ATTRIBUTES OF ALFALFA

By Dr. Amy K. McLean, PhD

Alfalfa is likely one of the oldest forages fed to horses. For over 2,000 years there are records from Persian to Roman empires feeding Alfalfa. The forage spread from the middle east to Asia and eventually Europe as people traveled the world with their horses.  Alfalfa is considered a legume and belongs to the family Medicago sativa.   Clover is in this same family. Most equine consume grass or legumes or a combination of both. A legume plants have a great leaf to stem ration and the leaves are more round and palatable or shall we say delicious for horses to consume. Other examples of legumes include beans such as soybeans. The leaves are key components to good nutrition. Legumes such as alfalfa are packed with nutrients and are easy to chew and digest making it an ideal feed for horses. Most alfalfa products from hay to pellets offer a high-quality source of protein meaning its more easily digested compared to other sources. 

Protein is important for performance horses and muscle recovery. For providing a source of protein that’s alfalfa based can ultimately help keep your performance horse competing at a high level by restoring muscle function. Each time the horse exercises muscles are torn down and then rebuilt but this can only occur if the horse is receiving an adequate supply of protein that’s broken down into amino acids and rebuilds muscle tissue such as actin and myosin.  

Alfalfa can help decrease oxidative stress as well in performance horses by supplying a quality source of vitamins and minerals to your horse such as Vitamin A, E, and K. Oxidative stress can lead to an early onset of fatigue and lead to your horse becoming tired or slower performing in a quick amount of time. Vitamins and minerals work hand in hand in performing equine athlete. Minerals such as Calcium and Phosphorous are required for muscle contraction and are readily available in Alfalfa. Young growing horses require 2:1 parts Calcium to Phosphorous and adults 2:1 or 1:1 depending on exercise and life stage. 

In general, minerals that can be found in large quantities in Alfalfa when compared to grass-based forage sources.  The following minerals Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, Chloride, Sodium, Cooper, Zinc, and Selenium are all found in Alfalfa.  Calcium and Phosphorus are the most abundant minerals found in the skeleton system.   The lower limbs of horses are constantly being remodeled meaning there’s a shift in mineral content from the middle of the bone, bone marrow to the outer edges. Supplying your horse with an abundant source of minerals can help replenish minerals that were stored in the marrow and increase bone density and integrity. Also, feeding your horse alfalfa has been shown to help buffer the acidic stomach and small intestine of your horse prior to exercise and may possibly reduce gastric ulcers.

Other minerals such as Sodium, Chloride and Potassium are necessary to maintain a balance in horses’ blood stream. When a horse is exercising and sweating it easily loses these important minerals.  However, they can easily be replenished by offering salt to your horse and alfalfa-based products.

The attributes of alfalfa don’t end with improving the health of performance horses, but they also help increase reproduction efficiency with stallions, broodmares, and foals. So, alfalfa has many attributes for horses at all life and exercise stages. If you are looking for the perfect feed for your equine consider alfalfa or an alfalfa based product and then feed according to the weight of your horse, exercise level, and life stage (example a young growing horse in training or a broodmare in the last part of gestation or a gelding ridden a few times a week). 

Forage First

Importance of Forage for the Equine’s Digestive System

By Dr. Amy K. McLean, PhD

The horse’s diet should be focused on forage first. Allowing grazing time can improve their overall digestive health.

The horse’s digestive tract is designed for multiple small meals fed throughout the course of a day. Wild horses graze for 16-18 hours taking small bites and walking a few steps between bites. Most horses today based on exercise schedules and management are fed a few large meals maybe once, twice, three or four times a day in a twenty-four-hour period. They consume their daily diet within a few hours. Meanwhile, their stomach is continuing to produce hydrochloric acid, their mind is still thinking about chewing and eating yet there’s no stimulation. The fewer meals throughout the day can often be detrimental for many horses. They may develop gastric ulcers in their glandular and nonglandular region of their stomach and even small intestine due to the lack of forage being consumed. Ideally, a horse’s diet should be centered around forage or the saying, “forage first.” Supplementing your horse’s diet with concentrates (grain, sweet feed, pellets) is generally consumed rather quickly and doesn’t extend the feeding time. Also, concentrates can increase acidity in the horse’s stomach which is already an acidic environment and even lead to carbohydrate overloading in the small intestine and create sugar or carbohydrate imbalances for horses leading to serious health conditions such as laminitis or even colic.

