Horses require about 3% of their body weight each day in dry matter intake. If at all possible it should be of suitable quality. Horses evolve on grass and use it the best. Old horses and growing horses can be adversely impacted by feeding just alfalfa hay since alfalfa is high in potassium from fertilization. The high levels of potassium can bind up calcium in the horse's digestive tract generating oseoporosis for old horses and stunted development of young horses. In the Intermountain states we usually feed each horse 1/3 to 1/2 of a small hay bale depending on their weight. Dry tub supplements which are not easily overconsumed can meet vitamin and energy needs. Most horse producers feed winter hay to allow the pastures to both capture snow and recover the native plants. Constant grazing leads to pasture decimation. A 1500 horse needs 35-45# of dry matter each day with an average of 8-10% protein content. Too much protein from high quality hay may generate laminitus or founder in older horses. Feel free to contact me at <personal data hidden> for more information.

Thank you for the information. I will pay closer attention to how I feed my old ones and younger ones as I was only partially aware of those details.. However I feel I was not specific in my question regarding the problem I'm having. May I contact you via email regarding the details?