I've never had to buy hay -

[tracerace]

I have always fed all my horses our own orchard/timothy grass, baled off this farm. Last year we decided to turn our hay fields into pasture and buy hay for the first time and I'm sort of lost. Everything around here is alfalfa mix - ORthe plain grass hays that I've found are simply stemmy and nasty looking.

I have a very dependable dealer willing to lock me in at a good price (that will inevitably go up!) if I order this week. It is 50% alfalfa and therest grass mix. I have been indoctrinated that alfalfa is baaaaad lol....so I've read through these pages and see that many have fed alfalfa straight! SO it can't be all that bad, huh?

Until recently I had a TB on the property and didn't NEED alfalfa, but he passed last fall...no worries about that.

I am concerned about feeding the 2 mini's and Thelwell pony. The mini-mins are just 1 year and 3. Neither are in regular work or breeding or anything. The Fat pony is in regular work and is losing weight slowly - I'm afraid to bring him down quickly.

In your experience will that mix be too rich for them? This is the GREENEST hay I have ever seen. I'm used to a very faded grass hay. This new stuff doesn't even look real it's so green! He sent me home with a bale to try and I've given the mini's and Remmy a half a flake and they GOBBLED it up.

Nobody gets grain. WIll I be okay with this? Oh - it's very fresh smelling hay, stored covered, but from last season.

 

[Mona]

That's all I feed here for hay...alfalfa/grass mix. My horses love it and gobble it up, and I have never had had any problems with them on it. I don't free feed though, I do limit their hay intake while they are on it. (They graze the summer months, and get NO hay, and are fed hay usually from sometime in October to May of the following year.)

 

[Miniv]

A 50-50 mix isn't bad........You should be okay. You may find that you don't need to feed them quite as much of the mix as you did the straight grass. You can either have the hay tested for protien content or just watch your horses to see if they are gaining weight on it.

MA

 

[tracerace]

Thank you! I don't free feed so no worries there. I'll go ahead and lock this order in.

 

[Matt73]

I was feeding grassy hay for a while but then had to buy a timothy/alfalfa mix too. It is about 70/30 (timothy/alfalfa). I don't mind it. I, as well, don't free-feed so it's all good. I am finding my younger mare getting a bit fat so I'll cut back on her hay. Also, when they're out on grass (in about a week) I'll cut back on their hay.

 

[disneyhorse]

Alfalfa isn't BAD. You just have to be careful if it's the exclusive hay you feed. I feed a 50-50 alfalfa/orchard hay right now.

Andrea

 

[Jean_B]

It depends on the horse. I have one mare that I have to keep on straight grass hay...because otherwise she gets extremely cresty and is not able to carry a foal. I have not had her tested for hypothyroidism because as long as I do that, she's fine. But I have another mare that stays thin, trim, no matter what she is fed. I guess horses are just like people in a lot of ways. Some can get fat on air, and some can eat their body weight daily and not gain an ounce (I, unfortunately, am NOT one of those).

I have found some orchard grass hay pellets that are SOOOOO convenient. They are made by the Standlee Hay Company in Idaho and they are GREAT! Easy to haul to shows, easy to store, easy to feed EXACTLY the amount you want the horse to get. They also make a Timothy hay pellet which is what I am trying to get my feed store to stock for me. Cheaper than the Orchard grass, pellets are smaller, and fewer fattening sugars. But the horses LOVE it. I'm using the bagged pellets to stretch my very limited bermuda supply.