Many horses that have a limited amount of forage in their daily diet will become bored throughout the day and this can lead to behaviors that do not serve a purpose called stereotypies. An example is cribbing, crib biting or windsucking, where the horse will place its upper incisors on a stationary object and pull back and suck in air. The behavior becomes addictive and irreversible by releasing endorphins in the brain as a reward when the horse performs this behavior. Increasing forage intake and exercise can often prevent such behavior and promote good gut health. Another concern with limited forage is the buildup and entrapment of gas within the gastrointestinal tract. It can take up to 48 hours for a horse to completely digest and process forage but if forage is limited there’s a longer period where the system is sitting empty. Entrapped gas can lead to spasmodic colic which can be a very painful abdominal upset.

Other considerations with offering more forage include the natural wear of the horse’s teeth. The first organ of digestion is the mouth starting with the upper and lower lips, then the front teeth, the incisors followed by the tongue, salvia glands, pre-molar, and molar teeth. The teeth are the grinding surface for foodstuffs that are naturally worn down and in certain patterns based on their diet. A diet lacking or not centered around forage can create carries in the horse’s infundibulum (the center part of the horse’s tooth) and wear away at the grinding surface like a cavity.  Irregular growth patterns such as hooks, ramps and waves so basically uneven grinding surfaces form in the pre-molar and molar teeth when the diet is lacking forage.  Since the mouth is the first organ of digestion it initiates the breakdown of foodstuffs with the teeth grinding and salvia assisting with breaking down the feedstuffs and lubrication to move the food through the system. After feedstuffs have traveled to the stomach where vitamins, minerals and proteins are absorbed then the feedstuff will move through the small intestine and into the large intestine.

A fermentation vat in the large intestine found on the right side of the horse’s abdomen called the cecum is responsible for the breakdown of fiber. Forage provides two types of carbohydrates, non-soluble carbohydrates (fiber or the skeletal system of the plant) and soluble or water-soluble carbohydrates (sugars and starches). Most sugars and starches the soluble/water soluble are absorbed pre-cecal, so small intestine but fiber which I non-soluble is broken down in the cecum.

The cecum has some help in breaking down fiber by bacteria, fungi, and protozoans. If the horse’s diet suddenly changes or is no longer forage based the microbial populations can die off and or not be accustomed to breaking down the new source of feed. Forage based diets are high in fiber, the horse can digest the following sources of fiber in this order: cellulose, hemi-cellulose, and lignin. Again, the forage will sit in the fermentation vat for 6-8 hours while the microbes attempt to break down the different fiber sources and then transform the fiber into an energy source called volatile fatty acids. The volatile fatty acids are then transported across the cecum wall and enter the blood stream and can be used as a source of energy. However, if the horse is lacking forage in its diet, then fewer energy sources are available, and the overall gut health is compromised.

Keep in mind when feeding your horse, the diet should be focused on forage first. So, think about providing your horse with forage throughout the day to improve their overall digestive tract health from head to tail. Next time we will discuss sources and creative ways to feed forage to your horse with a focus on attributes of alfalfa.

Why grain-Free feed might benefit your horse

While it's true that horses enjoy grain-free feed, it's essential to understand why this type of diet can be beneficial for them. By focusing on a grain-free diet, you can help support your horse's digestive health, reduce the risk of certain health issues, and even improve their overall performance and longevity.

Grains can sometimes be challenging for horses to digest efficiently, leading to issues like colic, laminitis, and insulin resistance. By opting for a grain-free option like Alfa Force Equine feed, you can provide your horse with a nutritionally balanced meal that is optimized for their digestion. This can help prevent digestive upset and keep your horse feeling their best.

In addition to the digestive benefits, a grain-free diet can also minimize spikes in blood sugar levels, which is crucial for horses prone to metabolic issues. By feeding grain-free feed, you can help support a more stable energy level throughout the day, promoting better stamina and endurance in your horse's performance.

So, while horses undeniably love grain-free feed like Alfa Force Equine, it's worth noting that this choice is not just about taste—it's about providing your horse with the best possible nutrition to thrive and stay healthy for years to come. Make the switch to grain-free Alfa Force today and see the difference it can make in your horse's well-being!