Hi, I have five horses, four are Thoroughbreds and one is a quarter horse and he is getting pretty fat on the straight alfalfa. I am in an area where alfalfa is the main hay fed. Alot of people feed it straight and I have spoke with a few that believe that straight alfalfa is not good for them, I agree, I want to feed a good quality grass hay but it is hard to find here(drought area) I can get some oat hay or what they call three way (oat,wheat,barley) I read that these are cereal grain grasses and can have the same effects as feeding grain. I am not sure what to do. I have started to feed a small flake of alfalfa in the morning and at lunch a medium flake of oat hay, then at dinner a small flake of alfalfa and some more oat hay, they seem to gobble everything up by morning. What do you think? Can this feeding schedule cause digestive upsets.
Thank You so much!

Where are you from? S. Utah

How did you locate this forum? Search for feeding how to feed oat hay

Hi Miss Lilly,

Yes, I know that in Utah, and points west, alfalfa is commonly fed to a large degree. While alfalfa is good, I agree with you – it is not best to feed it exclusively. Feeding grain hay is not really the same as feeding grain. It generally has some grain in it, so it is best to avoid it for horses that may be insulin resistant, laminitic, or have Cushings syndrome. However, it doesn’t sound like you are feeding a large amount.

So, you’re feeding schedule is fine, except I would add that you don’t want several hours to go by without them having some hay and/or pasture to nibble on. If they are out on pasture, that’s perfect. If not, I would add some more three-way hay so they have that throughout the day, and give them each 2 flakes of alfalfa.

You didn’t mention if you are feeding anything else in addition to hay. But, if so, it would be best to avoid feeding any grain or grain-based feed to your chubby fellow.

Keep up the fine work!

Dr. Getty

Thank you Dr. Getty for your response, I do not supplement the Chubbies, right now I only have the alfalfa and the oat hay (just started to back them off of all the alfalfa last week)and should be getting a three way soon. Are you saying I should keep oat hay in front of them most of the day?(in between alfalfa AM & PM feedings) Unfornately, they do not have pasture. Are you saying I should increase the alfalfa ration to two small flakes at each feeding instead of one? I worry how chubbie two of the horses are getting and they are not on any type of exercise program, too dang hot here to do anything.

I think that one of them may have had digestive upset last night, never had any problems until I changed to this new feeding schedule. I hear alot about probiotics what do you think about a horse being on them permanetly and would it be a good thing to put a horse on during feed changes? Sorry, a lot of questions. Thanks so much for your help.

Miss Lilly

Where are you from? S. Utah

How did you locate this forum? Search for feeding how to feed oat hay

Hi Miss Lilly,

Yes, changing the diet suddenly can cause digestive upset and even colic, so introduce the new hay slowly. I do recommend a prebiotic called Ration Plus, especially during feed changes. It is generally not necessary to give a probiotic (live microbials) or a prebiotic (microbial fermentation products) to a horse permanently unless the horse has some conditions that warrant this. For example, if your horse has digestive upsets or is prone to colic, Ration Plus is a good idea to offer indefinitely. Or, if your horse has trouble with his appetite (not your problem!), gets ill easily, has allergies, has mood problems, or is having trouble gaining weight – then Ration Plus is excellent.

Getting back to your feeding – yes, I think you should go back to feeding more of the alfalfa than you are currently doing. Before, you were feeding 100% alfalfa. So, instead, do a 60/50 mixture of 3-way/alfalfa. So, at least two flakes of alfalfa/day.

Put some three way hay out for them throughout the day and spread it around so they have to walk as far as possible to find it. That way they won’t stand in one place all day and eat.

One other thing that your chubbies will benefit from is Quiessence. This is a magnesium/chromium supplement that is excellent for overweight horses. You can read more about it on my website at www.gettyequinenutrition.biz/products/quiessence.htm

Glad to help!

Dr. Getty

Hello Dr. Getty,
Thank You, Thank You. I will take your advice on the chubbies, I did look up Ration Plus and it does look like a good product. I do have another horse that I am rehabilitating for his owner, he is a 16.1, TB, gelding, 12 years old, ex-racehorse. He got into some trouble out in his pasture a couple of month's ago and just about tore his front hoof off. Anyway, he does not have a heel to stand on and he has just received his first corrective shoe (extended) to help while the new hoof is growing in (about a year) he of course is on serious stall rest with rebandaging every other day. He was a hard keeper before all of this happened and he is now at least 300 lbs under weight (according to a second opinon from another DVM). He receives all the alfalfa he wants (not much of an appetite there for awhile) along with a total of 4lbs dry beet pulp (soaked) a day, a total of 2lbs of straight oats a day (just before he came to me, the vet had him for three weeks and his diet was free choice hay cubes and 2 gallons of oats a day (wow!) (This horse did collic a month prior to his accident, not sure why, though he was not drinking his water up like the others do and his oat ration had been increased to 2 gallons a day by his owner) he also receives a total of a 1 lb of rice bran (suggested by second opinon vet) and I have also started him on a dynamite hoof supplement, oh and 3 grams of bute is added to his pm feeding. He had been on antibiotics for about a month and a half. I am hoping that the rice bran is going to help with his weight. Does this poor fellow sound like a candidate for Ration Plus or another product possibly,(Probios - Bio Systems) that contains live bacteria?
(2)strains of Entercoccus Faecuim, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Casel, Lactobacillus plantarum. I spoke with the manufacturer of this product and they say to put a horse on it 10 days out of the month until he is doing better. What do you think? I want him to utilize all the feed that he is receiving. He is eating all of his food and lately he has really been eating up his alfala, I put it in a hay bag so that he cannot grab the flake, throw it on the ground and waste it. I know this was a long one.
Once again, thank you for your help.
Warmly,
Miss Lilly

Where are you from? S. Utah

How did you locate this forum? Search for feeding how to feed oat hay

Hi Miss Lilly,

For this horse, I would suggest a few things. First, Ration Plus will definitely help him gain weight. It is much better than a live microbial because there are more than 50 types of bacteria in the hind gut. Ration Plus feeds all of them.

I would also give him a B complex supplement – B Plex – to further boost his appetite.

In addition, 2 gallons of oats per day is enough to send any horse into a colic situation, and even a high risk of laminitis. This is far too much feed to be offering him. A meal should not be more than 3 to 4 pounds, max – a horse’s stomach is very small.

I would suggest that you completely cut out oats from his diet. This is not very effective for weight gain, as you can see. Instead, continue to give him beet pulp and rice bran. And, add flaxseed meal, and ½ to 1 cup of canola oil to his diet spread out over 3 to 4 meals/day.

This should produce weight gain.

Dr. Getty