alfalfa hay and enteroliths

["Jeanne Slominski" <EnduranceMorgan1@home.com>]

Susan,

 

I know the magnesium in our California oat hay is rather high. Normally, once the raining season starts, I feed oat hay and alfalfa. Sooo, now I'm feeding way too much magnesium? or do the two sort of balance each other out? Horses are currently on oat hay with supplements.

 

Thanks - Jeanne

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Susan Garlinghouse

To: Beth Gunn ; ridecamp@endurance.net

Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 3:04 PM

Subject: RC: Re: alfalfa hay and enterliths

Yes.  All alfalfa will be high in calcium, but alfalfa grown in the southwest averages up to seven times higher in magnesium than alfalfa grown outside the southwest.  Thus, enteroliths are much more of a concern when alfalfa is fed from those regions (note that alfalfa can be shipped long distances), because magnesium is one of the three primary mineral components of enteroliths.  By southwest, I would include CA, AZ, NM, NV and parts of TX, although not all areas of all of those states have soils high in magnesium.

 

Susan G