Dr. Juliet Getty. | Photo Courtesy Dr. Juliet Getty
Do you give your horse alfalfa? If so, you might want to read this advice given by Dr. Juliet Getty to a reader question.
Question: We live on 10 acres of alfalfa. I had converted one acre to pasture, and split that in half. Can I graze our two horses on the alfalfa for an hour each day? What is too much alfalfa? We have been feeding them alfalfa/grass bales through the winter.
Thanks, Steve
Answer: Alfalfa is very high in calories due to its protein content. It tends to be the same, if not lower, in sugar and starch as grasses.
As long as your horses are not overweight, they can tolerate one to three hours of grazing per day, with grass (pasture and/or hay) offered for the remainder of the day and night.
Generally, fresh alfalfa will provide about 2 pounds of dry matter per hour of consumption (to give you an idea of how it would compare to hay, which is generally 90 percent dry matter).
About Dr. Juliet Getty: Dr. Getty has taught and consulted on equine nutrition for more than 20 years. Her website,Getty Equine Nutritition, offers helpful articles, a nutrition forum and a calendar of her events, including upcoming and past teleseminars to purchase and download. Dr. Getty serves as a distinguished advisor to the Equine Sciences Academy, and she is also available for individual consultations. You can contact Dr. Getty directly at gettyequinenutrition@gmail.com or (970) 884-7187.
Categories: Feeding.
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