Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
Welcome to my forum.
Here you will find more than 6 years of questions and my answers. It is searchable and offers a great deal of information.
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Take a look at my Nutrition Library and Tips of the Month for a variety of answers on selected topics. Be sure to sign up for my monthly e-newsletter, Forage for Thought.
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All the best,
Dr. Getty
Hello Elise,
Yes, alfalfa cubes are an excellent choice to boost the protein quality of your horse's diet. Alfalfa is a legume, and as such, it has a different amino acid profile than grasses. So when fed together, they complement each other, offering enough building blocks (amino acids) to keep your horse healthy.
Be sure to break them into small pieces and soak them for 30 minutes or so because they are very dry.
If your horse needs to gain weight, the alfalfa will help. Beet pulp can also be fed to provide extra calories but it will not boost the protein quality. So, if you have to choose one, go with the alfalfa cubes.
Thanks for writing!
All the best,
Dr. Getty 
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse
Where are you from? Bayfield, CO
Hello Elise,
When you say "grain" -- if you mean a feed that contains cereal grains such as oats, corn, barley, rice, etc. -- then this would not be appropriate for an easy keeper. You want to eliminate starchy feeds (and also sugar). So, you really don't need anything other than hay (free-choice, that is tested to make sure it is low in sugar/starch), a good vitamin/mineral supplement to fill in the gaps that exist with hay (preferably one that is flaxseed meal based such as Glanzen Lite Complete, and a small amount of a carrier feed so you can mix it with the Glanzen Lite Complete, such as alfalfa cubes or beet pulp. That's all -- oh, plus plain, white salt and temperature controlled water.
All the best,
Dr. Getty
Author of Feed Your Horse Like A Horse
Where are you from? Bayfield, CO