Alfalfa pellets

Question
Are alfalfa pellets bad for a horse?  We have a debate ongoing about this.  We have an underweight mare and are trying to get some weight on her.  She gets pasture, hay an alfalfa pellets.  Someone told me this was like giving a two year old straight sugar?  I am confused...

Answer
Robin,

No, alfalfa pellets are not bad for a horse.  I prefer the alfalfa hay cubes, myself because I soak them in water and mix them in with the feed.  I also add beet pulp.  Horses are biologically designed to digest fiber so this gets lots of fiber into them.

Biggest thing is why is the horse underweight to begin with.  If her teeth are OK (hopefully she's been checked by an equine dentist or the vet and had the needed floating/maintenance done) and she's not wormy then adding some fat to her diet will help with the weight.  She could stand with some groceries other than just pasture, hay and the pellets to get weight on her.  Look for some high fat/high fiber/low carbohydrate feed and add that to her diet too.  The high fat/low carb feed won't make her nutty but will help her put on weight.  There are lots of companies that make this kind of feed now - Purina, Nutrena, Blue Seal are a few.  

Give her the calories she needs and she should pick up the weight.  Add the feed to her diet gradually; start with about 1/2 lb. and build her up over a couple of weeks to probably at least 2 lb. twice a day.  Make sure the hay you are feeding is good quality.  Get a weigh tape and check her once a week to see where she stands.  You should start to see a difference in a couple of weeks.

If you don't then I would get her checked by a vet to see if there is something else going on with her that needs to be remedied.


Lyn