Alfalfa – Backed by Research

Many papers have been published that found positive effects from feeding alfalfa to horses at levels that reflect typical practices such as Lybbert et al. (1997), Nadeau et al. (2003), Bäuerlein et al., (2020). Anecdotally, many vets and researchers exploring treatment options for ulcers, recommend alfalfa as part of the ration for both horses with Equine Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD) and Equine Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD).

In the EGGD consensus statement from leading veterinary researchers, chaff or other forage is recommended to be fed before exercise. Whilst the authors don’t state alfalfa specifically, they equally do not recommend to avoid feeding chopped alfalfa to horses, which they would clearly do if there was any evidence of it being a risk factor or issue for horses diagnosed with EGGD. Click here to read more.

Why are some people concerned about feeding chopped alfalfa to horses?

To date, the papers cited by those suggesting chopped alfalfa isn’t suitable for horses emanate from one research group based in Germany and relate to some studies conducted in weanling foals.

So let’s take a closer look at this work by Fetke et al. (2015) and Vondran et al. (2016). This was first presented at the EWEN conference in 2014 by the research group leader Professor Ingrid Vervuert. There are a few important points to consider in relation to these papers:

• Both come from the same research group based in Germany.
• They are both in weanling foals – EGGD is recognised as being correlated with stress, as well as other factors such as pain
• The incidence of ulcers was high at the start of the study even before any of the trial diets were introduced

It is also very important to consider how much alfalfa chaff was fed to foals in these trials. In Fedtke et al. (2015) the weight of alfalfa was 5.5kgs of alfalfa chaff (between 11 and 15 Stubbs scoops) along with corn silage, grass silage and 2kgs oats. In Vondran et al. (2016) the level of alfalfa fed was 3kgs (6 Stubbs scoops) which was again alongside oats.

Nowhere near this level of alfalfa chaff is fed to weanlings in the UK and so this study is not reflective of a real-world scenario. Does this mean it should be disregarded? No, but equally it doesn’t mean we should conclude with any certainty that more typical levels of alfalfa chaff, i.e. 1 to 2 Stubbs scoops or 1kg per day, present a risk even to weanling foals. In fact, the authors themselves state that “from our study it is still not clear whether the fine or the harsh structure may have an impact on mucosa health”.

Research found that alfalfa hay positively affects the squamous mucosa

A subsequent paper from the same research group (Bäuerlein et al., 2020) compared alfalfa hay to grass hay. They found that alfalfa hay positively affects the squamous mucosa. Professor Vervuert who co-authored the Fedetke and Vondran papers, presented a paper in March 2023 where she referred to alfalfa as the “Queen of forage plants” and made no reference to needing to use it with caution for any horse with ulcers. She also advocates the use of straw in the same paper.

Another paper that is often cited inaccurately is Le Jeune at al. (2009). This paper explored brood mares kept at grass fed either alfalfa hay or a mix of alfalfa and grass hay with all mares receiving a relatively small amount of grain (0.9kgs). The mares were kept in groups so there was no way of knowing how much each of the mares consumed, which is a limitation of a study conducted in a commercial stud. The authors also note that the limitation of this study was that it was on one stud farm, in one location. Despite being at pasture, mares in both groups had ulcers. The authors do not attribute this to the presence of alfalfa in the ration. In fact they highlight the exact opposite position in their discussion:

“A direct link between diet and gastric ulceration in our population of mares could therefore not be made. It is possible, however, that the mares in our study are prioritizing the highly palatable grain for alfalfa hay and grass from the pasture and are therefore minimizing the buffering effects of alfalfa and pasture grazing, potentially contributing to the higher than expected prevalence of gastric ulceration in this population”

The authors are suggesting that it is the lack of the mares consuming the alfalfa that means the beneficial buffering conferred from consuming alfalfa is not achieved.

Research highlights more key benefits of alfalfa pellets for racehorses

The following studies focus on pelleted alfalfa.

• Clinical success in horses with EGGD (glandular ulcers) is 47.7 times more likely in horses fed alfalfa pellets as part of their ration compared to those on concentrate only rations. (Julliand et al, 2023)
• Standardbred horses in race training fed a combination of chopped and pelleted alfalfa at 80% of the bucket feed with just 20% cereal content performed just as well as those fed cereals alone. This is another study that challenges the belief that high levels of cereals are need to support high intensity exercise. A particularly interesting finding from the second study was that there may in fact be metabolic benefits which could improve a horse’s performance over the longer term from feeding a higher fibre diet! (Martin et al, 2021)
• A commercial feed combining sugar beet pulp, alfalfa meal and oatfeed aided reduction in recurrence of gastric ulcers when fed during the healing and post medication periods in addition to the usual ration. This is key for when ulcer medication is stopped and the rebound increase in acid production can occur. (Menzies-Gow and Shurlock, 2024)

Research found improvements in hoof quality

Research back in 1987 at the Royal Dick Vet School demonstrated improvements to hoof growth rates and the quality of hoof horn when alfalfa was included in the horse’s rations. The improvements were attributed to the increase in calcium and quality protein that the alfalfa provided in the ration. Vet Record (1987).