Reader Question on Feeding Alfalfa Pellets

I received this question via e-mail from Savony. ”Functional Horseman, I've watched your videos on feeding horses. Thanks you very much. (My question is) Sometimes I have a hard time buying hay. Sometimes the feed store is even out of the hay. One of my friends told me to feed alfalfa pellets and to replace the hay pound for pound with the alfalfa pellets. What do you think?”

Savony, this is a timely e-mail question. I recently responded to friends of mine who ran out of hay was feeding solely alfalfa pellets and their horse started exhibiting signs of colic or gut distress.  He was feeding his horse alfalfa pellets dry (without soaking them in water) and made his change overnight, without a gradual introduction to the change.     

You can certainly augment your horses daily feed with a ration of alfalfa pellets or cubes. I would do several things to reduce associated problems.

One – integrate the new feed gradual like. If you feed 20 lbs of hay one day, then on the next, you substitute the hay with 20 lbs of pellets you’ll probably have problems. I would start with one half pound per day and build up from here, however my bias is to not feed more than a few pounds, maybe 3 or 4 pounds maximum, of pelleted/cubed feed at any one time. Although, most of the pelleted feed manufacturers will have their  feeding directions on the bags and these will generally advise to feed 1.5 to 2 lbs of pellets or cubes per 100 lbs of body weight or 20 lbs a day divided up into 10 lb feedings, given twice a day. I would not do this. If I had to feed pelleted feed alone, then I would feed smaller amounts more often through the day.

Two – I would soak the alfalfa pellets in water prior to feeding. Put Alfalfa pellets in a bucket, pour water to cover, let stand a few minutes, drain excess water then feed. It’ll probably look like mush but this will help the horse chew it and reduce chances of choke where larger pellet pieces get stuck in the esophagus. If your horse gets choke, and you’ll know it, remove all feed, call your vet, keep the horse’s head down to drain mucous from the nose and if you see a lump in the esophagus when you may be able to massage it down the throat.

Three – feed a pelleted feed with a small percentage of protein. Alfalfa hay is around 18 – 22 % protein. Horses don’t need that much protein. That's why I feed both Alfalfa Hay and Grass Hay (10% protein).  I also feed a pelleted feed, with 12% protein, and only feed a small amount to supplement their hay. A horse really needs long stem hay for their fiber needs. Another problem with feeding pelleted feeds is that, if soaked and it should be soaked, the horse easily crushes the wet cubes and this may not satisfy the horses chewing needs. You may see more cribbing.

So in summary Savony, you sure could substitute the pelleted feed for hay, but do it gradually; be sure to soak it prior to feeding; give a smaller amounts more often; watch your horses for changes in their body condition and any sign of problems. You are not the only one having problem finding hay. A lot of people are either/or having a harder time getting hay or paying through the nose for it and have decided to reduce hay usage through the feeding of pelleted feeds. Safe Journey.

Horse Nutrition – Determining the Horses Energy Needs

I have, and I suggest other horse owners buy, two primary Horse Nutritional References: “Equine Clinical Nutrition, Feeding and Care”, by Lon Lewis and “Feed to Win II”, by the Research Staff of Equine Research, Inc.

Both books provide great information in not only understanding equine nutrition but all other problems relating to feeds and digestion such as parasites, disease, colic, etc.

Jenny from upstate New York e-mailed me with the comment that a previous post and video from me stated an average horse needs about 20 lbs of hay a day. She contends that she provides her horse much less a day in straight alfalfa. Jenny estimates that she feeds about 13 lbs of hay a day to her gelding, “Roberto”.

I’m not going to argue with Jenny,…..don’t like to argue in the first place, and in the second place, she is with her horse, I’m not. But how old her horse is, what condition he is in, how much energy he expends, and how much he weighs are all among the biggest factors that go into how much that particular horse needs.

So in this post I am going to simplify and outline what Lon Lewis has written about horse energy needs.

The average horse, say 1,100 lbs, for maintenance – meaning not losing nor gaining weight, needs a daily Digestible Energy (DE) level measured in Mega-Calories (Mcals) of 16.4 Mcals. Where larger Draft type horses have a higher DE requirement, from 19 to 24 Mcals.

When performing additional work, the Horse needs additional energy (DE):

Working Horses in a light capacity: DE = Maintenance level DE x 1.25

Moderately working horses: DE = Maintenance level DE x 1.5

Intensely working horses: DE = Maintenance level DE x 2.0

With Alfalfa averaging 1.10 Mcal per pound, an 1,100 lb horse would need 14.9 lbs of Alfalfa each day for his Maintenance DE requirements. Take 16.4 daily DE for maintenance and divide by 1.10 Mcals per lbs of Alfalfa.

Feeding only that same horse Bermuda Grass at 0.80 Mcal per pound, an 1,100 lb horse would need 20.5 lbs of grass each day for his Maintenance DE requirements. Take 16.4 daily DE for maintenance and divide by 0.80 Mcals per lb of Bermuda Grass.

