How Much Lucerne Should A Horse Eat?

Lucerne (otherwise known as alfalfa) is a legume not a grass and due to its high nutrient density and digestibility it should only comprise approximately 1/10 of your horses total forage ration. It is the first thing to remove, whenever horses become ‘grass-affected’ in any way.

How much Lucerne should I feed my horse?

As a rule of thumb, allow 1.5 to 2 kg of feed per 100 kg of the horse’s body weight. However, it is safer to use 1.7% of body weight (or 1.7 kg per 100 kg of body weight) to calculate a feed budget.

Can a horse eat too much Lucerne?

Performance Horses in work or training.
With performance horses, as with growing horses and pregnant mares, Lucerne must be fed in moderation. Unlike the above classes of animals, excess protein in the diet of working horses, particularly those that are stabled, can be detrimental to their health and performance.

How much hay should a 500kg horse eat?

Working on this basis a 500kg horse will need around 3kg of hard feed and 7kg of hay during winter months – or less if you still have decent grazing.

Is Lucerne hay good for weight gain in horses?

The higher the level of digestible fibers, the lower the level of the indigestible ones. In the case of Lucerne, this also means more energy. If you want to increase the weight of your horse, feeding it with Lucerne is a good idea.

Can Lucerne cause colic in horses?

Indigestible fibre does serve a purpose in the horse, as it keeps the digesta moving through the digestive tract, like a laxative, which is also important for the health of the horse. But too much indigestible fibre increases the risk of impaction colic and reduces the energy supplied by the hay.

Does Lucerne make a horse hot?

Grains and grain based feeds, molasses and forages like alfalfa/lucerne hay tend to be commonly blamed for making horses ‘hot’.

How much Lucerne can a horse have?

Lucerne (otherwise known as alfalfa) is a legume not a grass and due to its high nutrient density and digestibility it should only comprise approximately 1/10 of your horses total forage ration.

Can horses eat wet Lucerne?

It would never be advisable to graze horses on Lucerne pasture – it is far too high in protein, potassium and nitrogen (Lucerne dominant pastures can present a risk of bloat or red-gut in sheep. Red-gut is caused by the rapid passage of high quality feed through the digestive system and can result in death).

How many times can you cut Lucerne?

The number of hay cuts and annual yield of hay varies with growing region and whether or not the crop is irrigated. A well-managed irrigated lucerne stand could produce 15–25t/ha lucerne hay per year, from 5–7 cuts. In dryland conditions up to 6–7t/ha could be produced in favourable years from 1–2 cuts.

Can horses overeat hay?

We know horses need to eat either grass or hay. When horses eat grass, you will need to keep an eye on their condition and make sure that they are neither eating too much nor too little. Horses can overeat grass, especially if the pasture is lush, but it is also easy to let a horse get too fat from eating hay.

How much hay should a 450 kg horse have?

Horses turned out for half the day consume approximately 1% of their body weight, or 10 lb (4.5 kg) of forage for an average 1,000-lb (450-kg) horse. These animals will therefore require approximately 10 lb (4.5 kg) of supplemental hay to maintain an appropriate body condition score.

Can you overfeed hay to a horse?

However, keep in mind that the bulk of your horse’s diet should be made up of grass or hay. Underfeeding hay or pasture, and overfeeding grains and concentrates can lead to colic.

Is Lucerne hay full of sugar?

Lucerne is relatively low in sugar and starch, containing about half the amount of cereal hay (oaten, barley and wheaten) so it doesn’t cause large insulin spikes and blood sugar level fluctuations and is very useful as a component of feed for horses with laminitis or metabolic issues such as insulin resistance.

What is the best hay to fatten up a horse?

Alfalfa
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.

How can I fatten up my horse fast?

Allowing 24/7 access to pasture or hay (or as much forage as possible). If increased amounts of hay aren’t enough, try offering a higher quality hay such as alfalfa or an immature grass hay. Alfalfa tends to be higher in energy and protein and lower in sugar. Alfalfa can be fed as hay or as cubes/pellets.

Does Lucerne give horses diarrhea?

Lucerne/Alfalfa… if it is really fresh and green it will often cause scouring/diarrhea.

Is alfalfa the same as Lucerne?

Alfalfa (/ælˈfælfə/) (Medicago sativa), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as well as a green manure and cover crop.

Is Lucerne good for laminitis?

Because it is lower in ‘sugars’ than grass, Lucerne/Alfalfa is often recommended as forage for horses and ponies with EMS and laminitis.

How long do you soak Lucerne?

It has been shown that nutrients, including soluble carbohydrates, may be leached from hay during this soaking process. The current recommendation commonly used is to soak hay for 30 minutes in hot water or 60 minutes in cold.

Does Lucerne need a lot of water?

Lucerne requires about 1200 mm water/yr to give good production. The volume of water given during irrigation should be sufficient to wet the soil to its full potential (maximum that soil can absorb = field water capacity) while the frequency of irrigation (time between irrigations) should be left as long as possible.