# Can Alfalfa make your horse spooky?



## SaddleUp158 (Dec 26, 2008)

I would look at the difference between what feed you changed him to before blaming the alfalfa. How does his workload and his turnout compare to what he use to get? Does his tack fit?


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## tzoidbk (Nov 26, 2013)

SaddleUp158 said:


> I would look at the difference between what feed you changed him to before blaming the alfalfa. How does his workload and his turnout compare to what he use to get? Does his tack fit?


The food is almost the same. I checked that just 1% more fat to help with his weight. And all of his tack fits, and his tack doesn't even have to be on him for him to be spooky


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

Are you a babier or a soother? That can make a horse "spooky" as much as feed changes can.

Has a vet tested your hay?

Alfalfa can hype a horse up to where it is hanging from the rafters. A horse that is not being heavily worked, as in training daily, can get too wound up from it.

I've seen horses that were getting worked daily act like the village idiot when given one flake of peanut hay too, hanging from the rafters in 30 minutes or less.

Feed may be too hot, hay could, or could be something you are doing too.

And just a thought, but where he is now, are there other people coming into barn or on property? Someone could be using him, or teasing him too, so that might be worth considering.

Eyes could cause this too. 

And while you say tack fits and no pain issues? You won't know for sure without some diagnostics being done...could have fecalith, something internally, cracked ribs, or who knows what, teeth could need filing down, or have an abscess, bars in mouth could be broken.

A horse will hide what is going on painwise, unless it is in limbs, but otherwise, you can miss so much.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Was he stalled at the rescue or out 24/7 with a shelter? If he's not used to being cooped up in a stall he has nowhere to burn off excess energy.


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## livelyblueyes (Apr 5, 2014)

I am assuming the alfalfa is pelleted or cubed. Is it the same brand ? Sounds silly but that can make a difference too as far as the quality f the hay used to make the end product.Is there any sweet in his feed? I also second getting his eyes checked.. or possibly his hearing. Weird as it may sound something suddenly appearing with no sound can spook just as easily as sight issues.
I would try switching him to the exact brand he had at the rescue. My mare Sunny goes super hot very easily. If you even wave molasses in the vicinity of her feed she gets hot as a fire cracker. I went through many different feeds before I settled on a pelleted feed that she now gets. It's nothing fancy but she stays sane on it and keeps her weight easily with it. Equistages from TSC is what I give her. While it is a 14% protein feed she is less hyped on it than some 10 & 12% feeds I tried in the past. Sounds crazy but it is what it is. It could also be a binding agent used in the feed that is causing the hotness. (just as a note in general I hate pelleted feeds but with my senior girls I have made an exception and found that I like what they are eating)


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## TrailTraveler (Jan 4, 2014)

tzoidbk said:


> Okay, so my horse was always fed alfalfa at the rescue ranch he was at. I volunteered there for many years and always rode him. I bought him and changed his food to something different and took out his Alfalfa for about 2 months then put him back on it. He used to get one full scoop before I bought him and I ended up giving him a half. *It didn't seem to bother him until I switched barns and it's been 2 and a half months now.* I'm literally giving him a handful and he's so hyped up the walls, it's insane.
> He was stalled for 4 months about a month and a half ago, and *he's even more hyper now that I've been letting him out. *I just don't get it. He used to be this bombproof horse and now I can't take him on a trail ride without him spooking at least 5 times. He spooked at a news paper, I mean come on. I don't know if I should take him off alfalfa or what. But this just needs to stop. Like ASAP.
> (I do not plan on putting him on relaxing stuff to make him dopey.)


In my opinion, much of what you're seeing can be attributed to the change of scenery. You've switched barns. You've just let him outside. And it's springtime. A trifecta that can make even the most even-tempered horse a little nutty. Can alfalfa contribute to it? Maybe. But I feel that it's due more to the upheaval he has experienced over the winter (and 2-1/2 months in a new place isn't all that long) than the alfalfa you're feeding him.

He may have been "bombproof" at the rescue ranch because he was accustomed to the scenery there. And he may become "bombproof" again, once he adapts to his new surroundings. But it's going to take calm, firm, patient leadership on your part to guide him through all this upheaval. My feeling is that, once he accepts you as a dominant leader and once he becomes accustomed to all the change, he'll start to calm down a bit.

Good luck and keep us posted!


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## Trinity3205 (Dec 21, 2010)

Id add magnesium for a bit and see how he does. You will know in a week. Stress can leech away magnesium stores. Is he twitchy, ticklish when brushed and/or hard muscled too? MagRestore ®


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## Mochachino (Aug 14, 2012)

I'm assuming your are using alfa cubes? You could feed a timothy/alfa cube, which might help a bit.... but could be the new environment, routines, yes spring...etc.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

What else are you feeding him? That amount of alfalfa pellets isn't going to change him
Are you using anything that has molasses in it?
Does he maybe have ulcers that are making him feel cranky and tense?
Do you have a Lymes disease/tick problem in your area?


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