Hi Dr. Getty:

I am purchasing a new hay for my 2 horses this year, as my old supplier is now selling exclusively to the US. My old supplier had a very good Alfalfa/Timothy mix that was about 40/60 mix. It was excellent hay, but I did find I had to be careful how much I fed, as my horses got fat very quickly on it. They are idle during winter, except for the odd ride on a nice day! :) They also get about 1 lb plain oats, with a vitamin/mineral supplement (Purina Equi-Min) and about 3 oz/day fresh ground flax seed. I was feeding our Paint (15hh, 1050 lb) 20 lbs hay + grain as above per day, and my Percheron X (15.2hh, 1200 lb) about 22 lbs hay + grain as above. More hay if the weather was very cold.....especially at night. They live outdoors all year round, but have a nice run in shed to get out of the weather.

The new hay is an Orchard grass/Timothy mix...clean and sweet-smelling, but looks like mostly grass. I will be purchasing my entire supply from one cutting (first-cut). There is a slight amount of Alfalfa in it, perhaps 5%? I noticed some Alfalfa leaf on the floor after opening a bale to inspect it...can you give me any info if this is a good hay to feed, and if I should supplement more oats with it? My horses are 4 and 5 years old respectively and are easy keepers. I am hoping I can feed more of this hay, to keep something in front of them all day, instead of having to limit the richer hay. They don't chew anything, but I feel bad when they're out there when it's -30 weather with no hay in front of them!

Thank you for any help!
Tamara

Where are you from? Ontario, Canada

How did you locate this forum? Web search

Hi Tamara,

The new grass hay sounds fine to feed and will be better, actually, to offer free choice than the one that has 40% alfalfa. So, you can feel comfortable offering grass hay 24/7.

I would not suggest that you increase their oats intake. Otherwise, they may gain too much weight and they don't need the extra starch. Instead, you can provide a small amount of alfalfa pellets to their meal to boost the overall protein quality of their hay diet.

Thanks for writing!

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Colorado

Thank you very much Dr. Getty...I've never fed this mix before, and your answer has greatly relieved any worries. I already buy 45lb bags of Alfalfa chunks, for treats in the summer (I don't give my horses any added sugar, like sweet feed or apple treats...real apples only! :)). It is like chunks of compressed Alfalfa hay; I can feed this the same as hay on a lb per lb basis...in the really cold time, I can give 2 lbs or so...= to 1 - 2lb flake of pure Alfalfa hay. I will stick to my regular 1 lb oats/day, the V/M supplement and 3 oz of ground flax is ok?(I only feed oats from November to early March, mostly so they will eat the V/M powder!)
Thanks again Dr. Getty. I love this forum!
Tamara

Where are you from? Ontario, Canada

How did you locate this forum? Web search

Hi Tamara,

Your plan sounds good. I would suggest soaking the hay cubes a bit since they are very dry and horses tend to choke on them.

Keep up the good work!

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Colorado