Fact or Fiction.......??

[New2Minis]

I manage a feed store and I have Biggies and Mini's. ALOT of customers come in and ask about feeding their Mini's and I try and give them advice on what works for my guys but I always stress that all horses are different. Anyway, ALOT of people have the opinion that Mini's should not have over 10% protein and NO alfalfa. Why is this?? Because of their size maybe?? I give ALL my Mini's 13% and they also get T&A cubes.

What do you guys think??

 

[dgrminis]

What are T&A cubes?

We feed primarily brome hay but our minis do get alfalfa -- someone told me once not to give them too much because it can "burn up their kidneys" but we havent ever fed alot of it -- just some now and again in hay form or when I grain them they get alfalfa pellets mixed in their grain. Now if I give them grain I generally do not give them alfalfa hay that same night but also depends on the horse because we had a mare that was more of a harder keeper and she would get alfalfa grain and brome each night --so each situation is different of course but I havent ever heard of it as a problem and I know our grain is 12-14% (cant remember which right now) protein.

Will be interesting to hear what others have to say

 

[Magic]

Maybe because minis can be such easy keepers, it's said not to feed alfalfa by so many. I feed an alfalfa/grass mix hay, it's at least 50 percent alfalfa. I've fed 100 percent alfalfa hay when I couldn't find anything else, and my horses did great on it. I'm sure that there are some minis that just plain should not get much if any alfalfa, but if they aren't overfed, IME most can.

T/A is timothy/ alfalfa.

 

[crponies]

Well, mine are mini crosses and a bit over the mini size, but they get some alfalfa. I think mine always look a bit better when they have some.

 

[Dona]

Of course, Minis can eat alfalfa just like any other horse......BUT, keep in mind that some minis cannot tolerate the high protein & it will cause diarrhea. "As a general rule" Minis are easy keepers & don't need a lot of extra protein or calories. But, they are all individuals....some may do well on it, others not.

Another thing to note. Diets of high percentage alfalfa is known to be one of the causes of "enteroliths". ("stones" that form in the digestive tract & will grow so large they eventually obstruct the bowel.) I've had first hand experience with this. CockRobin developed these and had emergency surgery at age 24. They took out two HUGE stones (the size of tennis balls)...and he had passed a smaller one that we found in his stallion run. Without the surgery...he would have certainly died. The surgeons at Ohio State gave me some very good information on this, and altho a diet of alfalfa isn't the "only" thing that can cause this....it is definitely on the list. Needless to say.....I never feed my minis straight alfalfa.

 

[New2Minis]

What are T&A cubes?

We feed primarily brome hay but our minis do get alfalfa -- someone told me once not to give them too much because it can "burn up their kidneys" but we havent ever fed alot of it -- just some now and again in hay form or when I grain them they get alfalfa pellets mixed in their grain. Now if I give them grain I generally do not give them alfalfa hay that same night but also depends on the horse because we had a mare that was more of a harder keeper and she would get alfalfa grain and brome each night --so each situation is different of course but I havent ever heard of it as a problem and I know our grain is 12-14% (cant remember which right now) protein.

Will be interesting to hear what others have to say

T&A cubes are Timothy/Alfalfa hay cubes, they come in a 50 pound bag. I feed them soaked once a day.

I do agree straight Alfalfa is really high protein, Our T&A cubes are 12% protein and our Alfalfa cubes are 17% protein.

But what about grain?? That Mini's shouldn't have higher than 10%???

 

[chandab]

T&A cubes are Timothy/Alfalfa hay cubes, they come in a 50 pound bag. I feed them soaked once a day.

I do agree straight Alfalfa is really high protein, Our T&A cubes are 12% protein and our Alfalfa cubes are 17% protein.

But what about grain?? That Mini's shouldn't have higher than 10%???

Just like full-size horses, minis need (or not) grain based on their workload. Idle minis probably don't need more than 10% protein grain, if any. Working minis 12-14%. Pregnant and lactating 14-16%. Foals need growth mixes. Etc. The calorie content is very important with minis, so often times a ration balancer is ideal for minis, as it packs a lot of nutrients into a small serving (don't let the 30% protein that many ration balancers have scare you - I feed 6 out of 7 minis a 30% ration balancer, they get about 1/2# per day each for 300-350# B-size adult minis plus grass hay; the 7th mini is just starting on the ration balancer, as he is new).

