Re: Quality Hay

[Susan Evans Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

sumralls wrote:
> 

>         I am aware of a big, fancy Arabian breeder who feeds straight alfalfa to the stalled show horses.  If you
> say it's best to feed quality grass plus a little alfalfa thrown in, what
> do you think about feeding horses straight alfalfa?  These horses in
> particular, most are not ridden, just lunged and halter shown.  (I'm not
> sitting in judgement, just curious)

Also not passing judgment, but there are alot of barns with big money
horses (just ask Tom Ivers, he'll back me up) that do some pretty odd
things management-wise.  Alot of people feed one thing or another just
because that's the way they were taught---not because of the science or
logic behind it, just because "that's just the way we always did it". 
Plenty of people believe straight alfalfa, the greener and leafier the
better, is the best thing for a horse.  I know of several trainers that
feed grass hay to their own horses but feed straight alfalfa to the
client's horses---not because alfalfa is the best thing for the horse,
but because the owner kicks up a fuss if he sees "that crummy dried-out
looking grass hay" being fed to their horse.  Other trainers may not
just know any better.

I don't care for straight alfalfa for a number of reasons, some of which
apply to all horses, some not.

1)  Alfalfa is generally a very rich hay, much higher in protein than
most horses need.  In performance horses, this can increase the odds of
metabolic problems---Dr. Ralston posted the results of a study she did
that as protein levels increased, so did the instances of metabolic
failure.  I think this was in eventing horses.  There is other published
data that found that in TBs racing over different distances, as the % of
protein increased over NRC recommendations, so did the time required to
run a certain distance.  In other words, the more protein they get over
requirements, the slower they ran.

In normal, everyday horses, there is increasing evidence to suggest that
high protein (as in straight alfalfa) rations produces temperament
problems (high horses) and skin problems like rashes and scratches. 
High protein definitely requires more water to metabolize and produces
more ammonia, thus more urine, thus nastier stalls.  If you had to stand
in a box stall 23 1/2 hours a day, would you want to breathe those
ammonia fumes all day?  Horses being fed straight alfalfa also tend to
have a much thicker, more lathery sweat, even after they're in shape and
are clean, etc (in other words, even after other horses have sweated out
the gunk and started sweating thin, clear sweat).  That thick, lathery
sweat is much less efficient at cooling than is thin, clear sweat, and
so in an endurance or eventing horse, recoveries would tend to be slower
than in a horse that didn't have to get rid of all that extra nitrogen.

There is also increasing evidence that high protein might be a factor in
bone problems like osteochondrosis in young, growing horses.  There ARE
other factors that also contribute to leg problems in young horses, but
high protein levels are one of them as well.

2)  Alfalfa is also very high in calcium.  This isn't all that big a
problem, but there are some theories (that I happen to agree with) that
excessively high calcium levels contribute to a condition called
hypercalcitoninism.  This just means that because the blood always
contains so much calcium from the alfalfa, the hormones responsible for
mobilizing calcium from the storage depots (the bone) get lazy.  During
a long endurance race when alot of calcium is being used up, the
metabolic machinery may not be there to adequately supply the additional
calcium needed for all that exercise.  As a result, you MAY have a
higher incidence of thumps, a condition due in part to calcium
depletion.  However, this is still THEORY and as far as I know, hasn't
been really demonstrated yet, although a similar condition in dairy
cows, called milk fever, has been well documented.  Any performance
problems (real or imagined) due to high calcium would apply only to
horses participating in sustained, aerobic exercise, not your everyday
pleasure horse, or show horses standing around all day.

3)  Alfalfa grown in the Southwest is notoriously high in magnesium,
which is one of the three primary components of intestinal stones.  The
other two are phosphorus and ammonia.  Phosphorus comes from rations
high in cereal grains and/or bran and ammonia comes as a metabolic
by-product of high protein levels (like from alfalfa).  Therefore,
southwest-grown alfalfa provides two out of the three elements necessary
for the formation of intestinal stones, which here in the southwest, is
a MAJOR cause of colic---I'm very sorry to say that we lost a very good
horse ourselves a month ago to complications of enterolith surgery. We
don't feed alfalfa ourselves, but he had been on straight alfalfa and
grain all his life before we bought him and as it turns out, had a nice
little crop of enteroliths that didn't show up on radiographs.  We did
everything we could for him, but he died anyway, and it was an avoidable
problem.

