High-quality, properly fenced pastures are one of the best and least expensive sources of summer feed for a horse. “The main feed for horses of early armies in those regions was alfalfa,” he says. 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. This hay is perfect for young or lactating animals that need concentrated nutrition. From This is the cut that’s taken before the hay blooms and is a good, solid, hay! When incorporating alfalfa into a horse’s diet, plan for the animal’s specific nutritional needs. We are located in Eastern Idaho where we have been growing our own high quality. By contrast, when settlers brought alfalfa west in the 1800s during the California Gold Rush to grow livestock feed, it did quite well. If your horse doesn’t need the high nutrition value of pure alfalfa, look for a mixed grass/alfalfa hay. Can be fed from the bucket or ground. High levels of calcium, on the other hand, can interfere with the horse’s ability to mobilize bones’ calcium stores during exercise. Plant breeding was also beginning by the 1900s, and plant scientists were able to develop alfalfa plants that were better adapted to various soils in the U.S.” Modern plant breeding has also improved this legume’s disease resistance. In some areas of the country, alfalfa is a regular part of life. This is a mold that causes black blotches on the undersides of the leaves of legumes, including alfalfa. Protein is essential for both the growth and repair of muscles, bone, cartilage, skin, hair, and blood. Protein metabolism creates more heat than fat or carbohydrate metabolism. Alfalfa has lower indigestible fiber than grass hays. 3. A study conducted at Cornell University showed that when given a choice, horses preferred untreated alfalfa to alfalfa that was treated with a mixture of propionic and acetic acid. Combining high-temperature dried grasses and alfalfa, Hi-Fi Senior has been formulated to be soft and easy to chew. You might offer performance horses alfalfa an hour or two before work or competition, during which acid can splash up into the nonglandular part of the stomach (where the cells of the lining do not produce protective mucus). Today, alfalfa still grows best in well-drained soils rather than wet soils. This combination results in a steady release of digestible energy. Forage legumes, such as clover and alfalfa, are members of the pea family and, so, are cousins of peanuts and garbanzo beans. As both the grasses and alfalfa have been high temperature dried, this is a very ‘clean’ forage source making it especially beneficial for performance horses or … A well-kept pasture also is the most natural and healthy environment for exercise and rest. This creates more urine and, thus, more ammonia odor. Abstract. Kentucky Alfalfa Update at the 2020 UK Stored Forages Conference February 8, 2020 Liming for a Successful Soil pH January 2, 2020 Placing 12th at the 2019 World Forage Analysis Superbowl December 31, … Alfalfa is a popular forage choice among horse owners for a variety of reasons. Forage for horses can be divided into two categories—grasses and legumes. lfalfa is often the pre- ferred forage for horses because of its high quality, high digestibility, and good roughage value.Well-preserved alfalfa hay should be the foundation of a feeding program for young growing horses, recreational horses, and active horses.This publica- tion describes the horse’s digestive system and nutritional needs and how to select alfalfa hay. Philanthropy & Alumni Horses fed to appetite consumed 17 to 25% more cubed alfalfa than long-stem hay. This can offer some cost savings if you also have horses that do fine on the less-nutrient-dense hay. Premium horse hay. The succulent taste stimulates the appetite of ill or post-surgical animals. The simple act of chewing creates more saliva, which also helps buffer stomach acid, says Lea. High quality hay can be an excellent source of nutrition for - including protein and calcium - for horses and ponies and is a very palatable feed.. Choosing the right hay for proper balance can be challenging, however. Additionally, it supplies more nutrients than most nonworking horses need, leading to obesity and its associated issues. The stems are thin and flexible, and it has a high fibre content. Normal horses can tolerate NSC levels of 20% or higher. For some types of horses—in either of those areas—-alfalfa simply isn’t a great choice. It typically contains more digestible energy, more crude protein and calcium, and fewer nonstructural carbohydrates (sugars and starches). Not all alfalfa hay is really high in potassium, but you have to test it to find out.”