Can Horses Live On Alfalfa?

Alfalfa hay may not be the best feed for all horses in all situations, but it contains nutrients needed for many classes of horses. 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.

Can horses eat alfalfa every day?

Alfalfa is not good for all horses.
Alfalfa will fatten horses not burning the excess calories in alfalfa. You shouldn’t feed horses with liver or kidney problems high protein diets, including alfalfa. It’s is also not a good idea to feed endurance horses too much alfalfa.

Can a horse colic on alfalfa?

Any feed material can cause a digestive impaction if it is consumed rapidly. Many horses are safely fed diets consisting solely of alfalfa pellets without problems. However, poor quality alfalfa pellets or a rapid change to an alfalfa pellet diet can contribute to colic symptoms.

How much alfalfa should a horse eat a day?

Alfalfa cubes are a better source of forage than pellets.
With access to pasture grass or suitable portions of hay, most horses consume 2% of their body weight in forage per day. So a 1000-pound horse would typically consume 20 lb of dry forage in a day.

How much is too much alfalfa for a horse?

Alfalfa Hay Feeding Limits – Alfalfa hay (bale, cube, or pellet) should not exceed more than 50% of the total forage consumed per day.

Is alfalfa hard on horses kidneys?

Answer. Alfalfa (lucerne) products, whether hay, cubes, or pellets, are not known to cause kidney problems in horses.

Can alfalfa put weight on a horse?

Alfalfa is higher in calories and protein than grass hays, which makes it an excellent choice to help to add weight to a thin horse. If your horse tends to be wasteful with his hay, he may eat more when offered alfalfa hay cubes or pellets.

Can alfalfa cause a horse to founder?

Because alfalfa hay is more nutrient dense than typical grass hay, more care needs to be taken when feeding alfalfa. Alfalfa hay can cause horses to founder and develop laminitis due to the excess nutrients provided by the high quality hay if too much is fed.

Why can’t horses eat alfalfa?

“The biggest issue with alfalfa is weight gain in horses that don’t have adequate exercise.” Additionally, it supplies more nutrients than most nonworking horses need, leading to obesity and its associated issues.

What can I feed my horse instead of hay?

Six Hay Alternatives for Horses

• Bagged chopped forage. It can replace all of your horse’s hay, if necessary.
• Hay cubes. Chopped cubed hay (usually alfalfa or timothy or a combination) is another 100-percent replacement.
• Hay pellets.
• “Complete” feed.
• Beet pulp.
• Soybean hulls.

Is alfalfa or grass better for horses?

While most horses do well and thrive on a grass hay diet, other horses with different needs and medical conditions are better suited to being fed a diet of grass/alfalfa mix, or an exclusively all alfalfa.

What are the cons of alfalfa?

Feeding Alfalfa is an excellent alternative to feeding excessive concentrates to get more calories into a horse’s diet. Cons: Alfalfa can be difficult to grow as it requires good drainage and soil fertility to grow well. Alfalfa cannot survive close grazing and tramping so is not as hardy as grass for your pasture mix.

What is the most digestible hay for horses?

Timothy hay is a popular choice because of its easy digestibility and may be more suitable for certain life stages. However, alfalfa hay has a higher calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, which makes it unsuitable for younger horses. Timothy hay has a balanced calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.

What are the risks of alfalfa?

Long-term use of alfalfa, especially the seeds, has an immune-stimulating effect and can worsen autoimmune conditions such as lupus and multiple sclerosis. Weak estrogenic effects make use of alfalfa in patients with risks for breast or uterine cancer inadvisable.

How many bales of alfalfa does a horse eat per month?

A horse can eat anywhere from 15-25 pounds of hay a day, which generally equates to a half of a 45/50-pound square bale of hay per day (~15-30 bales per month).

How much alfalfa should I feed my 1000 pound horse?

Based on these feeding guidelines, a 1000 lb maintenance horse should be fed a maximum of 7.5 lb Alfalfa/Bermuda pellet and 7.5 lb of hay from a bale (long-stem forage).

Is timothy or alfalfa better for horses?

Alfalfa hay is typically higher in protein and essential nutrients than timothy hay, making Alfalfa a better option for more active animals that need a high-protein diet. Alfalfa also has more calories per pound than timothy, so it’s generally the preferred choice of sport horse owners.

How do I stop my horse from foundering?

To avoid grass founder:

1. Allow the horse to fill up on hay before turning out on grass for a few hours.
2. Place a grazing muzzle on horses predisposed to foundering to limit their forage intake. Grazing muzzles limit grass intake but allow the horse to exercise throughout the day.

Can you feed horses straight alfalfa?

Alfalfa is a high protein forage, so it makes an excellent supplement for horses that are protein deficient or for horses that have higher protein requirements such as senior horses or pregnant or lactating mares. Protein is essential for both the growth and repair of muscles, bone, cartilage, skin, hair, and blood.

Can horses pasture on alfalfa?

Alfalfa can be grazed as a single-species or mixed with grass. Red or white clover doesn’t regrow well when grazed by horses, so it’s best to mix with grass. Alfalfa and red clover can be appropriate pasture species for horses diagnosed with metabolic disorders.

How long can horses go without hay?

Ideally, horses should go no longer than 4 hours between forage meals and be fed on a consistent schedule. However, it’s hard to predict when, or if, an extended time period without forage will cause health issues like colic and ulcers.