Alfalfa vs Grass Hay

Question
Hi, we have 5 horses ranging from 9 to 22 yrs old rough boarded with a good barn run in and in good health ( All trail rode) 2 are worked regular and 2 are semi retired and riden occasionally and the last one gets mixed in with the working ones now and then. My question is do you think feeding straight Alfalfa hay all the time is harmfull? we have been told it is ok by a vet then we have plenty of others warn of foundering and say mix in bales of grass hay or we will be sorry?? I would feel horrible if I was responsible for a foundering on any of them what do you think ?? thanks in advance for your opinion :)      
Doug Anderson-  

Answer
Hi Doug,

I've never had a problem feeding straight alfalfa/lucerne hay to horses.  Up until I moved interstate (approx 2 years ago) all I could get was pure alfalfa.  I always had beautiful healthy horses and never had any digestive problems or foundering from feeding it.

The only thing you have to watch is protein.  If you're feeding hay and concentrate feeds you have to make sure you don't add too much protein.  The recommended guidelines state 10 -12% protein, but I have fed up to 18% without any problems.  A bonus of the pure alfalfa with the older horse is that it is rich in calcium and magnesium which older horses need.

As long as you wean them onto the pure alfalfa over a couple of weeks, supply plenty of fresh water and watch the protein component of any supplementary feeds you shouldn't have any problems.  As far as I'm concerned, provided it is fed in moderation (remember it has higher energy/protein components than most grass hays so take this into account when working out how much to feed), it's the perfect horse feed - I just love it!

Good Luck!