ARTIFICIALLY DEHYDRATED LUCERNE FOR HORSES

Artificially dehydrated lucerne produced in the United Kingdom has bee n shown to be a better source of nutrients for horses than grass hay. Horses eat more lucerne when it is pelleted, and the processing has li ttle effect on its nutritive value. Lucerne does not appear to contain any antinutritional factors of significance to horses. Lucerne contai ns readily available calcium and protein and can thus be used as a cer eal-balancer or to upgrade poor quality roughages. Because lucerne is a good source of digestible nutrients it has therapeutic applications, including the correction of electrolyte imbalances and hoof horn prob lems, and it can be used for intragastric nutrition and for feeding ol d horses.