Twin Falls, Idaho
February 1, 2005
Alfalfa is a high quality, highly digestible feed for
horses, but so many myths surround its use that many of the
nation's horse owners either underutilize or misuse it. A
concise, scientifically based, user-friendly publication by
the National Alfalfa
Alliance clarifies to owners of one or many horses how
to match the characteristics of alfalfa hay to the age,
class and activity level of their equines.
"Alfalfa: The High-quality Hay
for Horses" was written by
University of Idaho Extension forage specialist Glenn
Shewmaker, University of Wisconsin forage agronomist Dan
Undersander, and University of Kentucky equine nutritionist
Laurie Lawrence and Extension forage specialist Garry
Lacefield. Single copies of the 12-page publication can be
downloaded from the NAA's Web site at www.alfalfa.org, and
multiple copies can be purchased in lots of 25 for $50, plus
shipping and handling.
"There's a lot of information
out there about feeding alfalfa hay to horses but it's
almost entirely anecdotal," says Shewmaker. "We use science,
rather than myth, to guide the use of alfalfa products for
varying needs of horses."
Lacefield calls the
publication an attempt to bring the "best scientific
information on feeding alfalfa to horses into one
aesthetically pleasing publication that is applicable from
Florida to New York to California."
It includes easy-to-use tables of example diets for
recreational horses, lactating mares, weanlings, yearlings
and horses that perform moderate or intense work. "People
generally believe that all hay is the same," says Lawrence.
"They don't realize that different horses have different
requirements for different kinds of hay."
In Wisconsin, Undersander
notes that appropriate use of alfalfa will "save costs for
owners as well as provide good nutrition and horse health."
The publication describes the
horse's digestive system and the specific nutritional needs
of mature horses used for recreational activities,
broodmares, growing horses and performance horses. It
explains how growth stages of alfalfa affect forage quality,
discusses how alfalfa hay is classified, defines terms used
to describe alfalfa characteristics and quality, and reviews
several types of forage products. In addition, it addresses
preservatives and blister beetles as well as buying,
transporting and storing alfalfa hay.
According to Shewmaker, the
publication's target audience includes equestrians, small
ranch owners, hay producers and hay marketers. Even owners
of large horse operations should find it useful in
finetuning their feed economics.
The publication is
co-sponsored by Purina Mills, LLC, and Croplan Genetics.
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