5 Reasons to Feed Alfalfa Pellets

Alfalfa is known as a richer hay than regular grass hay. With an increased protein content and a treasure trove of vitamins and minerals, a diet of alfalfa can be life-saving for some horses and fattening for others. The average horse doesn’t need to be fed alfalfa on a regular basis, but there are times in a horse’s life when alfalfa pellets can be beneficial. Here are 5 times you should consider adding alfalfa pellets to your horse’s diet.

• The horse is in a demanding work program.  Do you ride your horse nearly every day? If so, you know they’re probably  not easy rides. Some weight loss is expected and probably desirable, especially as he becomes more fit, but after a while you might see him struggling to keep weight on. Horses in a challenging work program often need a higher protein diet to replace lost calories, and alfalfa cubes or pellets are an excellent way to add this element into their diets.
• The horse needs to gain weight. It can be very difficult to get underweight horses to put on weight. Again, alfalfa comes to the rescue with its added protein content, nutrient boost, and extra calories. It also helps that most horses love alfalfa, so getting them to eat an alfalfa pellet mash is an easy sell!
• The horse has dental issues. Horses with bad or no teeth may struggle to gain weight or to keep weight on, simply because they have so much trouble digesting their food. Senior feed usually dissolves pretty easily, but you can’t give a horse too much of it at once without potentially creating as many health problems as you’re solving. Instead, add hot water to a bucket of alfalfa pellets to make a mash that is both nutritious and easy to digest.
• The horse is pregnant or nursing. Pregnant and nursing mares also need extra calories to replace those they’re giving to their baby. Alfalfa, with its protein boost, provides an excellent way to deliver not only increased calories, but also additional vitamins and minerals. Pelleted feed will also be balanced with the nutritional content your mare needs to raise a healthy foal.
• The horse is a weanling or yearling. Young horses are growing quickly and are also in need of a richer source of nutrients than older horses. Alfalfa pellet mashes are easy for weanlings and yearlings to eat, and provide the nutrients that their growing bodies need.

Does your horse need additional protein in his diet or an extra source of calories? Take the guesswork out of feeding heavily worked or underweight horses, pregnant or nursing mares, or growing weanlings or yearlings. Our Standard-Bread pellet is specially formulated for horses that need a little something extra in their diet to give them the nutrients they need. For more information about our pelleted feeds, contact Sacate Pellet Mills at 602-237-3809.