ridecamp@endurance.net: RE: Alfalfa and enteroliths

RE: Alfalfa and enteroliths

MS DENISE G JOHNSON (BZVU47A@prodigy.com)
Mon, 20 Oct 1997 20:45:27, -0500

Hello. De-lurking here. On our family farm we grow alfalfa and
bermuda grass that we sell as hay for horses and dairy cows. We are
located in the SW in the Imperial Valley of CA. I read with great
interest the topics discussing horse feeds. My horse background
includes 3 Arabs our family had as I was a child.
All 3 were feed exclusive alfalfa diets. All 3 never coliced, and
they died of old age. They were pleasure horses we owned 10-15 years.
Twenty years latter I buy another Arab. I owned him for 2 years
and just started him in LD rides. The two rides we entered we
completed but he coliced after each ride. One and half months passed
before he coliced again. This time he couldn't come out of it. I
had to put him down. A cantaloupe size enterolith ended his life.
No sand was found in his intestines. He was on alfalfa only. He
came to me with extremely dry manure. He would grunt and grone while
pooping. So I was advised to feed him bran to loosen him up. I feed
1-2 cups of bran almost daily for a year and a half. Consequently,
I wanted to find out all I could about the formation of stones. The
more questions I asked the more confused I became. One Vet would
tell me it was Calcium in alfalfa. Another said it was the
Phosphorus that farmers applied heavily to their alfalfa stands.
Another implicated Nitrogen. I've read the cautions about feeding
wheat bran in the SW as it has been associated with stone formation
(Which I could understand as it can be quite gooy). Now reading
Susan's latest post Magnesium is added to the list. Hum. I've been
told Arabs have naturally drier systems than other breeds, and this
might contribute to stones. One underlying thread I've concluded is
stone formation is not well understood.
In 95 I purchased a 6 y.o. Khemosabi son. He was foaled in L.A.
He lived in a backyard in Rancho Cucumaga until I picked him up. He
was feed alfalfa pellets and some alfalfa hay. Within 3 weeks I
found a stone while cleaning out his corral. He had passed a nice
little 1 1/2 in diameter heart shaped gift of worry to me. Six
months latter another stone a bit smaller. I have showed both stones
to a Vet at an equine hospital and they think based on the shape of
the stones he probably has more. He has never coliced or been sick.
But I will have him x-rayed in the future for hopefully peace of mind.
Nearly 1 1/2 years have passed and I haven't found any more stones.
I currently feed my two Arabs small flakes of alfalfa and they have
bermuda grass free choice all the time. I bran my horses
occasionally. I never feed candy alfalfa you know, all leaves and
very yummy looking.
So back to what causes stone formation. Alfalfa is a legume. On
its' roots are nitrogen fixing bacteria.
Nitrogen is supplied to the plants via this symbiotic relationship.
Rarely is N applied to an exsisting alfalfa stand. So farmers do not
supplement their stands with N. Phosphorus is applied at least
yearly since every ton harvested depletes the P needed for growth. P
is very expensive and only what is needed per ton harvested is
applied. Potassium is not applied that I know of. Calcium, Sulfur,
Magnesium, Iron, Selenium,
etc. and other micronutrients are not applied that I know of and I
will check. We haven't on our stands. Soils vary considerabley here
in the SW. In the Imperial Valley, which alfalfa is grown
extensively, soils can vary from clay to loams to sandy. All soils
here are alkaline in ph. Susan I would like to know more about your
info on Mg causing stones and it's naturally occuring high % in the
SW soils. Does the SW also include AZ, Fallon NV alfalfa, Scott's
Valley alfalfa in No. CA too? Could the salt laden Colorado River
water be a factor? I couldn't bear to look at the stone they
removed from my little guy in the vet's office for a few years now.
Just the other day I did look. I know it could be analyzed. It
looks like layer after layer was built up like a snowball. Lots of
little fibers glued together. I sincerely hope someday we will know
exactly how to prevent stone formation and still be able to feed
alfalfa, because face it, the horses love it and green pastures are
few and far between in the desert SW.

Denise

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