 

[Candice]

I think a lot of the issues concerning straight alfalfa is the protein content. It can vary so greatly from bale to bale and very few of us can get one bale analyzed for content, let alone every bale fed.

I haven't had this experience (knock on wood), but my understanding is that minis are more prone to founder. If you have a really rich (high protein) alfalfa you have to feed it in very small amounts. If you feed more of it , you have to cut back the grain.

Every so often I'll put a 1400lb bale of alfalfa out for my Qh's. Its free choice. However, while that is out there I cut their grain ration (mixed 10% sweet feed and SR. feed 50/50) in half. They bloom on it. When the bale is gone I go back to T&A for a while and gradually increase their grain back up.

I would never do that with the minis.

 

[nightflight]

Minis are horses. You can feed them as you would any horse.

Minis are really small horses. What would be a "small" mistake for a big horse could be a "big" mistake for minis.

Good quality alfalfa is a rich feed. Good quality grass is a "safer" feed. If someone is going to overfeed grain it is better to over feed a low % grain then a hotter grain.

To keep the horses safe, I tell new owners to play it on the safe side. As new owners learn and grow in experience and knowledge, they may want to try different feeds and find out what works best for them. If they don’t learn, grass hay is a good place to get stuck.

 

[novachick]

I heard that around here as well, everyone seems scared of feeding alfalfa because it will cause them to founder easier, but I see a lot of you guys on here feeding alfalfa. I was completely confused. I thought maybe different climate caused different richness in alfalfa. So this past weekend, I made a trip to the local hay farmer and had him explain the different types of hay and protein content (because I had no clue to the differences). He said alfalfa is fine in moderation, just not free fed. Basically don't throw a whole bale of alfalfa over the fence and let them go to town. He did recommend that I change from the timothy I was feeding (about 7% protein) up to a 2nd cut grass mix (12% protein) since my filly was losing weight and I have seen a huge difference in her consumption of it and am slowly seeing a bit more wieght on her as well.

Also everyone around here recommends 10% sweet feed, but I think doing a complete feed with 12-14% has made a big difference in my filly as well.

 

[CJMM6]

We feed very fine, soft timothy hay.

I've had horses for a very long time & never got on the alfala hay.

Our horses are always in blooming condition. We feed 12 % sweet feed & a 1/4 cup of calf mana.

I would be afraid of all the protien in alfala hay.

By the way we have 11 miniature horses.

We raise dogs & I use to feed Iames 27% protein & my dog developed crystals in his urine, & surgery is the only thing to help it & there was no gurantee. I feel Iames is a great food but the high protein can be dangerous. My girlfriend had the same thing happen to her cats that were on Iames. By the way these animals that had problems were 7 to 10 years old. A lot of high protein. JMO cjmm

 

[ClickMini]

I also believe that it is a myth that minis are easy keepers! I only have one mini that gets less grain than my big horses! My big horses get between 1-1/2 cups to 2 cups of grain am & pm, and my minis are generally on 2-3 cups of the same grain am & pm. The big horses are on a grass and alfalfa mix hay, and the minis are on a very high quality grass hay. I feed each mini about 1/3 of the hay I feed a big at each feeding. Maybe if they were on free-choice pasture they would get overweight, but my experience says they can eat quite a lot of the other stuff and be trim and fit.

 

[Relic]

Here we feed 70/80% alfalfa in the big round bales set out for them free choice 24/7 plus all the mares get a big scoop of whole oats each morning sometimes with warm beet pulp if it's major cold. We haven't had any foundered mares no colics sickies or pigging out on the bales in the last 15 years l've done it this way. Stallions are handfed twice a day and only get a little of the alfalfa along with there timothy hay...

We usually get the second cut for fall early winter and the first cut gets fed till spring..

Alfalfa some people swear by it....and some people swear at it.

 

[wildoak]

I only have one mini that gets less grain than my big horses! My big horses get between 1-1/2 cups to 2 cups of grain am & pm, and my minis are generally on 2-3 cups of the same grain am & pm.