. Orchard alfalfa mix hay. Early farmers discovered its nutritional benefits, especially for hard-working horses, says Ray Smith, PhD, forage extension -specialist at the University of Kentucky (UK), in Lexington. To determine the nutrient content of any hay, have it tested. “With growing horses, however, use caution in amount fed, simply so they don’t grow too quickly or get too big too fast and become at risk for DOD (developmental orthopedic disease),” Martinson says. It, Other horses that do best with limited alfalfa are horses with the genetic muscle disease, Some horses with unpigmented skin should not eat alfalfa because they could be prone to, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. These individuals have problems processing and excreting protein and should be kept on a very low-protein diet. She says alfalfa is ideal for horses on high planes of nutrition, such as lactating broodmares, growing horses, thin horses, racehorses, performance horses, or young foals that aren’t getting enough milk. As Sampled Basis: nutrient results for a sample in its natural state including the water. Good pasture alone is sufficient to meet all of the nutritional requirements for many classes of horses. Quality alfalfa hay has high protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals. It was one of the first domesticated forages, planted and harvested in what is now Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan several thousand years ago. “Extra protein cannot be stored in the body like extra fat or carbohydrates and must be excreted,” says Duren. “The biggest benefit of alfalfa for horses is that it tends to be more nutrient-dense than most grasses when harvested at the same stage of maturity,” says Martinson. Some grass hays are also too high in sugar for these horses, and this is where a legume diet or mixed legume/grass diet can help lower total sugar intake. “It can make a difference how and where the alfalfa was grown and whether it was fertilized with manure—which really drives the potassium levels higher. It is ideal for ensuring maximum health and well-being of all classes of horse, deer, goat, llama, chickens, … See more ideas about alfalfa hay, alfalfa, grass hay. Understand how to interpret a nutritional and mineral analysis report of horse grass, hay and haylage so that you can improve horse feeding and health Click To Tweet. Extension   /   Years following drought typically see more blister beetles, as do central states such as Kansas and Oklahoma. Your horse is in good body condition; she is doing well on the grass/alfalfa-mix hay you are currently feeding. It is widely know that alfalfa hay is an excellent source of nutrients. Alfalfa is also a popular horse hay since it is widely available. When grass is not available, hay may make up the largest part of a horse's diet. “When alfalfa was first brought to the eastern part of the U.S. in the 1700s from Europe, it didn’t survive well—partly because of wetter soils and lower pH,” says Smith. It can be detrimental, however, to horses with impaired kidneys or liver. Alfalfa pellets are an excellent way of providing fibre in a concentrated form; No added sugar and low in starch; Alfalfa Pellets are rich in calcium and other naturally occurring vitamins and minerals Emerald Green Feeds Alfalfa Pellets are ideal for horses both young and old, they are very palatable and high in fibre content. Hay pellets. Thus, after a short conditioning period, horses will consume acid-treated hay. Dean High quality ("dairy") alfalfa supplies 20% to 25% more calories per pound than grass hays, although the difference is much smaller for more mature cuts of alfalfa. Also known as as fed or as received.. Dry Matter Basis: nutrient results for the sample with the water removed. Key Features. Research in Colorado reported that mature horses fed alfalfa cubes maintained their body weight better than horses fed equal amounts of long-stem hay. “The beetles will be very concentrated; if you find one or two you will usually find many.” He adds that 99% of bloomed hay won’t have beetles in it. Hay allows us to keep horses in climates and conditions not natural to horses. A horse eating more protein than the body can use will also drink more water (to help flush out the additional waste products). best hay for horses First Cut Hay. 859-257-4772, Students   /   “If you always check the hay as you feed it, you can discard those bales or flakes that contain beetles,” says Smith. Contains pure alfalfa and are a high-fibre source for horses, ponies and other animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats and camelids. Departments & Units   /   We know that for horses sensitive to sugar or carbohydrates (e.g., horses with insulin resistance, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, etc. “In California there are many cutting, reining, and other performance horses that eat a lot of alfalfa hay (due to its wide availability) and balancer pellets, and that’s their entire diet and they do fine.”. For instance, a horse that’s overweight and insulin resistant needs a lower-sugar hay (the alfalfa), says Martinson, but not the additional calories, “So we often end up doing a mix where those horses receive some legume and search for a low-sugar grass hay to mix with it.”