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tadams(OH) 
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Joined: 17 Sep 2009
Location: Jeromesville, O
Points: 10345
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 Posted: 27 Jan 2025 at 8:25am |
I was always told alfafa was not good for horse they show have orchard grass.
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jvin248
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Joined: 17 Jan 2022
Location: Detroit
Points: 373
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Posted: 27 Jan 2025 at 9:40pm |
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The horse will tell you what he likes to eat.
We had a pony who somehow wrapped the same front hoof in his rope, held it up in the air, and called to you to notice he "needed help" and "by the way I need to be moved to better grass to eat". He'd tell us he didn't like the current fare.
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BuckSkin
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Joined: 12 Sep 2019
Location: Poor Farm
Points: 426
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Posted: 28 Jan 2025 at 6:50am |
Somebody seeking information about feeding Alfalfa Pellets is going to sooner or later stumble across this thread so I will put my own personal experiences as to what they will and absolutely will not eat.
What my horses will eat and eat every crumb, wet or dry, is Summit Brand from Huron of Ontario Canada; after soaking, it is a very appealing bright green color.
What they will not eat unless I mix them one part to eight with the good Summit pellets is Standlee and Dumor brands; after soaking, either one straight will be sort of a brown color and I have had no luck getting them to eat either, no matter how many days nor how hungry they get.
The Dumor used to be a lot better than the last several bags I have tried.
 tadams(OH) wrote:
I was always told alfafa was not good for horse they show have orchard grass.
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In all the many horses in all the many years, I have not had one yet that would do anything with Orchard Grass except for pull it out of the manger and tromp in into the mud without ever eating a sprig.
In all the many years of feeding the best Alfalfa I could find I have never experienced any of the problems that I see mentioned so often.
In my opinion, more horses have died from the lack of plenty of good Alfalfa than have ever died from too much of it.
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nella(Pa)
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Allentown, Pa.
Points: 3108
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Posted: 28 Jan 2025 at 8:05am |
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I adopted a wild mustang for my 5 children because I didn't know enough about horses to pick out a healthy one. They turned Thunder into a puppy dog, there is nothing prettier than to see a daughter with long blond hair going bareback across the meadow in a cantor, the neighbors also noticed when she went out ridding. He was a smart horse and could take care of himself. He could go out in the pasture with snow on the ground and find something to eat, He also ate anything at the bunk feeder that the cows ate, corn silage, haylage, baled hay and grain. He passed away at 29yrs of age. Other horse owenrs could not believe that he didn't get colic from what he ate.
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BuckSkin
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Joined: 12 Sep 2019
Location: Poor Farm
Points: 426
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Posted: 28 Jan 2025 at 8:30am |
nella(Pa) wrote:
He also ate anything at the bunk feeder that the cows ate, corn silage, haylage, baled hay and grain. He passed away at 29yrs of age. Other horse owenrs could not believe that he didn't get colic from what he ate. |
For several years, it has been the thing around here for cattle farmers to get an old used crude-oil tank and contract one of the "slop haulers" to keep it filled with distiller's mash = the waste product after the whiskey has been drained off.
This stuff is a bright orange in color and very syrupy; you just run it out in a big trough and they poke their noses in it and drink it up; livestock that have been eating it for long will start turning orange --- no kidding; when they evacuate their guts, it is like orange water from a fire hose.
I know a guy who trades in horses and cattle and his horses run with the cattle and eat this stuff by the gallons; he has been doing it for years and if he ever had a horse to die from it I never knew about it.
But, from what I hear, the free ride is over as the distillers have discovered a process and added equipment that will turn this slop into some sort of alcohol that can be burned in cars.
This new change will put dozens of tanker-trucks and drivers out of a job and put hundreds of cattle farmers in the poor house ----- and probably ruin countless vehicle engines.
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Tbone95
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Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Location: Michigan
Points: 11699
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Posted: 28 Jan 2025 at 1:41pm |
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Alfalfa for horses isn’t a black and white deal. Some horses it can cause foundering (laminitis) other horses tolerate it fine. The more a horse exercises, the more protein/ alfalfa it can tolerate. The younger it is, the more it can tolerate. I sell hay to horse people, I’ve heard it all. I describe the hay the best I can, have a sample bale open when they come over, and tell them to the best of my knowledge this bale is a good representation of all the hay, but it’s a big area and others may be a little different. Only guarantee I make is for mold. I don’t give advice anymore on what they should eat unless I’m asked, then I just point out the points and counterpoints. Best to start with grass and if they don’t lose weight and stay healthy then you’re probably good. The grumpy ol’ beetch mare of my dad’s doesn’t do chit except complain, she gets grass alfalfa mix hay or goes hungry. Does get some sweet feed also but nowhere near enough for main sustenance.
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klinemar
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Michigan
Points: 8025
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Posted: 21 hours 36 minutes ago at 4:44am |
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I agree with T-bone. I sell hay to customers with horses, I have developed a relationship with for many years. I sell a alfalfa,clover grass mix. All round bales. I make sure it's dry and any hay that isn't or possibly moldy I sell to a beef cow customer at a discount. I try to cater to my customers by storing the hay in barns and either delivering or them picking up hay when needed.Hay in my area can bring a premium as most farmers grow grain. I don't gouge my customers on price as I never liked being gouged. I feel they are loyal to me and I will be loyal to them. If you have a system that works, by all means continue. Adjust when needed!
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Tbone95
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Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Location: Michigan
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Posted: 17 hours 19 minutes ago at 9:01am |
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Never could get much traction getting horse people to buy round bales. Dad dreamed of building that business and we built a 40x100 Quonset to store round bales so we could put good hay in there and market it as stored inside. Just didn’t work out for whatever reason. So I still try to put up 1000 or so small squares of first cutting for horses and 500 or so second cutting. I could sell 10 times that much if I had the help.
Edited by Tbone95 - 17 hours 16 minutes ago at 9:04am
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klinemar
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Michigan
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Posted: 10 hours 43 minutes ago at 3:37pm |
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Small squares is dependant on help and not many can find it. We have one hay grower in the area that uses New Holland self propelled bale wagons. Some use accumulators and loader grapples,but they are pricey. My customers have either a Skid Loader or tractor loader to handle round bales. One customers husband sold the Skid Loader and the husband unloaded my trailer with a tractor and forks while I listened to his wife say He's going to buy me another Skid steer! Next time I delivered hay she had a Skid steer!
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