Quick Q - Alfa-A

[SpottedCat]

Just out of pure curiosity, has anyone else ever found Alfa-A made their horse totally unreasonable, bolshy and downright stroppy?

I've never had a problem feeding it in the past but am rapidly concluding it is not a brilliant idea to feed it to my boy! Have heard a few tales that this is not uncommon, so was wondering what other people's experiences were?

 

[Cahill]

all my 3 get it.never had no probs.it is the only `feed` i buy.

 

[JoBo]

Ditto that, also have 3 on it. Have done for years and never had any problems.

 

[RachelB]

I have no idea what it is about alfalfa, but apparently it can send some horses loopy. I've never had trouble and I've personally fed it to my laid-back ID, and two warmblood babies. We also have all the horses at work on it (I must have seen about 30 different horses on it) and we've never had trouble. But it can affect them, apparently.

 

[immybrookstud]

no problems with mine, but it has alot of molasses in it, that may not agree with him

 

[TGM]

Have fed all mine on it in the past and had no problems at all.

 

[susanjc]

Hi

I can't feed it to my boy, it does send him bananas and I also know a few other horses which it send them loopy too. Some horses it doesn't affect at all so I suggest you take your horse off it and see if he calm down. My guess is he will !

 

[SpottedCat]

Eventinggirl, I have done! 48 hours later he is much quieter. It did not send him loopy as such, but he felt super-fit all the time and something was making him very opinionated, and whereas normally, he'd swish his tail, resist for a moment then knuckle down, he was deciding to express his opinions! He doesn't exactly need a lot of feed - he's gone from a scoop of alfa-a to half a scoop of pony nuts as I know he is fine on them.

Alfa-a is something I've always fed other horses in the past with no trouble but talking to people it would seem it is pretty common for it to make horses opinionated, so I was wondering whether it was true more generally!

 

[susanjc]

oh good new that he's calmed down. There is definately something in it that sends horses like this. Since realising that Mac cannot take it I have talked to loads of people who experienced the same problems. It seems to bring out attitude/stoppiness/spookiness etc... but the minute they are off it they are ok. I think I will start an anti-Alfalfa brigade.............;-)

 

[SpottedCat]

LOL, I only started him on it because I wanted something to mix propell into when he came back into work as he felt a bit flat at the end of last season and pony nuts whilst great are not ideal for adding supplements to!

We will see, but I cannot think of what else it could be which has caused this personality change - got worse too over the last month...which is coincidentally when I upped it to one scoop instead of a half.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I agree with what has been said about the mollasses content in Alpha A. You seem to have narrowed the problem down to the Alpha so try substituting it with Hi Fi Lite. You will be giving the fibre & something to mix your Propel with but without the mollasses.

 

[marion95]

I don't think the Alfa-A oil has molasses in it, could be worth a try.

 

[Loulebell]

Both of mine, ridden connie and 10 month old highland filly are both doing really well on it and i haven't seen it upset them. Like everything though and the same with us, somethings don't suit us all.

 

[WishfulThinker]

It gives Beau a bit of 'oomf' but too much and he is like an equine terrorist! But he is like that if he gets too much grass as well. Oats on the other hand have no effect, but bran does.