Is Lucerne Hay Ok For Laminitic Horses?

For a laminitic prone horse/pony, low sugar roughage sources may include Teff hay, Rhodes grass hay, lucerne hay, beet pulp or soaked grass hay.

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.

What hay is best for laminitic horses?

Hay is likely to form the bulk of the diet for an EMS/PPID/laminitic horse. Late cut, native species grass hay is likely to have lower sugar levels than early cut improved species (e.g. ryegrass) grass hay. High fibre haylage may also be suitable.

Is lucerne hay high in 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.

Does lucerne cause laminitis?

Feeding too much alfalfa hay may therefore predisposeponies to laminitis, as the risk of laminitis increases when ponies become overweight (again, this is not as a result of feeding alfalfa, but as a result of feeding too much energy and protein which in turn leads to excess weight gain).

Is lucerne hay high in carbohydrates?

Properties: Lucerne hay has high protein and carbohydrate concentrations that contains more energy than grass or cereal hays and chaffs. It is rich in the essential amino acid lysine and in calcium, and low in phosphorus. It is also hight in potassium and extremely low in sodium.

What is the best hay to feed a foundered horse?

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 can you not feed a horse with laminitis?

Avoid feeds which provide high levels of starch per meal as these horses tend to be sensitive to increases in blood sugar and insulin. Supplements: Horses with laminitis may benefit from supplemental magnesium and chromium, both of which assist in sensitivity to insulin.

What hay is best for insulin-resistant horses?

Alfalfa can be an excellent addition to most horses’ diets, even for those that are insulin resistant (IR). I often recommend feeding it because it boosts the overall protein quality of a grass-hay diet and, in general, enhances the horse’s muscle tone, immune system and overall health.

What is the best grass for laminitic horses?

Try to graze paddocks that are sown with grasses that are naturally lower in sugar such as Timothy. Some grass types such as ryegrass are much higher in sugar and are commonly found in former dairy pasture.

Is lucerne high in starch?

Lucerne on its own isn’t the best feed for horses. It is high in digestible fibre, high in calcium and very, very high in protein but it is naturally low in sugars and starch.

What horse hay has the lowest sugar?

If you are looking for low-sugar hay for a metabolic horse, it’s all about how the hay is grown and managed. Teff can be as low as 5% sugar and the only other hay that’s this low in sugar is bluegrass straw—which is also used a lot for metabolic horses.”

Which hay is lowest in sugar?

What is this? In addition Timothy hay is higher in fiber and lower in sugar and calories than most other types of horse hay, making it a great choice for overweight horses. Timothy hay is also higher in calcium, which is essential for horse health.

Can you feed lucerne chaff to laminitic horses?

Lucerne is a good source of protein, and being a legume it generally contains a much lower level of fructans. It is safe to feed up to 25% of the ration in weight to ‘at risk’ horses. To be extra cautious, feed the second or third cut lucerne as these are lower in sugar due to being cut after the bloom stage of growth.

Can you feed a horse too much lucerne?

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.

Is lucerne hay the same as alfalfa?

Together with grass hay and oat chaff, Lucerne hay serves as a crucial source of necessary fibers and nutrients for horses. Lucerne hay is also known as alfalfa in some parts of the world– for example in North America.

Can horses have Lucerne hay?

Lucerne Hay is a favourite hay for horses and contains ample protein (between 15% – 18%). For some horses, this may be more than they require. Lucerne is an excellent option (due to high protein levels) for Foals, Mares with foals at foot, and growing horses.

What is the difference between hay and Lucerne?

Lucerne may have anywhere from 16 to 20% protein, while grass hay may only have 4-12% protein, depending on the quality of the hay. In general, the protein in lucerne is in excess of the requirement of the horse, and grass hay or oat chaff may be just right or too low to meet the requirement.

How much Lucerne should I give 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 too much hay cause laminitis?

What causes laminitis continues to be an area of huge research. It has become evident in recent years that although the over consumption of grass or feed high in starch or sugar is still commonly associated with horses developing laminitis, up to 90% of cases have an underlying hormonal cause.

Can laminitic horses eat hay?

Conserved forage, such as hay and haylage , is the cornerstone of the laminitis prone horse’s diet; as they typically spend longer periods stabled, or in a no-grass area. When it comes to food for laminitic horses, people often think about the bucket feed first.