The authors of a new publication dispel the many myths surrounding the feeding of alfalfa to horses.

In Alfalfa: The High-Quality Hay for Horses, they tell horse owners how to match the characteristics of alfalfa hay to the age, class and activity level of their horses.

The 12-page publication was written by Glenn Shewmaker, Dan Undersander and Garry Lacefield, extension forage specialists at the University of Idaho, Wisconsin and Kentucky, respectively, and University of Kentucky equine nutritionist Laurie Lawrence. The National Alfalfa Alliance (NAA) published it.

Single copies can be downloaded from NAA's Web site at www.alfalfa.org, and multiple copies can be purchased in lots of 25 for $50, plus shipping and handling.

“There's a lot of information out there about feeding alfalfa hay to horses but it's almost entirely anecdotal,” says Shewmaker. “We use science, rather than myth, to guide the use of alfalfa products for varying needs of horses.”