Storage condition and age have a significant effect on vitamin content of hays. of hay per day. Feeding horses Alfalfa reduces or even eliminates the need for supplements which often have a … The quality of the hay will determine how much is needed and if supplemental grain should be added. High-quality (“dairy”) alfalfa supplies 20 to 25 percent more calories per pound than grass hays, although the difference is much smaller for more mature cuts of alfalfa. Heavily pregnant or lactating mares, and young rapidly growing horses, benefit from alfalfa… Nutritionally speaking, however, they are very different. In general, feed hay twice a day; limit alfalfa to one-half of your roughage; and feed grain according to body condition and use of the horse. Adding Alfalfa Cubes to Your Horse’s Diet Start by replacing 1/4 of your horse’s old feed with … The basic principles of feeding laminitic horses are well-established: Avoid high-sugar and … For the horse who might have some respiratory sensitivities, fines can be mixed into a meal or wet down slightly, but, in general, the particles are much too large to actually be inhaled into the lungs. Most hay is dispensed in flakes; however, the amount of hay in a flake can vary greatly, depending on the size of the flake and the kind of hay. Overweight. Alfalfa horse feed contain nearly three times as much calcium as grass. Alfalfa cubes are handier than hay flakes as they are much … Grass hay falls short of meeting the nutrient requirements of high production life stages, but is an excellent filler for horses that require bulk in the diet. 1 Flake timothy hay [email protected] x 4 flakes per day = 20 pounds per day x 800 calories = 16Mcal (16,000 calories) 1 Flake Alfalfa hay [email protected] x 4 flakes per day = 12 pounds per day x 1000 calories = 12Mcal (12,000 calories). Timothy, high-quality grass hays, and 50% alfalfa mixes make good forage for older horses, Ralston says. The short answer is yes, it is perfectly acceptable to feed your mares alfalfa hay. A simple formula to decide how much alfalfa to feed will enable the caretaker to monitor this intake. Most good grass hay (oat and rye) is 10-12% protein and 45% TDN and will have a 2 to 1 Ca/P ratio. Ultimately, alfalfa is preferred forage for horses because it digests easily, is high in fiber and contains many essential nutrients. Answer. Based on what we know right now, for horses that are kept in confinement, eating feed and getting forced exercise, it makes sense to consider some alfalfa as part of their diet, he said. Well, that all depends on the horse’s size, age and work load. Good alfalfa can be 18-20% protein and 55% TDN or energy. How much alfalfa hay do you feed a 1,200 pound horse and how often? More myths are associated with feeding horses than with feeding most other animals, in part because an increasing number of horse owners are unfamiliar with the basics of horse nutrition. 2015-41595-24254 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. If your horse falls into the at-risk category, consider these diet changes. This need can be met by supplying Alfalfa as half of a horse’s roughage. Bales– the typical horse owner feeds Alfalfa in ~50 pound square bales. Your hay analysis should show the DM content of your forage. High-quality (“dairy”) alfalfa supplies 20 to 25 percent more calories per pound than grass hays, although the difference is much smaller for more mature cuts of alfalfa. Your pony probably won't need the nutrition provided by alfalfa and clovers. A typical horse weighing 1,100 lbs. Alfalfa contains higher concentrations of protein and calcium compared to timothy hay (Table 1). Alfalfa hay may not be the best feed for all horses in all situations, but it contains nutrients needed for many classes of horses. Horses that are fed alfalfa cubes tend to eat all the cubes provided, whereas horses fed long-stem alfalfa hay will sort through the hay and not eat all the hay offered. Because of this huge drought in Texas, they are having to get their hay out of state and they're having some problems. When a horse refuses alfalfa hay products completely, then substituting other types of hay or soaked beet pulp without molasses with small amounts of Purina ® Equine Senior ® may entice the horse to eat more feed. Grass hay falls short of meeting the nutrient requirements of high production life stages, but is an excellent filler for horses that require bulk in the diet. These fodders, which are more energy and nutrient dense than many grass hay, are often too rich for a pony. Calcium is crucial for structural integrity of bone. Adding Alfalfa pellets to your horse's daily diet has its reasons. Try putting your alfalfa bale on an empty feed bag before you open the bale, and feed the small pieces that fall out in the feed trough or bucket. Adding horses to, or taking horses out of, a pasture containing an old horse changes the herd dynamics and sends the old horse to the bottom of the pecking order. Nutritional value. … After years of working with horses, it appears that it may, in fact, lead to laminitis in some horses. Canola oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil and palm oil are also used, but less frequently. But, it's essential to know that Alfalfa pellets won't replace hay. Equine Feed Calculator Fortunately, horses do quite well on a forage based diet of hay along with minerals and good clean water. Is alfalfa hard on horses’ kidneys? Horses can normally eat 1.5-2% of their body weight in hay, which equates to 18-24 lbs. Good pasture alone is sufficient to meet all of the nutritional requirements for many classes of horses. Getting your horse high quality Alfalfa Pellets, best organic pellets, is of foremost importance. Try putting your alfalfa bale on an empty feed bag before you open the bale, and feed the small pieces that fall out in the feed trough or bucket. However, some hays may be deficient in an essential nutrient or, depending on the breeding status and activity level, some horses may need more or less hay in order to be in good body condition. Alfalfa hay may not be the best feed for all horses in all situations, but it contains nutrients needed for many classes of horses. Adding Alfalfa pellets to your horse's daily diet has its reasons. Geriatric horses can also become especially hard keepers during the cold months as they use energy to keep warm. In addition, some older horses with reduced liver and kidney function find it difficult to excrete waste products associated with eating too much protein. A horse needs a fairly small amount