Alfalfa fear! Irrational?

[poiuytrewq]

So last year I had a complete and utter nightmare time.
3 with laminitis. (None particularly fat) I became a bit feed obsessed, even doing an online course!
Since then I can’t feed anything containing grain, wheat feed, oat feed NI straw, molasses alfalfa.... it go’s on.
It’s basically making life very tough ?
I don’t actually know that any of the above were a factor in my horses falling ill but at the time anything I could do was done.
I’ve lost 2 of them, (one due to a fracture not laminitis) the third is on prescand and doing fine.
So, looking at feed like Hifi molasses free. I know my horses love it. I know it’s easy to get hold of. I know it smells amazing and has low sugar/starch etc
It contains alfalfa and rape oil. I struggle with this! ?‍
I do think I’m being irrationally stupid. It would be so much cheaper, not to mention easier to be able to visit a local shop and buy a feed that’s in stock.
I currently have to order Honeychop from Yorkshire (I’m Gloucestershire!)
Someone tell me it’s ok to do ?

 

[Red-1]

If you have seen my introducing thread, you will know that I just bought a horse who has just finished box rest for Lami, with EMS and a high level, but not quite, cushings.

He is on soaked hay and top chop zero. Nothing else.

I don't think you are silly to do what you can to keep your horses healthy.

I think you are a hero!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Grass chaff can they have that? I feed it and never had any problems, if not do they really need a bucket feed most horses do fine on just hay and grass.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I feel your pain! Over the years we have horses that could not eat just about anything you care to mention, which means that we feed the plainest diet possible. Currently we give a few Agrobs Haycobs (Wiesencobs) so that we can put buckets where we want the horses to stand in the field, or to come into the stables to.

 

[ycbm]

Mine eat only rough hill grass, grass nuts, and soaked haylage.
.

 

[poiuytrewq]

That’s a no then ?

Thank you @Red-1 ! Very kind! I try.

They are fuss pots. Thunderbrooks didn’t go down terribly well, strangely as it smells and looks amazing!
Simple systems was a no, along with Top Chop zero.
Anything mashy gets turned up noses!
No they don’t need hard feed particularly but it does keep them happy catchers and enables me to give supplements and extra salt as needed.
I’ve never tried Agrobs, will have a grander.

 

[poiuytrewq]

If you have seen my introducing thread, you will know that I just bought a horse who has just finished box rest for Lami, with EMS and a high level, but not quite, cushings.

He is on soaked hay and top chop zero. Nothing else.

I don't think you are silly to do what you can to keep your horses healthy.

I think you are a hero!

I have seen your thread yes!
How’s it going? Hopefully all good. Hero status to you too! Not many take on horses with known issues.

 

[Bradsmum]

I have one who goes a bit loopy on alfalfa, molasses and a number of other things. He's not a lami risk so at least he can stay out on the rough grass but he just gets a scoop of Graze On chaff to add his supplements to and to keep him happy when the pony gets her feed. Graze On is available in most feed stores and it keeps him sane.

 

[NinjaPony]

If you want some reassurance-my lami pony is on hi-fi molasses free and thriving. Vets are happy with it, and its safer for him than having grass chaff. IMO grass chaff for a lami pony is a bad idea-its much higher in sugar and DE than something like hi-fi. My connie has grass chaff and loves it!
I wouldn't fear alfalfa either, my lami boy gets a handful of alfalfa pellets in a treatball daily and is doing very well on them. Not footy, no flare-ups. He's been on hi-fi molasses free for years!

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Have you tried Phipp Feeds? They are supposed to have HoneyChop Lite and Healthy in stock and I know they deliver. Ordering from Yorkshire seems a bit of a nuisance if you can get it locally.

 

[fairhill]

My mare got lymphangitis twice from alfalfa so I understand the fear. Baileys lo cal made her legs bleed, and linseed gave her sarcoids, so she is very sensitive. It took a few years, and a lot of vet bills to figure it all out. She’s fussy too, and I got fed up of her leaving her grass nuts and timothy chop so I stopped giving her additional feed.

She is currently having a mashed banana for her ‘hard feed’ which I use to feed her chaste berry supplement. She’s previously had a daily sprig of mint or couple of rose hips when she’s not on supplements. As a treat she’ll get an occasional carrot!

 

[chaps89]

I have the same fear.
No real reason why either!
I don't like top chop zero because extra things like limestone flour and soya oil (though checking this morning the ingredients don't seem to be on the top spec website anymore) even though many many people feed it happily.
Dengie hi-fi molasses free I would probably feed if I had to now that they've got rid of the NIS pellets.
Thankfully she eats the Thunderbrooks organic chaff which is chopped hay and straw with some herbs, so totally alfalfa and molasses free.
She has EMS so I've never been keen on trying a grass chaff which would be the other thing I would look at usually.
I did have her on an agrobs light chaff which was also alfalfa and molasses free. It looked very pretty with bits of flowers and herbs in it but I found it quite dusty and she was never very keen on it. Even though a bag lasts a fair few months, it was still quite expensive too. That was a few years ago though.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Have you tried Phipp Feeds? They are supposed to have HoneyChop Lite and Healthy in stock and I know they deliver. Ordering from Yorkshire seems a bit of a nuisance if you can get it locally.

