feeding alfalfa hay to horses

Question
hello, in how much quantity can i feed alfalfa hay to horses? i heard that it should be fed to horses in very less quantity.

Answer
Hi Caine,

Thank you for your question.  There are many people that are generally concerned with feeding too much alfalfa to their horses...but I have seen many horses fed successfully on an all-alfalfa diet.  There are some horses that react badly to alfalfa  so I would recommend that you take it on a case by case basis (the signs of reacting poorly to alfalfa would be gas colic or sore/laminitic feet).  Because alfalfa is more nutrient dense, you may find that your horse naturally eats less alfalfa then grass mix in a day.  Technically horses eat to meet an energy requirement...so once they've had enough energy in a day they stop eating.

I hope that helps.

Thanks, Corlena