Vetch & horse

[Swedeboy]

Hej!

We have a field of fescue that’s been cut for seed for five years. Now we want to graze the field and plan to put some hairy vetch in it to fix N. The cows like it but what about horses?
Thank you.

 

[Dry Rot]

Don't know about Hairy Vetch but ....

"Vetches or Tares: This crop is grown principally to provide keep for sheep, and green fodder for cattle and horses in the spring. Tares are extremely useful to include in a mixture with oats and peas or beans for making into hay or silage, whilst in some cases this mixture may be allowed to ripen to provide grain which can be ground into a balanced meal for dairy cows".

Source Fream's "Elements of Agriculture", 1959 edition (I like to keep up to date).

 

[deleted user 837354]

I can't see that feeding horses vetch is a good idea but that is just me. Nags get colic or other digestive grief from all sorts.

 

[Great In Grass]

I think Hairy Vetch is poisonous to horses but not Common Vetch. I'm not 100% sure.

 

[choochter]

Don't know about Hairy Vetch but ....

"Vetches or Tares: This crop is grown principally to provide keep for sheep, and green fodder for cattle and horses in the spring. Tares are extremely useful to include in a mixture with oats and peas or beans for making into hay or silage, whilst in some cases this mixture may be allowed to ripen to provide grain which can be ground into a balanced meal for dairy cows".

Source Fream's "Elements of Agriculture", 1959 edition (I like to keep up to date).

I would think that refers to working horses. After a hard winter maybe doing a bit of ploughing as well, a working horse would need building up in the spring in advance of spring/summer work.

 

[Great In Grass]

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[Swedeboy]

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[Swedeboy]

That does not look to promising..

 

[Dry Rot]

I can't see that feeding horses vetch is a good idea but that is just me. Nags get colic or other digestive grief from all sorts.

I suspect they knew more about feeding horses back in 1959, pre- the "supplement" fad era, than they do now! Or perhaps less fake news back then.