Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Dr. Getty
Hello Sue,
Yes, this is fine – a mixture of alfalfa and grass hays is an excellent combination. The cubes are very hard and may be a problem for the older horse’s teeth. There are two ways you can go with this – soak the cubes in water for an hour before feeding or, feed alfalfa hay (make certain it is of horse grade, free of blister beetles) instead of cubes.
One thing I would recommend is to offer a small amount of a top dressing, such as Omegatin or a stabilized rice bran product such as Natural Glo Nuggets. You would only want to add a small amount – say ¼ to ½ pound at each meal. This will stabilize the pH of the hind gut so your horses will be less likely to develop intestinal stones (due to the alkaline environment of feeding alfalfa). In addition, these products will add essential fatty acids to their diet that will assist with their joints, immune system, skin, and hair coat.
Thank you for writing. I hope this is helpful.
All the best,
Dr. Getty