I'm with you on the minis, but my big horses eat a lot more grain than that!

I feed a combination of alfalfa and coastal hay, have always done so and feel they do much better with some alfalfa. I have two colic surgery survivors who get alfalfa only, per vets orders. The stallion is almost 10 now, had surgery as a yearling and has had nothing but alfalfa (and Equine Sr) since. He looks great, has a good energy level, drives when I get the urge and gets mares in foal every year. The risk of enteroliths is something I'm always aware of with them, but the alternative - esp with the mare - is a fast impaction if she eats coastal hay at all.

Jan

 

[LowriseMinis]

I had a lot of apprehension about feeling alfalfa, but we cannot find grass or grass mix pellets here, and good grass hay is hard to come by. I was trying to maintain them on grass hay but they were doing horribly on it.

Finally, SLOWLY, we switched them over to soaked alfalfa cubes. Both horses get about 2 lbs of cubes split between two feedings as a concentrated source of nutrients, then we finally found fine grass hay, and they get that almost free choice. They look a lot better than they have in a long time now and we haven't had any trouble with founder, colic, dire rear, or anything else.

The possibility of entroliths still concerns me, but my vet's of the opinion that the risk is highly reduced if alfalfa is not the SOLE food being offered.

I've also been told adding apple cider vinegar to their water helps reduce the risk and has other positive health benefits.

 

[Jill]

I think that different feeding programs can work really well for different horses. I know since I've had minis, I have used several different feeding programs, including alfalfa cubes, and the horses have done well.

Currently, we feed a complete senior pellet (5% fat / 20% fiber / 14% protein) and orchard grass hay in approximately equal amounts (as we are doing what we can to stretch that hay). My guess is my horses ARE getting more than 10% protein (and always have).

The one problem I had with alfalfa hay was severe (colic surgery) but, in my opinion, it was not that it was alfalfa hay but that it was VERY coarse alfalfa hay. It was when I had a show filly at a trainers, and ever since that big problem, I am very, very careful to only feed "soft leafy" hay to our minis.

 

[Margaret]

I would imagine a couple of reasons. One because certain grades of alfalfa can be too stemmy for the smaller gut size of the miniature horse, that can contribute to colic.

Generally speaking grass hay types are much softer and finer in stem and easier for the miniature to digest.

Although I have added Alfalfa into my minis diet before,- But I am always very careful to select it -only when the stem portion is very thin, and then only "incorperated in small amounts into the larger portion of softer burmuda..

Another reason is very likely that due to the highly efficient metabolism of the miniature horse in general: grass hay is the best choice to use for the new-bee as it is very difficult to over feed in comparison to Alfalfa.-Thus averting possible founder problems or obesity.

 

[Bess Kelly]

I feed NO course hay. Mature timothy can be extremely stemmy....I like soft 2nd cut...prefere orchard/tim mix in winter. Pay premium price but get premium hay.

Also, I have fed 16% protein feed 2X day for over 15 yrs......many of the same horses......all are fine. Mares look fantastic after foaling, don't draw down, foals love it, no one is "hot" or overweight. Main ingrediant is soy and there is no corn in it. Approx 2 cups per head, pelleted, 2X dy.

 

[ClickMini]

I'm with you on the minis, but my big horses eat a lot more grain than that!

Yes, I guess my Thoroughbred eats 4 cups twice per day. But not my draft crosses! But they do eat a LOT of hay!!! And if the truth was known, for all of the horses including the minis it is probably closer to a 3 cup scoop. I use one of the 2 cup measures, but there is room at the top above the 2 cup line and I do fill it all the way up.

All I know is that I spend a freakin' lot of money on horse feed! LOL!

 

[chandab]

My full size horse eating quite a bit more than any of my minis. I do feed a ration balancer to all, but my senior half-Arab gelding also gets some senior feed and an extruded feed.

My minis each get 1/2-3/4# of ration balancer (depending on age and workload) plus grass hay.

My senior gelding gets 1# ration balancer, 1.5# extruded feed, and 3# senior feed (3qt scoop) plus free choice grass hay, this is his winter ration; in summer he gets 1.5# ration balancer and unlimited grazing (he won't eat the senior feed in summer when there is good grazing to be had).