The Pleasure Horse

The horse evolved as a grazing animal, well adapted to eating high-quality forage (grasses and hay). Many mature pleasure horses can thrive on forage-only diets. Our forages are harvested early and high temperature dried, “locking in” the natural nutrition. Depending on your mature pleasure horse’s nutritional requirements, Lucerne Farms Forage Feed may be all he needs.

The Performance Horse

The training and competition schedules, combined with transporting to and from these events, places performance horses under a level of stress they would not normally encounter in the wild. Stabling and the need for high-energy intake have resulted in the feeding of large amounts of concentrates. A horse must receive at least 2-2.5% of their body weight in forage per day to maintain a healthy digestive system. Our alfalfa-based blends contribute to a “slow-release” energy source for working muscles and the protein to rebuild these muscle. Alfalfa also helps with preventing and treating ulcers that can develop from the high stress lifestyle of travel and competitions.

Breeding and Young-stock

Correct nutrition for the mare and foal is vital. The increased size of the foal during the later stages of pregnancy causes the mare’s digestive system to become restricted, resulting in a lack of appetite. Replacing some of the bulky hay ration with one of Lucerne Farms’ alfalfa-based forages will benefit both mare and her unborn foal. Continuing to feed our forage blends during the mare’s lactation and the foal’s formative years helps ensure proper nutrition.

Horses with Heaves

Horses suffering from respiratory problems and allergies, associated with field-dried hay, benefit from our forage feeds. The high temperature drying process helps to eliminate harmful mold spores that can lead to respiratory allergies (heaves), resulting in a chronic cough and decreased physical performance. Feeding your horse any one of Lucerne Farms’ high temperature dried forages will help prevent an allergic cough and keep their airways clear.

The Senior Horse

Adequate chewing is the first step in the digestive process. As the horse ages and teeth become more worn, the digestive system becomes less effective. This can result in a loss of body conditioning. Our forage aids in digestion because it provides a long-stemmed forage source, which is needed in the the stomach to buffer acid and prevent ulcers, but in a form that is short enough to allow your senior horse to create a suitable bolus they can swallow.