Riding your horse at a consistent jog (trot) for 3 hours could raise his DE requirements by 6 to 10 Mcals depending upon how much weight he carried, how good of shape he is in and how fast your jog (trot) is. Caution should be used when feeding extra rations to make up for expended energy. You don’t have to give him extra feed all at one time, or even in one day.

Keeping in mind some basic Horse Nutrition concepts such as providing a Horse no less than half, and preferably more, of his DE in forage (hay and grasses), and that a Horse cannot digest more than 5 lbs of grain at one time. Five pounds is a heavy amount of grain or pelleted feed. I have seen nothing but problems in horses consuming near to his maximum amount of grain/pelleted feeds. My horses get no more than 1.0 to 1.5 lbs of pelleted feed twice a day.

The Horse Owner can use the following Mcal content per one pound of feed item:

Vegetable Oil 4.08 Mcal per pound
Carrots 1.70 Mcal per pound
Wheat bran 1.50 Mcal per pound
Oats 1.40 M cal per pound
Fax Meal 1.40 Mcal per pound
Apples 1.30 Mcal per pound
Beet Pulp 1.20 Mcal per pound
Alfalfa Hay 1.10 Mcal per pound
Bermuda Grass Hay 0.88 Mcal per pound
Peanut Grass Hay 0.85 Mcal per pound

Jenny, I speculate that your horse is lighter than 1,100 lbs. If you could e-mail me some pictures of your horse and measure his height (from ground to top of withers) we may be able to figure out a rough figure for his weight. You can also buy measuring tapes that go around his barrel like a cinch that would help you measure his weight.

The bottom line, Jenny, is that each horse is different. The educated Horse Owner should not only understand what “book experts” are writing about horse feeds and nutrition, but use their common sense and eye balls on the horse’s body condition and performance to make an informed decision on what to feed and how much.

I would not worry about if you are feeding your horse too little. If his body condition is good and his behavior and performance are fine then you are probably on track. I like the fact that you are feeding “natural” forage. I choose to feed approximately half alfalfa and half grass for forage as I think the alfalfa balances out the grass and minimizes chances of a too high of protein diet.

The Basics of Horse Nutrition – Processed Feeds

Processed Feeds are not always but usually pelleted feed usually purchased in 50 lb bags. Major manufactures of processed and pelleted feed are Purina, Nutrena, MannaPro and Hi-Pro. One benefit from feeding these products are that they are usually fairly balanced and can provide the horse with nutrients such as vitamins, amino acids and minerals that the horse may not get on pasture or from dry hay. However processed and pelleted feed is not a completed ration. It should be used only to supplement hay.

The daily amount given to a horse should be spread out through the day with at least two feeding sessions. Most feed sources will tell you not to feed more than 5 pounds at a time and that processed feed should not make up more than 50% of the horses feed (in weight). Other sources will tell you to feed .5% to 1.5% of the horse’s body weight in processed feed (also called processed grain). If you fed 1.5% body weight of a 1,000 lbs horse – this would be 15lbs of processed grain a day. Not only do I think these numbers are too high, I think they are crazy high.

I think 2 lbs of processed feed at any given time is enough and should make up no more than 20% of the horse’s daily nutrition content. You have to remember that horses did not come into this world being feed by humans. They are designed to eat (graze) small amounts of forage all day long. When we insist on putting them in a pen and feeding dry hay in large amounts plus processed (and therefore not natural) feeds then we increase the likelihood of feed related problems like colic and founder.

Having said that, I do feed processed feed. Hi-Pro Opti 12 (12% protein) to be specific, but in relatively small amounts (about 1.5 lbs per horse twice a day). I feed Hi-Pro as opposed to the other brands simply because friends of mine own a feed store. That’s the brand they sell and I want to help them out, plus the cost savings is greater than the quality difference between Hi-Pro and Purina Strategy which I used to feed.

I feed process grain for several reasons: I use it as a medium to introduce other products like joint and hoof supplements, and it gets the horses used to processed feeds so I can more easily adapt them to a greater percentage of processed feeds when their energy needs go up after long work days or being on the trail for a substantial amount of time, or packing into the back country where grass is sparse and bringing more feed in is a necessity.

Sometimes if I’m on a horse all day long, where his energy needs may almost be twice what he normally gets, I’ll increase his processed grain slightly over the next couple of feedings and well as increase his grass hay. I have also used corn oil quite a bit in the past to provide the horse with a 100% digestible energy source. When I use corn oil, I’ll pour no more than about ½ cup into their processed grain ration. Corn Oil has more than doubled in the past two years, so I sorta came off using it routinely.

I don’t recommend feeding sweet feed. That is processed grains made heavy with molasses, as the chances of that feed molding are much higher than the dryer grains.
If you introduce new feeds to your horse and even different cuts of hay, Alfalfa or grass, you would be wise to slowly integrate- let the horse’s gut and digestive track get used to it.

For more information on Processed Pelleted feeds visit the Feed Manufacturers links.