Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Alfalfa pellets

From: Kelly

Hello, I had an individual call me about substituting long hay with alfalfa pellets. He is getting them from a local feed mill. There were no feeding recommendations on the bag. He wants to know if it is a good idea to feed the pellets to his horse and also how much he should feed in place of the long hay. He normally feeds two flakes of hay to his horse. He would like to reduce that to one flake and substitute the other half with the pellets. His horse is 25 years old and weighs approximately 1200 lbs. Can you help with this question?

Hi Kelly -- alfalfa pellets can be a nice addition to the diet of an older horse, especially if his teeth are worn and he is having trouble chewing hay. They are high-protein, like good alfalfa -- usually 17% to 17.5% -- so he won't want to overfeed them.

I would hesitate to take the horse off hay, though, unless the horse's veterinarian has recommended it. Horses need the roughage, and the hay-digesting process is what keeps them warm in winter. They also need something to DO, and eating hay keeps them busy and happy, at least until the hay is gone. Two flakes per feeding is not so much -- perhaps your friend could try feeding the horse two flakes grass hay, just for the roughage and chewing time, and supplementing with the alfalfa pellets for additional protein.

I assume that the horse gets two flakes per feeding, not two flakes per day! If it's two per day, then I would DEFINITELY not cut the hay back without a recommendation from a vet. Two flakes of hay per day is not very much hay, unless the flakes are enormous!

If the horse is having trouble chewing, your friend might want to ask the vet to float the horse's teeth more frequently, or perhaps even to recommend an equine dentist. And in the meantime, he could look for softer hay.

Good luck! I have a horse that will be 22 in May...

- Jessica

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