of protein per day. While feeding extra protein is wasteful, a high-protein diet in itself does not hurt a healthy horse. It can be detrimental, however, to horses with impaired kidneys or liver. I've been feeding my mare one flake of alfalfa … Alfalfa hay and timothy hay are different nutritionally. Good quality hay should be bright green in color with little fading. Until further research is done, he recommends, horses weighing between 1,000-1,300 pounds should be fed about 1 pound of alfalfa after a grain meal. Your email address will not be published. For horses housed and fed outside in the more severe winter climates, it is strongly recommended that forages be offered in feeders located under a three-sided shelter. Our feed store is out of alfalfa hay and will be for sometime. Good alfalfa can be 18-20% protein and 55% TDN or energy. The amount of alfalfa cubes you feed a horse is dependant on the size and workload of the animal. They carry alfalfa pellets and that's what I'll have to use until they get more. Can I feed them all-they-can-eat alfalfa hay? Feeding rates recommended for concentrate feeds are based on feeding with good quality grass hay. Feeding rates recommended for concentrate feeds are based on feeding with good quality grass hay. For example, a 1,100 pound horse requires at least 11 pounds of roughage. Your email address will not be published. Always have your hay analyzed so you can match the grain supplementation to your horse’s needs. Heavily pregnant or lactating mares, and young rapidly growing horses, benefit from alfalfa… should eat approximately 16 pounds of alfalfa cubes per day. It is also an important component of hoof horn and research by the Royal Dick Vet School showed that including alfalfa in the … If you are feeding 100% hay and your hay contains 90% DM (or 10% moisture), your 1000 lb horse should be fed 20 lb of hay (18 lb DM/0.9) straight from the bale each day. Roughly 3/4 to 1 pound of digestible protein (DP) will meet most horses’ daily requirement. Therefore, the key to feeding older horses is to use high quality protein from sources like alfalfa, soybean … THREE RISKS OF FEEDING TOO MUCH ALFALFA TO HORSES: Feeding more protein than your horse requires can result in gastric indigestion as well as fermentation and putrefaction in the hindgut. The diuretic and laxative effects may be useful in a weight loss plan, but they are generally used to help to increase weight. Take 1-2% of the horse’s body weight and divide this by four. But, it's essential to know that Alfalfa pellets won't replace hay. The amount and type of hay fed relates to the other feeds you use and the use of your horse. The optimal compromise for higher forage quality and dry matter yield of alfalfa is to harvest the first cutting at the late-bud to first-flower stage and to make subsequent cuttings at 32-to-35 day intervals until late August or early-September, often referred to as a “4 summer-cut system.”13 мая 2010 г. Alfalfa can be an excellent addition to most horses’ diets, even for those that are insulin resistant (IR). Hay for ponies should be good quality grass hay. A mature horse can eat 3% of its body weight daily. Horses kept outdoors will have higher energy requirements and the higher energy forages such as alfalfa or … Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Protein, which is used for energy, has the added tax associated … Alfalfa is also very high in calcium (5 to 1 Ca/P ratio). Not all older horses are hard keepers. of their body weight. Remember to feed in as many small portions as possible. Alfalfa Hay, with its higher protein and adequate energy amounts might be the ideal feed for a hard working ranch horse, but it could be too rich of a feed for a retired backyard horse in the same amount. These individuals have problems processing and excreting protein and should be kept on a very low-protein diet. Horses require fiber in their diet for the gut to function normally It is recommended that the diet contain no less than 1 percent of body weight of roughage such as hay, pasture, etc. Flakes are a thin, easy to separate rectangular portion of a horse bale. If using good quality alfalfa hay, reduce the amount of Purina feed recommended by 1/2 to 1 lb/day. Clearly, weighing hay is the most effective way to measure the correct amount. Productive, well-managed pastures can provide most of the feed requirements of horses for the least cost. When it comes to feeding your horses you know how important it is for me to look out for healthy organic and natural products. Horses fed to appetite consumed 17 to 25% more cubed alfalfa than long-stem hay. If a horse is in training or working hard, its calorie needs increase. I have two Quarter Horse broodmares, one 11 and one 17 years old. If the horse is unable to chew alfalfa hay, substitute alfalfa cubes or pellets soaked in water during the initial refeeding period. After observing the horse for a period of time, the amount fed may be increased or decreased by 10% to obtain the desired body condition and weight. After observing the horse for a period of time, the amount fed may be increased or decreased by 10% to obtain the desired body condition and weight. Ponies need only the fraction of the feed that horses do. A bleached, yellow, brown or black color may indicate aged hay, mold or poor storage conditions. Horses also have a fiber requirement and tend to get bored when roughage (hay) is limited. That’s 30 lbs of hay per day for a 1000 lb horse. For variety in the diet, I found timothy and orchard grass pellets, and then a few pounds of alfalfa pellets for protein. Feeding a foundered or prone-to-founder horse usually means a magnesium/chromium supplement, with or without an amino-acid supplement, and an essential (as in Omega 3) fatty acid supplement. This is only a rough guide. The optimal compromise for higher forage quality and dry matter yield of alfalfa is to harvest the first cutting at the late-bud to first-flower stage and to make subsequent cuttings at 32-to-35 day intervals until late August or early-September, often referred to as a “4 summer-cut system.”13 мая 2010 г. Duren also doesn’t recommend feeding straight alfalfa to endurance horses due to its protein and calcium content. Getting your horse high quality Alfalfa Pellets, best organic pellets, is of foremost importance. Benefits: Legumes are higher in protein and calcium than grass hay, and may also provide more energy and a higher level of total digestible nutrients, such as vitamin A. 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