alfalfa or grass hay

Question
Hi,  We have a little paint mare 10 years old.  She was previously used for reining and team penning.  We have had her for 2 years and my daughter shows 4H all around.  She sometimes has a hard time calming her down for the pleasure classes.  I've been advised that she may need less alfalfa in her diet.  I tried switching her to alfalfa in the morning and bermuda in the afternoon.  The problem is that she doesn't like the bermuda and mades a big mess with it.  I'm worried that now she may not be getting enough calories.  We supplement her daily with Rice Bran and a multi-vitamin/mineral.  She is ridden daily but not hard.  We are in Southern California and she is kept in a barn.
Thanks for you help and advice.
Carol

Answer
Hi,  I would first make sure she has plenty of turn-out time.  She should have at least 12 hours of turn-out daily if possible to make sure she's getting some of her energy out there.  I know this is not possible at a show but it will still help when you go to the show.  At the show you can always lunge to take some energy out, I wouldn't recommend it on a regular basis as it's hard on their joints.  As for her diet, I would cut the alfalfa out totally, alfalfa is very high in protein and protein is one of the key components to excess energy in a horse.  I'm not surprised she doesn't want anything to do with the bermuda seeing how alfalfa is like candy and bermuda is much more bland to her, if you take the alfalfa out totally and she does not have a choice she will start eating the bermuda eventually.  If you want to try some other kinds of hay to see if she'll eat them better I would suggest any kind of grass hay, no legume hays which is the leafy hay such as alfalfa as they are higher in protein.  You can also feed soaked beet pulp with her grain to make sure she is getting enough fiber until she transitions over to the grass hay.  She should be getting her calories from the grain so be sure it is quality grain with low protein and high fat content.  I like the 10% protein pellet even for my performance horses.  I have seen very few horses on the local level of any kind of showing that need to be "pumped up" on a high protein diet.  You can also try  natural supplements that are formulated to have a calming effect, you should be able to get these at your local feed store or through your vet.  Some of these supplements are detectable through blood tests so be sure you know the horse show rules as to if horses showing will be tested.  I have re-trained some off-the-track thoroughbreds for the hunter ring and this diet has worked for me in "taking the track" out of them while keeping their weight on.  Hope this helps!