Can Horses Eat Standing Alfalfa?

Horses can graze legume pastures and obtain the same nutritional benefits as they would eating legume hay. In a pasture setting, says Martinson, horses can graze alfalfa in pure stands or in mixtures with grasses, as is more common.

Can you feed horses straight alfalfa?

“A lot of horse owners are intimidated by alfalfa and think they shouldn’t feed it, but it is a great feed for horses,” says Martinson. “Owners just need to manage the diet carefully … and make transitions to and from alfalfa slowly.”

Why can’t horses eat alfalfa?

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 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.

Can horses digest alfalfa?

Horses are non-ruminant herbivores of a type known as a “hind-gut fermenter.” This means that horses have a simple stomach, just like us. However, unlike humans, they also have the ability to digest plant fiber (largely cellulose) that comes from grass and hay.

Can you free feed alfalfa to horses?

In the case of mature horses, free-choice alfalfa hay will certainly provide enough protein to satisfy requirements. As a practical recommendation, select alfalfa hays which do not contain extremely high levels of protein (greater than 17% crude protein).

Is soaked alfalfa good for horses?

Alfalfa and orchardgrass need to soak for 60 minutes to reduce K to recommended levels prior to feeding HYPP horses. While soaking reduces K, neither alfalfa or orchardgrass is a good option for HYPP horses. Both of these forages are naturally high in K.

How much alfalfa is too much 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.

How many bales of alfalfa does a horse eat?

Q: How many bales of hay 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). What is this? Always remember to take into consideration the quality of your hay.

What hay should horses not eat?

Types of Hay for Horses—What to Avoid

• Perennial ryegrass and rye.
• Dallisgrass.
• Argentine bahiagrass.
• Johnsongrass, Sorghum grasses/Sudangrass.
• Switchgrass, which causes photosensitivity, peeling skin, mouth ulcers and liver disease.
• Foxtail Millet (aka German Millet) and Meadow foxtail.

Is grass hay or alfalfa better for horses?

Grass hay typically has lower nutritional values than alfalfa hay, and is also lower in calcium, making it closer to a more desirable Ca:P. ratio (between 3:1 to 1:1). Also, grass hay is often less dusty than alfalfa hay, so it a good choice for horses that have respiratory issues.

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.

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.

How can you tell if a horse is foundering?

Symptoms of Founder in Horses

1. Sudden lameness at the walk.
2. Increased heat in the hoof wall.
3. Increased digital pulses.
4. Hoof tester sensitivity over the toe of the horse.

What to feed a horse that is foundering?

Feed grass hay, possibly a little alfalfa hay, or rinsed sugar beet, BUT stay away from corn, oats, barley, and especially stay away from sugar as molasses. Feed extra fat in the form of oil or rice bran if you need to get energy into the horse.

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.

How many pounds of alfalfa Can a horse eat a day?

The average horse will eat about 2% of its body weight daily (1.5 to 3.0% range) of dry (as fed) feed. A horse that weighs 1100 lbs. (average 15 hand Quarter Horse) will eat about 22 lbs. of dry feed (hay) each day.

How many flakes of alfalfa does a horse need per day?

The daily dry matter intake of an adult horse performing light work should be about 1.8% of its body weight each day. At least 65% of this amount should be forage. In other words, a 1,000 lb horse should be fed 18 pounds of dry matter each day.

What happens if a horse eats moldy alfalfa?

Organ damage can occur, including liver and kidney failure. Depending on the severity of the reaction, the toxins can lead to death. Reproductive issues are another consequence of eating moldy hay. Mares may have unexpected abortions, stillbirths or produce a foal with congenital defects.

What cut of alfalfa is best for horses?

Second Cutting
This is the most common cutting of hay that horse owners give to their horses, and for a good reason. It is greener and more substantial, with more leaves and a sweet smell. This hay contains a lot of protein and fat, so it is excellent for horses that exercise.

Does soaking alfalfa remove sugar?

Soaking hay before feeding is one way to lower the sugar levels, but it reduces more than sugar. Soaking hay is one way to reduce the amount of sugar in the hay, but it should only be used as a stopgap method until a more appropriate hay can be found.