Ask the Vet - Benefits and differences between grass hay and alfalfa hay

In this excerpt from the April 2018 episode of Ask the Vet ( • Ask the Vet - Sleep de... ), Dr. Gray and SmartPaker Sarah talk about the nutritional differences between grass hay and alfalfa hay, as well as the special circumstances in which one is better for a horse than the other.
To see more from our Ask the Vet video series, you can check them out on the SmartPak blog ( www.smartpakequine.com/blog ), SmartPak's Horse Health Library ( www.smartpakequine.com/learn-... ), or on our Ask the Vet playlist ( • Ask the Vet individual... ).
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[@basssix1]

Great information!

[@betterthanrubies2462]

I think you explained that really well! :)

[@keeleychild7689]

Love you

[@armoredwings4182]

I had two vets that tried to get me to feed my horse 100% alfalfa 10 pounds a day and no hay whatsoever (because of he is an old hard keeper) and I am honestly shocked by that recommendation. I know alfalfa is good but just that every day, my horse couldn't handle it, wasn't able to finish that much food and wasn't helping his weight at all if he won't eat it. I am looking for a new vet that can actually help, in the meantime beat pulp and soaked coastal hay seems to be doing him some good.

[@kippen64]

I thought that another problem with lucerne (alfalfa) was the calcium/phosphorus balance. That a diet heavy in lucerne has too calcium

[@smartpak]

Hi Kitty - You are correct, general nutrition rules hold that the calcium to phosphorus ratio should be within a range of 1:1 to 2:1. The calcium:phosphorus ratio of alfalfa hay is typically higher than 2:1, sometimes as high as 6 or even 8 to 1. The folks at UC Davis have a ton of information about alfalfa hay that you might find interesting: alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/+symposium/proceedings/2001/01-061.pdf - Dr. Lydia Gray

[@waqarahmed2390]

Hi I wanted to know the better way of storing Alfalfa hay ..
1. Storing it inside plastic bags with sealed mouth.
2. Inside any room without plastic bags.

[@xon2013]

If it's humid, I think storing in plastic bags is a bad idea. It's just going to trap moisture and get your hay moldy. I think it's much safer to store at least under a covered area. Always much safer to let your hay breathe.

[@linedallaire6637]

We use it as a dessert in a meal.