Alfalfa is often the preferred forage for horses because of its high quality, high digestibility, and good roughage value. Alfalfa pellets should be fed at ground level and can be sprinkled with water for any animals that may have dental issues, feeding disorders and that are prone to choke. All forage grazing animals need long stem forage in their diets. When feeding bagged hay forage products, The Standlee Hay Company also recommends that these products not be an animals’ sole source of forage when long stem forage is needed for normal digestion processes. We recommend that you feed by weight and not by volume. 1-2% of a horse’s weight should be fed daily in hay forages. This amount may vary depending on the animal’s needs and the horse’s activity. Therefore if a horse weighs 1,000 lbs and is a performance horse, 20lbs of forage would be sufficient, however, consult with a veterinarian or nutritionist for specific needs for your animal(s). Always use the concept which is “a pound of hay is still a pound of hay”. This means the caloric values really do not change, when an animal eats a pound of hay, regardless of how it is, long stem hay, hay cubes or pellets, as long as all are the same type forage. They can vary a little, from stem hay coming from field A, hay cubes coming from field B and hay pellets coming from field C. If they all came from the same field, same cutting, pretty safe the caloric values will be real close to the same. Make feed changes gradually over a period of 7 days.
The most important thing in a horse’s diet is water. Provide plenty of fresh clean water at all times.
Consult your veterinarian or nutritionist to develop a total health care and nutritional program for your animal. All health care programs should include regular deworming, vaccination and dental care.