Hay cubes

[Ruth Bourgeois <ruthb@tdsi.net>]

'nother question for you experts out there!

I am buying some hay cubes for my fat little horses, partly because I'm
getting low on baled hay and partly cuz I thought it might help get rid
of the big hay bellies they've put on over the winter months. I'd done
this years ago with my other horse and it seemed to work. I'll still
feed some of the regular hay, but cut back on the amount per feeding,
and add some cubes to make up the difference. 

The cubes I'm buying are 70% timothy and 30% alfalfa. I was told that
one pound of cubes equals about 2 pounds of hay. So, I will need to
weigh out the hay and cubes to make sure I'm not overfeeding (sure would
hate to see them get any fatter!). 

The hay I currently feed is roughly 50-60 percent alfalfa and the rest
grass. I also feed straight rolled oats (barely 2 cups per horse per day
- these are very easy keepers). 

My question is - first - does this seem like a good plan,
nutrition-wise? Second, is it ok to use these cubes when I take the
horses to a competitive ride, or would it be better for them to just
have hay at the rides? Third, is it safe to feed cubes while trailering?
I normally put a flake of hay in the mangers so they have something to
munch on while trailering. 

I've heard that sometimes horses will choke on hay cubes, but I fed them
for one winter and never had a problem like that, so wasn't sure how
common that was or if I even need to really worry about it.

Thanks!
Ruth