellets? I have done both alfalfa hay and the cubes and I am on cubes right now and plan to stick with that. My performance horses also get some oats and Platinum Performance with their rice bran.
Do you soak them? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 795
Location: GODS country | CE's wrapn3 - 2015-08-20 7:56 AM
ecranch - 2015-08-20 7:53 AM CE's wrapn3 - 2015-08-20 7:09 AM Those that feed alfalfa and rice bran. Are you feeding flakes cubes or pellets? I have done both alfalfa hay and the cubes and I am on cubes right now and plan to stick with that. My performance horses also get some oats and Platinum Performance with their rice bran.
Yes, I cover them with water and soak usually about 30 minutes and then I have an older gelding that needs the soaked over night. I know that some people do not soak them, but I have had one choke, so I always do. |
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I Want a "MAN"
Posts: 3610
Location: MD | ecranch - 2015-08-20 8:05 AM CE's wrapn3 - 2015-08-20 7:56 AM ecranch - 2015-08-20 7:53 AM CE's wrapn3 - 2015-08-20 7:09 AM Those that feed alfalfa and rice bran. Are you feeding flakes cubes or pellets? I have done both alfalfa hay and the cubes and I am on cubes right now and plan to stick with that. My performance horses also get some oats and Platinum Performance with their rice bran. Yes, I cover them with water and soak usually about 30 minutes and then I have an older gelding that needs the soaked over night. I know that some people do not soak them, but I have had one choke, so I always do.
Thank you for answering all of my questions :) When you soak what do you do in the winter when it freezes? |
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Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | If you use hot water they are mushy and soup within 15- 30 minutes..just break them up.. |
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