Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a nutrient-rich legume and roughage plant with a high leaf content. It is an important source of protein and calcium in horse feeding. Alfalfa can be fed fresh or ensiled in limited quantities, but it is mainly offered dried as alfalfa hay, chopped for supplementary feeding, or as alfalfa pellets. Traditionally, alfalfa is used as roughage in combination with straw in countries such as Spain or the Arab states, where little or no hay is available.
Alfalfa is enormously rich in calcium and, at 30 to 40%, has a significantly higher proportion of protein and the essential amino acid lysine than hay. In addition, the levels of ß-carotene and magnesium are somewhat higher than in hay. However, alfalfa contains comparatively less vitamin D and zinc. The nutrients are found mainly in the leaves and therefore primarily in alfalfa hay and alfalfa pellets. Due to their high calcium content, they can help buffer stomach acid in horses with sensitive stomachs.
Pure chopped alfalfa usually contains little leaf mass but a lot of raw fibre and is mixed into concentrate feed to encourage chewing. More recent studies indicate that larger amounts of hard-stemmed chopped alfalfa can be problematic. In the area of the stomach outlet, they are suspected of causing injuries to the gastric mucosa. For sensitive horses, soft chopped hay is therefore recommended as an alternative to encourage chewing.
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