Why would alfalfa be bad for horses?

Alfalfa For Horses

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Why would alfalfa be bad for horses?

I have had many people tell me not to feed my horse alfalfa? I have always fed it and I exercise him often so he is not sitting. Why would alfalfa be bad to feed a horse?

Alfalfa hay can be fed safely, as long as it isn't fed in excessive amounts. Too much alfalfa is hard on a horse's kidneys and liver, because of the high protein content, and it can also cause laminitis or founder as Ash mentioned. There are, however, places in the southwestern United States where they feed straight alfalfa because nothing else will grow there. This includes southern Calfornia, BTW. But with this said, I will go on to say that there are situations in which alfalfa hay is very good for horses. Pregnant and lactating mares benefit from being fed an alfalfa/Timothy mix- it helps them make milk, and it gives the developing foal the calcium and phosphorous that it needs. Breeding stallions also benefit from being fed alfalfa as well as other grass hays- this helps them stay fertile through what has become an increasingly long breeding season.

The other big drawback to feeding large amounts of alfalfa hay is that the hay is generally very expensive. Most of the time, alfalfa costs twice as much per bale as most grass hays. That is because it is harder to grow and takes longer to come to maturity, so there are more costs involved in producing it. My grandparents had a crop farm where they grew alfalfa as a cover crop in alternate years, and believe me, it's not easy to get it to grow. It needs lots of moisture, especially in the beginning. If you get a bad drought, it will ruin the crop. Likewise, the plants are vulnerable to disease and insect problems, and require spraying to keep them healthy and free of weeds and other pests. But if you can get good alfalfa that's from the second, third or fourth cutting in a season, then that is usually the richest hay in terms of nutrients. We feed our horses alfalfa pellets in their grain, and have never had any problems with that. It gives them a protein boost, and helps our older guys to hold their weight, especially during competition season in the summer. As long as you exercise your horse daily, then you shouldn't have a problem either.

Because alfalfa is higher in calories than bermuda, makes a horse hot - gives them energy, if you will.

If your horse gets minimal exercise, is hyper in general, and/or sits in it's stall all day, then it's really not necessary. However, if you exercise him often, it's totally fine, even good for him. However, having your horse on a straight alfalfa diet isn't very good. He should have a mix a grass hay, alfalfa, and grain.

How much you feed really depends on the size, temperament, and workload of the horse.

Alfalfa is not bad for ALL horses. Since it is so rich and very high in calories, it is really only fed to horses that are in really hard work and need all that extra energy. Alfalfa hay that is fed to a lightly to moderately worked horse can cause a horse to gain too much weight, and it can also cause laminitis in horses that are prone to the disease.

Only buy alfalfa from above Kansas. If you get it down south and somehow a Blister beetle got stuck in there and your horse eats it, your horse only has 24 hours to live. I won't take that chance. I know other people who say "oh no that won't happen" but it will.

Alfalfa pellets or hay? Alfalfa pellets, used as daily feed is fine. However, feeding your horse alfalfa hay instead of a less nutritious hay (like grass hay) can be harmful. One of the main reasons why we give our horses an almost constant supply of hay is because its their instinct to graze continuously. In the wild they would normally graze for about 16 hours a day! This instinct passes over to domestic horses....

Alfalfa hay doesn't just cause weight gain, but it makes horses more prone to several illnesses and problems. For example, the great amount of protein in alfalfa hay actually slows down athletic horses.... This excess protein also increases the amount of ammonia in their urine, which will irritate the lungs of a horse. The magnesium in the hay will also increase the chance of your horse developing intestinal stones.

Now, if you were to feed your horse a 'healthy' amount of alfalfa hay your horse would remain hungry. This is why grass hay and other low-nutrition filled hay work better for horses. They can consume tons of it (as is in their instinct) without getting too much nutrients....

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What are you doing to your horse to make him tie up?? Usually it's caused by a disease of some kind, lack of water, intestinal damage, or other causes. you really should have a full panal blood test and physical done on your horse. My thoroughbred constantly tied up when she was 6 yrs old, and when we called the vet he said she [Sugar] had massive tumors in her chest and stomach regions. As for feedings... a flake of alfalfa, plenty of water (automatic waterers are the best) and easy on the grain.

Good information here:

http://www.alfalfahayfarm.com/Alfalfa_Horse_Feedin...

You must understand, many people who state this have an inactive horse stuck in a tiny stall all day. For those who breed horses, raise horses, and compete or work horses (that get at on of exercise), it is actually highly beneficial. We feed alphalpha blend hay, plus many grains and suppliments for our horses.

(Cutting horse and brood ranch)

Trust me, on a $200,000+ horse, you don't take lightly what you feed ;)

it's a really rich and nutritious grass. so they might get laminitis if they eat too much of it.