by Dynla Salubria and Gabe Yazimoto, VSR Managers
I have an Appaloosa horse named Miss Buttercup. A few days ago I mated her with my stallion Genghis and now she’s had a baby! The horse manual says that a pregnant or nursing mother needs Alfalfa, but I changed Miss Buttercup to Hay and she is doing just fine! Why does the manual say that she needs Alfalfa when she is fine on Hay?
Hopeful, AnonyMoose
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Hello, AnonyMoose!
Thank you for your question!
You are absolutely right in that the ABC horse manual states that a mare needs to eat Alfalfa while she is pregnant or nursing. This is correct. Alfalfa is a more potent type of hay which is used when the mother horse needs extra power for her foal.
As long as there is Alfalfa within her range, she will be able to eat and be happy! Even if you change your mare to Hay in the menu, which you say that you have done, the mare will continue to feed off Alfalfa only. That is why your mare appears to be able to survive on Hay, when really she is eating Alfalfa all along behind your back!
If you removed the Alfalfa from her she would start to starve and be very sad indeed! Additionally, her foal would also be at risk of starving.
So to conclude: Always keep Alfalfa within range of your pregnant or nursing mares to avoid problems! Also remember that even if you send the baby horse to the Cloud Ranch, the mother horse will need Alfalfa for 3 full days while she recovers!
If you, gentle reader, have a horse-related question you would like us to answer, please don’t hesitate to send it to us, and we just might!
Until next time, take care!
Love, Dynla&Gabe
