lucerne for hroses

Question
QUESTION: hello, what all does lucerne contain? in what quantity to feed lucerne to racing thoroughbred horses?

ANSWER: Hello Caine,

Thank you for your question.  Lucerne is another name for alfalfa, and alfalfa pasture or hay is perfectly acceptable to feed to race horses.  In your previous question you asked about feeding rates.  Racehorses will generally eat 3% of their body weight daily...of which at least half of that should be forage of some sort.  So, if your only forage is alfalfa and you are feeding a 1000 pound racehorse, you would expect him to eat at least 17 pounds of alfalfa hay per day (approximately 15 pounds of dry matter).

Thanks, Corlena

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: so madam, thanks for the answer. what all does lucerne contain? my father's friend, a thoroughbred racehorse trainer told me that he would feed 5kgs of lucerne. did he mean 5kgs of lucerne per day or 5kgs of lucerne per meal?

Answer
Hello Caine,

Thank you for your question.  As we've talked about, lucerne (alfalfa) is a legume forage.  As such, it is composed of non-structural and structural carbohydrates, protein, minerals, vitamins and a little bit of fat...all of which are valuable nutrients for the horse.  I can't say for certain whether your friend was suggesting feeding 5kg lucerne per feeding or per day, as the horse could physically consume as much as 16kg per day.

Thanks, Corlena