over feeding lucerne

Question
hello ma'am. may i know why not to over feed lucerne(alfalfa grass) to horses? does it lead to bleeding?

Answer
Rohit,
Alfalfa is a legume hay and tends to be higher in sugars than grass hay.  As such it can cause problems in horses that are insulin resistant/have Cushings.  No reason it would lead to exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhaging commonly known as bleeding.  Because of it's higher sugar content it can make horses gain weight and a number of horses I've known sort of act like kids on a sugar high.  They're kind of nutty because of the sugar.  It is a good source of balanced calcium and phosphorous though.  

Lyn