Anyway, magnesium content and their relationship to enteroliths is a
concern pretty much only here in the southwest---but if you DO live in
the southwest, or get your alfalfa FROM the southwest, this is just one
more reason to not feed straight alfalfa.  The high calcium content also
affects the pH of the equine gut and possibly this too has a
contributing effect on intestinal stone formation. 


>         I have also heard that if you feed alfalfa all the time, then throw in a
> bale of grass hay because maybe you ran out and it was a fix until you got
> more alfalfa, there's a good chance your horse will colic. ( I ride with an
> equine vet weekly, and he gets these type of colic calls regularly).  I'm
> curious why this is so.

Alot of this is because there are different populations of microflora
that inhabit the gut to digest fiber.  Horses (and other herbivores)
themselves cannot digest fiber, it's the little bugs in the gut that do
it for them.  The populations of bugs constantly adjust to whatever
forage is currently on the menu, so the bugs hanging around expecting
alfalfa is going to be different from the bugs that would be there on a
regular diet of grass hay.  So when an unexpected load of grass hay hits
the gut, the efficiency of the digestive system is lower than it would
be if the horse normally got grass hay.  So the fiber passes into the
hindgut not fully digested and is more likely to cause an impaction and
colic.


>         Also, if your horse is not "working" but out to pasture, is it necessary
> to add a bit of alfalfa to your grass hay?  On the other hand, if you are
> working your endurance horse, are you doing wrong by only feeding grass
> hay? 

Not necessarily to both questions.  If the pasture is good quality
(well-planted, fertilized, etc), it very likely is providing enough
nutrition.  If the pasture is NOT well-maintained, probably it isn't. 
It also depends on the land the pasture is growing on---for example,
Florida tends to be deficient in almost every mineral (because the soil
itself is deficient), so unless the land is being fertilized with
minerals, the grass is going to be deficient, too.  The soil quality can
swing the other way, too---some plants concentrate minerals, like
selenium, and so if a soil content is high already in selenium, you can
get toxic levels in the pasture grown on that soil.

As far as feeding only grass hay to working endurance horses, that's
fine.  Most good quality (emphasis on "good quality") grass hays will
provide enough protein for a mature endurance horse, as well as
sufficient minerals.  You are most likely to be deficient in energy,
which will need to be supplemented in the form of grains and/or fat and
possibly a few of the fat-soluble vitamins.  If you feed a complete
grain mix, like Purina Adnatage or one of the LMF feeds or anything like
that, the feed manufacturers already know that and balanced the ration
to provide for that.  If you're feeding straight grains, like
corn/oats/barley, it's probably a good idea to add a small amount of a
vitamin/mineral supplement (I just provide it free choice and let them
eat what they want).  It's much better to provide just ONE
vitamin-mineral pack so that all the nutrients are in the right ratio to
each other, rather than try adding in a bit of this and a handful of
that.  The only "purified" vitamins I personally add are biotin for the
hoof quality, and a bit of vitamin E, just because I happen to know the
particular ration I feed is deficient in E.


>         One more question:  The "most attractive" pastures I've seen seem to be
> fescue pastures.  They're thick and seem to cover the ground very well,
> even in winter.  If you were to create your ideal pasture, what would be
> your top two choices for pasture grass? (I know pregnant mares can't be on
> fescue, but this aside)  And what would be the pros and cons of these
> choices?


Not to be vague, but again, you have to choose what works in your part
of the country.  County extension agents are a terrific source of
information on what grows well in your area, and they can also help you
with finding out what type of soil you have and what to do to get a nice
pasture.

My personal favorite (and this is no great mystery) is a legume mixed
with a grass or two.  If I was to go outside and plant something right
now, it would probably be bermuda or orchardgrass and a mixture of white
and crimson clover.  That combination happens to do well pretty much all
year out here in California where we have hot summers, mild winters, not
a lot of rainfall (most of the time) and soil that's not always all that
fertile.  It's also a pretty hardy pasture, doesn't need to be re-seeded
every year, grows well, is nutritious and fairly cheap to plant.  

However, that's what works for THIS part of the country---this would be
a lousy choice for Minnesota or the Midwest.  And what would be a great
pasture there wouldn't work here.

There are alot of different forages you can plant to get a nice
pasture.  Hitting up your extension agent or a regional ag collefge for
suggestions would be a good bet.

Hope this answered your questions okay.

Susan Garlinghouse