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What do you feed, grass forages or legumes Why2007-11-24 21:21:28Answers:

I prefer grass hay such as timothy and then adding a flake of alfalfa if that particular horse needs it. Testing your hay is rather important if you feed much alfalfa since it can range in protein content from 15% all the way up to 24%, which is a huge difference if switching loads of hay. It depends on the horse though. Maintenance horses but all other horses also need just plain old grass hay. If in a colder part of the country grass hay is the best "furnace fuel" to keep them warm. A horse can colic quickly if there's no roughage in his stomache, and it can also lead to ulcers. Alfalfa hays can't replace grass just because of the high protein, no free choice means the horses can't keep their gut and cecum moving, which can cause colic and if it's winter, it won't keep them warm. Some think feeding extra grain in the winter helps keep them warm but in reality it doesn't help at all in keeping them warm. The act of "fermenting" in the cecum causes the body heat and munching grass hays all night keeps them toasty warm. If you have late term mares, lactating or growing horses then more alfalfa should be used but not as the sole source of roughage. Testing the hay, knowing the horse's need for protein/level of work, and the weather all come into play in which hay to use. I prefer grasses because you can't go wrong if it's clean and weedfree, but too much of a good alfalfa can cause big problems. Also another thing I have heard people do commonly is feed fresh cut grass such as mowing clippings to horses, DO NOT DO! It can cause impaction in the gut and cause a serious case of colic.

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We feed alfalfa (legume) because it is higher in crude protein (16-20%) than grass hay (8-10%). The energy levels produced by both hays are the same (58-60%), but working or competive horses, breeding stallions and lactating mares need to higher protein levels to maintain weight. Protein also helps build muscle (think body building here). Grass hay is fine for maintenance horses that are not exercising as much or non lactating mare who do not have the higher energy demands.

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I keep mustangs. Since they are used to eating less than perfect food in the wild, I feed grass hay only - or at least I try to. But it seems almost everything has alfalfa in it, and too much will give my horses bad diarrhea. So to answer your question, I feed grass hay/forages because - for my horses - it is a healthier choice.

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I feed prairie hay (grass forages) to all my horses except lactating mares. this is mostly because it is a lot cheaper than alfalfa. To give my horses energy i feed a special grain mixture.

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I feed grass hay to my mare. It helps her keep weight on, though she gets three flakes. All the horses at my barn have grass hay. They prefer it over alfalfa.

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My horses have access to pasture that is nutritionally very good. (and not all pastures are, it depends on the grass, soil type, soil condition, etc.) and I need to do very little supplemental feeding. During the summer months, they are on pasture 12 hours a day and receive a small amount of sweet feed twice a day. During the winter, they have free-choice high-quality grass hay and sweet feed twice a day.

In our area, horses on good pasture are done more harm than good if fed alfalfa. It's too high in protein when combined with the pasture grass. In other areas of the country, alfalfa is lower in protein or is needed due to other poor-quality forage.