GinaGeo
Well-Known Member
My horse also went itchy on it.
He now gets graze on to bind his food instead.
He now gets graze on to bind his food instead.
why would you not feed alfalfa?
- Thread starter Inchy
- Start date
coen
Well-Known Member
Mine does really well on it but my previous horse would go totally loony on it.
moana
Well-Known Member
I feed it to six of my unshod herd and don't have any problems - so far anyhow.
PingPongPony
Well-Known Member
because she has good grazing, hay and other feed so she doesn't need it, she's doing great on just normal apple chaff, condition cubes and sugar beet, grass and hay so no point is spending more money 
gunnergundog
Well-Known Member
Never had a problem with it....from the mid/late 80s onwards. But then, all my horses are worked HARD (hunters/eventers). Just wondering, and not being judgemental, but is that the difference??
FairyLights
Well-Known Member
I once owned an arab mare who used to get terrible mud fever when alfalfa was in her feed.
ABC
Well-Known Member
Hmm, I'm currently feeding my lad high fibre cubes and alfa a, and I usually feed baileys balancer too but he's not working as much so I've cut it out.
He sometimes gets a few lumps and I'm wondering if that's why. What are the alternatives?
He sometimes gets a few lumps and I'm wondering if that's why. What are the alternatives?
Enfys
Well-Known Member
Never had a problem with it....from the mid/late 80s onwards. But then, all my horses are worked HARD (hunters/eventers). Just wondering, and not being judgemental, but is that the difference??
Yep.
My neighbours (racing yard) feed horses in training a high % of alfa and they never have any problems.
Noodlebug
Well-Known Member
That what my horse has without the oil and balancer. He has Dengie performance vits.
Spotsrock
Well-Known Member
Mine's great n Alfa A but I gave her Hi fi with apple yesterday which has alfa in it and she was very itchy with massive hamster cheeks within an hour. No other changes to food or environment. Have emailed Dengie for info.
aquamarine
Well-Known Member
Mine tied up after having it. Too much calcium or something.
Mare Stare
Well-Known Member
OMG.It made my big girl itchy too but I never knew the cause. We'd just moved her to a new field and I was blaming all sorts of things from flies to an allergy to something in the field. We moved her off after 6 weeks because she was so itchy (she was destroying all the trees in the field by scratching on them) and shortly after that we stopped giving her alfalfa and her skin settled down. We assumed it was because we had moved her.
Haven't fed it to her since because she's borderline fat.
glamourpuss
Well-Known Member
My young lad is on alfa-a oil (2 scoops a day) + high fibre cubes (2 scoops a day) + Equi jewel + pink powder as I'd prefer more condition on him & he is worked moderately hard....he seems fine on it.
My older lad is on Mollichaff show shine instead of the alfa-a oil as any alfa makes him horrible
I hate feeding the Mollichaff it sets my teeth on edge to see the mollased feed in his bucket but he loves it & it doesn't contain alfalfa so I can actually get on him
My older lad is on Mollichaff show shine instead of the alfa-a oil as any alfa makes him horrible
I hate feeding the Mollichaff it sets my teeth on edge to see the mollased feed in his bucket but he loves it & it doesn't contain alfalfa so I can actually get on him
Perissa
Well-Known Member
A lot of people seem to be saying that it makes their horses itchy.....
I have an extremely sensitive skinned pure bred arab. He has been allergy tested, which was positive to wheat, maize, dogs, horse chestnut trees and dust mites. He was rubbing himself raw and totally misterable. It came on quite suddenly and totally out of the blue.
After 4K, deep cleaning his stable, changing bedding, new rugs (which I had to make sure had been stored in a plastic bag) and changing his diet onto molasses free, all additive free and all cereals free he is thriving.
He is fed Dengie Alfalfa Pellets, Graze On or Readigrass and Speedibeet. He looks fantastic and isn't at all itchy. He's had mud fever in the past but not since being on this diet.
So don't rule out alfalfa on the basis it will make your horse itchy because if any horse was to become itchy on it it would be mine and he isn't
By the way beware feeding Fast Fibre to itchy horses as it has garlic in it, which shouldn't be fed to itchy horses as it stimulates the immune system which is already over stimulated in the first place causing your horse to itch! A lot of feeds sneak garlic in so always read the lables!!
I have an extremely sensitive skinned pure bred arab. He has been allergy tested, which was positive to wheat, maize, dogs, horse chestnut trees and dust mites. He was rubbing himself raw and totally misterable. It came on quite suddenly and totally out of the blue.
After 4K, deep cleaning his stable, changing bedding, new rugs (which I had to make sure had been stored in a plastic bag) and changing his diet onto molasses free, all additive free and all cereals free he is thriving.
He is fed Dengie Alfalfa Pellets, Graze On or Readigrass and Speedibeet. He looks fantastic and isn't at all itchy. He's had mud fever in the past but not since being on this diet.
So don't rule out alfalfa on the basis it will make your horse itchy because if any horse was to become itchy on it it would be mine and he isn't
By the way beware feeding Fast Fibre to itchy horses as it has garlic in it, which shouldn't be fed to itchy horses as it stimulates the immune system which is already over stimulated in the first place causing your horse to itch! A lot of feeds sneak garlic in so always read the lables!!
Flowers187
Well-Known Member
Mine have been on it a few months and they're doing really well off it! Dengie Alfa A lite. The one in hardwork is looking fab and the best shes ever looked, she went off it last winter and her pink powder and onto allen and page power & performance but became very dull so moved her back onto alfa a lite a hanfull of tiger oats and pink powder and shes doing fab, feet are much much better too! And my 5 year old is looking the fattest and shiniest shes ever looked, though she has allen and page calm and condition which I also swear by!
Inchy
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all replies interesting how to find out different reactions to different types of feeds!
Mine are all on a combination of dengie feed balancer, graze on, alfalfa pellets and corn oil
Not had any problems with itchyness or footiness, or being head cases on it! But often when I mention I feed alfalfa people look at me like I've admitted to feeding the horse raw meat!
interesting how to find out different reactions to different types of feeds!Mine are all on a combination of dengie feed balancer, graze on, alfalfa pellets and corn oil
Not had any problems with itchyness or footiness, or being head cases on it! But often when I mention I feed alfalfa people look at me like I've admitted to feeding the horse raw meat!
Mike007
Well-Known Member
Have a read of this,but remember that they feed more Alfalfa in the diet. However I cant fault the reasoning in this article. http://www.grandadventuresranch.com/articles/alfalfa.html
mystiandsunny
Well-Known Member
Footiness and metabolic issues.
YorksG
Over the hill and far awa
Interestingly the Current Appy goes loony tunes if she is fed alfalfa, but many years ago we had a TBxWelsh D with a whole host of intolerances, and about the only none grass feed she could tolerate was unmolassed alfalfa cobs. I would not feed it to every horse, but would feed to those who could cope. I believe it is a phyto-oestrogen, which may explain some of its effects on some horses.