Question
My 17-year-old, 16.1-hand Friesian gelding is at a body condition score of 8. He is trail ridden lightly and does some dressage. He was on four flakes of grass hay per day and his weight was normal but he had chronic diarrhea. I switched him to alfalfa in an attempt to clear the diarrhea. His diarrhea improved dramatically, but he has gotten too fat. He was on three flakes of alfalfa per day, then two and a half flakes per day, and now just two flakes per day. He still seems to be gaining weight. In an effort to clear up his diarrhea, I have also tried timothy and Bermuda grass hay, prebiotics, and probiotics. I have not found anything but alfalfa that helps Rally’s diarrhea. What about cereal forage, like an oat, wheat, or barley hay? Can I replace some of his alfalfa with this?
Answer
The challenges you are facing are unusual considering we often hear of horses that develop loose manure from alfalfa and not vice versa. Consider the quality of the grass hay you were feeding. Mature, poor-quality hay can sometimes cause digestive irritation and potentially contribute to diarrhea. Alfalfa provides some gastric buffering benefits from its higher calcium, protein, and potassium content. Is there any reason to suspect your gelding may have gastric ulcers and may be responding positively to the alfalfa for this reason?
You may consider trying alternative forage sources with a shorter fiber length that will be less work for his gastrointestinal tract to process. Hay cubes will also be more consistent in quality. Timothy and other grass hay cubes should be available at most feed stores.
I suggest weighing one of the alfalfa flakes with a luggage or kitchen scale to get an idea of daily intake. Is he currently being fed hay in a closely knit “nibble” haynet? This will help slow consumption speed and allow longer “grazing” time, ideal for the digestive tract. It sounds like he has resisted weight loss thus far, which does require a more restrictive diet. Keep in mind, the restricted intake should be no less than 1.15% of body weight daily.
Hay cubes are one option when trying to reduce calories and maintain healthy manure. I suggest providing some long-stem hay in addition to the cubes. You mentioned that you had tried other types of hay, but I am curious to know how the introduction was made. His gastrointestinal sensitivity warrants extremely gradual transitions. You may have better luck re-introducing high-quality grass hay with the addition of hindgut support.
At this time, I don’t recommend wheat, oat, or barley hay. These hays are made from the leaves, stems, and grains of cereal plants. A good-quality cereal hay is harvested when the grain is immature and when the leaves and stems are still green and therefore higher in digestible nutrients. Depending upon the climate and temperatures prior to harvest, this can also contribute to higher levels of nonstructural carbohydrates, which is not ideal for an overweight horse. On the other hand, if the cereal hay is harvested after the grain is removed, it is no longer considered hay but straw. This too would be problematic for him from a digestive standpoint.
As you know, the sensitive microbial population in the hindgut is dependent on a healthy environment, especially optimal pH, to function properly. A suboptimal hindgut environment could be a contributing factor in his diarrhea. EquiShure contains an encapsulated buffer designed to reach the hindgut and improve the pH. Unlike probiotics, EquiShure actively changes the environment to ensure peak conditions for microbes. Adding EquiShure to the diet twice a day will provide consistent buffering. EquiShure is a powder that could be combined with hay cubes (or pellets) to provide a meal. Do not allow EquiShure to soak with the cubes or pellets, as wetting will trigger its time-release mechanism too early. This supplement has proven to be effective in difficult or unusual digestive cases. I think Rally would benefit from trying EquiShure for at least 4-6 weeks to see if it allows you to make a transition to a low-calorie hay.
