pasture mix for horses..?--can you bale it?

[Oblio13]

Quote:
Is there any concern with the horses not having alfalfa? Sorry--only had horses for less than a year.

Well, they're not gonna get fat on it, that's for sure. If they're in work, you're already supplementing with grain. You may have to increase it is all.

 

[normajean]

My horses have never see alfalfa anything but maybe pellets during last years hay shortage.
As long as they are getting their nutritional needs met through either the right portion of grain or a pasture/hay balancer there and are maintaining their energy and weight is no real need to supplement anything.
Good grass hay as forage is wonderful. Alfalfa is improperly balanced in calcium/phosphorus ratio, as is bran so it is best not to feed it at all or make sure that the calcium ratio is addressed. Normally in horses you want a ratio in their overall intake (hay, supplements and grain) of cal/phos to be 2:1....it is 1:2 in alfalfa.
Point being, I would be delighted to have a good pasture of grass hay, and other than possible weeds, it will not matter if it was cut last year....it may actually make the grass a little more nutritious since it was rested a year.
Congrats!