It was Phipps I was buying from, then after months of it they said they hadn’t ever stocked but could order it. It’s actually faster to order online and get delivered to the house. I only think to order stuff in the evenings ?‍
I’m also a little too far out for delivery.

 

[CrimsonDivine]

People always seem to warn most about molasses when it comes to laminic horses. Though I personally say there's never enough of it to actually affect a horse but it's always best safe than sorry so probably best to go unmolassed. I do know Dengie do a non molassesd brand, Alfa-A Molasses Free. Honestly? Not sure IF Alfafa itself can have any effects or issues, though probably best to just look it up. I wish I could be of more help on the subject but never had to deal with lami myself and my horse happily eats Alfa-A without any issues so only thinkg I can say is I feel that Alfalfa is safe in general but as for lami prone horses? That's possibly a different matter. I did have a book on laminitious bot borrowed it to a friend as hers are lami prone and she wasn't sure how to deal with it, though if you ask me sometimes she still hasn't got a clue.. Best tip I can give is don't let them eat FRESH grass. Grass that has grown for more than a month, preferibly an entire season, is alot better as it has more likely lost part of it's sugar due to age and fresh grass tends to get a boost in sugar as it's still growing. Though restrictive grazing is affective, how some people go about it is not. Keep your horse off pasture which is overgrazed and especially when it's trying to grow back through Summer. If you notice the grass is too short move them to another area.
The woman I mentioned seems to swear by Happy Hoof feed. I do believe, hence the name, they do have laminic horses in mind with that feed product as it is a hoof condition afterall. Pretty sure it does say it can be fed to lami horses. But yeah, again, I personally don't think alfalfa is an issue but it would be best to research about it regarding lami horses to be sure. Not sure how much result you'll get though as apparently lami is less common in America and Alfalfa is more regularly used there so they'd be more likely to know about it yet probably haven't had to deal with it as much. Something to do with our lack of land space vs America or whatever. Basically; we don't offer enough grazing and thus forced to keep them on low grass which as I said isn't good. Also, I think the type of grass they have is different there? Also, pretty sure they don't have grassy meadows and pastures like we do.

I see you're from Glooucestershire eh? Tis where my dad was brought up! Also home of the great Valegro, aka Blueberry. I actually knew about him before he became famous by winning the Dressage competition at the Olympics x3

 

[CrimsonDivine]

Oh and the woman I mentioned seems to swear by Happy Hoof feed. I do believe, hence the name, they do have laminic horses in mind with that feed product as it is a hoof condition afterall. Pretty sure it does say it can be fed to lami horses. But yeah, again, I personally don't think alfalfa is an issue but it would be best to research about it regarding lami horses to be sure. Not sure how much result you'll get though as apparently lami is less common in America and Alfalfa is more regularly used there so they'd be more likely to know about it yet probably haven't had to deal with it as much. Something to do with our lack of land space vs America or whatever. Basically; we don't offer enough grazing and thus forced to keep them on low grass which as I said isn't good. Also, I think the type of grass they have is different there? Also, pretty sure they don't have grassy meadows and pastures like we do.

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

I feed my Laminitis prone (but never had) Dengie Hi Fi Molasses free & he's been fine with it, he only has 2 handfuls to mix in with his Formula4Feet, fibre nuggets, salt & Mag ox.

There was a fantastic document on FB yesterday & it contained a table of all the chaffs, cubes etc sugar & starch levels. The Dengie was 6th lowest with 2.5% sugar 1.5% starch with Spillers Happy hoof molasses free 2nd lowest with 1.25% % 1.5% . . . . so I'll slowly switch to that after I've used what I have. Also I was shocked at the level of sugar in the fibre nuggets so I'll use them up now as odd treats rather than a handful of crunchy bits in his tea to make it more 'interesting'. I'm sugar obsessed see - we all have our faults!!

 

[poiuytrewq]

I feed my Laminitis prone (but never had) Dengie Hi Fi Molasses free & he's been fine with it, he only has 2 handfuls to mix in with his Formula4Feet, fibre nuggets, salt & Mag ox.

There was a fantastic document on FB yesterday & it contained a table of all the chaffs, cubes etc sugar & starch levels. The Dengie was 6th lowest with 2.5% sugar 1.5% starch with Spillers Happy hoof molasses free 2nd lowest with 1.25% % 1.5% . . . . so I'll slowly switch to that after I've used what I have. Also I was shocked at the level of sugar in the fibre nuggets so I'll use them up now as odd treats rather than a handful of crunchy bits in his tea to make it more 'interesting'. I'm sugar obsessed see - we all have our faults!!

I’ll try and find that! Thanks