How much alfalfa should be in the horse s diet?
The amount of alfalfa in the diet isn t as important of a question as is the quality of the hay. Without a feed analysis you can only guess. Early cut grass hay may have more energy and protein than a late cut of very stemmy alfalfa. Alfalfa when cut at an earlier stage of growth generally has more protein, energy and nutrients so it is a good choice for horses with high nutritional needs i.e. lactating mares and growing foals. If your horse does not have high nutritional need i.e. idle mature horse, then the diet may not need any alfalfa. Try to pick forage that meets your horse s nutritional requirements, not necessarily exceeds their needs, regardless of the forage variety.