. Heavily pregnant or lactating mares, and young rapidly growing horses, benefit from alfalfa's high protein content. He might even suffer from dehydration (due to extra sweating and increased urination from the alfalfa breakdown/flushing from the kidneys) and be more likely to experience heat stress. Forage that has been dehydrated, ground and cooked to make pellets can technically replace hay. Digital Media Library, “It can also be beneficial to horses with muscle problems that are prone to ­tying-up (due to their increased protein needs) or horses with, She says alfalfa is ideal for horses on high planes of nutrition, such as, “With growing horses, however, use caution in amount fed, simply so they don’t grow too quickly or get too big too fast and become at risk for, Alfalfa is also suitable for horses prone to, While feeding extra protein is wasteful, a high-protein diet in itself does not hurt a healthy horse. These horses are affected by hyperkalemia, or an excessive amount of potassium in the blood, which causes their muscles to contract more readily than normal and makes them susceptible to sporadic episodes of muscle tremors or paralysis. “Many horse owners buy bales of alfalfa and bales of grass hay and feed several flakes of grass hay and one flake of alfalfa” as needed, says Krista Lea, MS, forage extension specialist and research analyst at UK. Some horses with unpigmented skin should not eat alfalfa because they could be prone to photosensitization caused by black blotch disease, says Martinson. This can offer some cost savings if you also have horses that do fine on the less-nutrient-dense hay. ��RZ��n��ڛ�=�)Nw[a1�� � �� �3��~k]Ȭ��r���d�r��y��0��������,/�O�RH���H�yÄ�g�����Ow�]I|�qΔ����>�Q&��Ԟ3��c;��. 2-twine bales in 21 bale bundles. ), building a diet on a good foundation of forage is especially important—the oats, corn, and barley that make up many feeds are 55-75% carbohydrate. They are ideal for feeding outdoors and are particularly beneficial for breeding stock as they supply highly bio-available calcium and good quality protein.Dengie Alfalfa Pellets allow poor quality forage to be upgraded, whilst providing a good quality and nutritious feed for horses and ponies at a competitive price.One scoop of Alfalfa Pellets = 1.6Kg Chaffhaye is a premium Non-GMO Alfalfa sold in 50-pound bags that capture the key characteristics of alfalfa, while also offering a guaranteed level of nutrition. See Full Listing. Poisonous weeds that sometimes grow in alfalfa fields include ragwort, groundsels, Johnson grass, Sudangrass, water hemlock, and hoary alyssum. Chopped cubed hay (usually alfalfa or timothy or a combination) is another 100-percent replacement. “I have three horses with three different nutrient requirements, so if I have different kinds of hay I can mix them appropriately for each horse—to get the right balance for what they need,” she says. “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. However, when one considers hay as that basic forage, what criteria are used to describe quality horse hay? This can offer some cost savings if you also have horses that do fine on the less-nutrient-dense hay. These flying insects—dead or alive—contain the toxin cantharidin, which can kill a horse if consumed in large amounts. “This is especially true with foals, since they are smaller and spend more time lying down. However, when only given the choice of acid treated hay, the horses readily consumed it. RFV. No one can really understand why so little lucerne is grown in the UK, when worldwide there is 13 million hectares cropped for forage. Duren also doesn’t recommend feeding straight alfalfa to endurance horses due to its protein and calcium content. “These beetles tend to be more prevalent in late summer,” says Ray Smith, PhD, forage extension specialist at the University of Kentucky, in Lexington. Grasses you’re likely familiar with include orchardgrass, timothy, and bermudagrass and are long and stemmy. The more serious issue with these horses, however, is the liver damage from the toxins in the mold. View “Ammonia in stalls can irritate airways and make horses susceptible to respiratory problems,” says Duren. Weed, mold and beetle free. Owners might also offer the legume to horses needing to develop more muscle, particularly along the topline. WELCOME TO CUBEIT HAY “Premium Cubes for Premium Animals” We are producers of premium quality alfalfa hay cubes for over 20 years. Ideal hay replacer. Alfalfa and/or alfalfa grass hay is palatable and is often a hay of preference for horses. When looking for good-quality alfalfa, be sure it’s clean with no dust or mold—just as you would with any hay. In table 1, there is a comparison between a mid bloom alfalfa and a mid bloom timothy hay. These horses are particularly sensitive to alfalfa’s high potassium content. 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. Soak cubes to reduce risk of choke. Other horses that do best with limited alfalfa are horses with the genetic muscle disease hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP). There are many types of hay harvested from grasses including alfalfa, timothy, clover and rye. Because it’s so nutrient-dense, it is a good feed for underweight horses. 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