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I have a couple questions…
Hello,
This is my first post on the forum and I would like to start by saying thank you Dr. T, for the amount of research and information you’ve provided free of charge to better the lives of horses everywhere.
I truly feel that chronic protein deficiency is “the missing link” for so many horses out there. Adding alfalfa and SBM has caused great improvements in my horses. Increasing protein in my own diet has made me feel (and look!) better as well.
My questions are:
-Is there anything you would add or change about your diet protocol when access to pasture isn’t an option? Such as Vitamin E or continuing SBM indefinitely due to nutrients lost in the drying process of hay? (this is common where I live. Drought ridden area, small property- the pastures have been trodden down to year-round dry lots without a viable option for rotation and irrigation)
-As grass hay becomes astronomically expensive and difficult to locate, is increasing the rate of alfalfa hay from the recommended 4lbs a safe option?
I apologize if these have been asked before or addressed elsewhere, I have done my best to read through the website and previous forum posts to find answers.
Thank you so much,
Jas
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2 Replies
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-Is there anything you would add or change about your diet protocol when access to pasture isn’t an option? Such as Vitamin E or continuing SBM indefinitely due to nutrients lost in the drying process of hay? (this is common where I live. Drought ridden area, small property- the pastures have been trodden down to year-round dry lots without a viable option for rotation and irrigation)
They only need the SBM plus forage, mined salt and well water. The forage will supply the fuels of glucose and fat while the SBM will provide the high-quality protein needed to maintain the body and the structural and processing functions. So, yes, you will need to give the SBM for life. There are differences in how much they need depending on age and workload. This would be a good question for the next AMA!
-As grass hay becomes astronomically expensive and difficult to locate, is increasing the rate of alfalfa hay from the recommended 4lbs a safe option?
Many people prefer alfalfa to grass as their hay source. It is dependent on the region you live in. I personally don’t favor one over the other, but all legumes provide more nitrogen which helps the bacteria make more amino acids. Yes, this is a new idea I just learned that consuming nitrogen in ruminants amplifies the amount of protein they take in. While horses are not ruminants, both are pure herbivores with gut bacteria good at digesting plants. It might be reasonable to think that adding alfalfa (or any legume) may increase the total quantity of amino acids available to the horse. Is anyone interested in sending millions of dollars to a university to research this? Until then, most horses like to eat it!
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Thank you for answering! I appreciate your time, these questions have been on my mind for a while. 😀
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