FEEDS FOR HORSES 245 



or mold and should not be cut until fairly mature, as hay cut at the 

 stage usually advised for cattle is too "washy" for horses. The 

 allowance of alfalfa hay should always be limited, not' over 1.2 lbs. 

 daily per 100 lbs. live weight being given work horses, for when too 

 much of this protein-rich food is eaten not only is the stomach over- 

 distended but the kidneys are overworked in excreting the large excess 

 of nitrogenous material. 



That alfalfa hay may be used successfully even for horses doing 

 hard work at a rapid pace is' shown by a trial with artillery horses 

 carried on by the Kansas Station. 5 These horses worked harder than 

 the average farm team does thruout the year, performing a consider- 

 able part of their work at the trot and no small part at a gallop. One 

 lot of horses was fed alfalfa hay and another timothy hay, with the re- 

 sults shown in the table. 



Alfalfa vs. timothy hay for horses 



Daily cost of 

 Av. gain or feed per 



Average ration loss per 1,000 lbs. 



head live weight 



Lbs. Cents 



Alfalfa-fed horses 



Shelled corn, 8 lbs. 



Oats, 2 lbs. Alfalfa hay, 10 lbs 25.6 12.95 



Timothy-fed horses 

 Corn, 4 lbs. 

 Oats, 8 lbs. Timothy hay, 14 lbs —7.7 19.21 



The alfalfa-fed horses, getting 2 lbs. less grain and 4 lbs. less hay 

 than those fed timothy, showed no shortness of wind, softness, or lack 

 of endurance and gained in weight while the others lost. The cost 

 of the alfalfa-hay ration was only about two-thirds that of the tim- 

 othy-hay ration. Alfalfa with no grain, but often with an unlimited 

 amount of straw, is a common ration for idle horses thruout the West. 



Alfalfa meal. — When good quality alfalfa hay is available it is not 

 economical to pay a higher price for alfalfa meal, for horses waste but 

 little of such hay when properly fed. Moreover, alfalfa meal is dusty 

 and disagreeable to handle, and while the dust may be laid by wetting 

 this takes considerable time. 



V. Pasture and Other Succulent Feed 



For horses receiving hut little exercise succulent feeds are especially 

 beneficial on account of their "cooling," laxative effect. A limited 

 amount of succulent feed is often employed thruout the year in 

 Europe for work horses and even for drivers. 



5 McCampbell, Kan. Bui. 186. 



