Stormy Acres Ranch

Who’s ready for some dry weather and summer rides?

🌱𝐀𝐥𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚: 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 “𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡”?

Alfalfa has a big reputation in the horse world – some people love it, others are sure it’s “too rich.” As usual, the truth is in the middle and it depends on the horse and the rest of the diet.

🌱𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥

• It’s 𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭‑𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 – higher in protein, energy and calcium than most grass hays, and a good source of essential amino acids for muscle, hoof and tissue

• Its higher calcium and protein can help 𝐛𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐝, and several studies suggest alfalfa can reduce the severity of squamous gastric ulcers compared with some grass hays.

• It can be very useful for horses that 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞: growing youngsters, broodmares, performance horses, and some seniors or hard keepers who struggle to hold weight on grass hay alone.

🌱𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥

• Alfalfa is 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞‑𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞. For easy keepers or metabolic horses on restricted diets, free‑choice alfalfa can push calories well over what they need and make weight management harder.

• Protein and calcium are high. In horses that don’t need it, long‑term high‑protein diets increase nitrogen excretion (stronger urine smell, more load on kidneys) and can affect electrolyte balance and heat production in intense or endurance work.

• For reasons not fully understood, some 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜/𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬‑𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞 horses seem to get sore on alfalfa even though its sugar + starch (NSC) is often lower than many grass or cereal hays, possibly due to insulin responses to very high‑protein meals.

🌱𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞‑𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬

• Think of alfalfa as a 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞, not an automatic staple. Many horses do best when alfalfa is part (not all) of the forage – for example, 20–30% of the hay ration, with the rest as moderate grass hay, depending on the individual.

• It can be a great tool when you have 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 (work, growth, pregnancy, lactation, some seniors) or you’re supporting gastric health – as long as the whole ration stays balanced.

• For easy keepers, EMS/PPID horses, or those with a laminitis history, I’m more cautious: grass hay first, and if alfalfa is used at all, I introduce it slowly, keep the proportion small, and watch body condition and soundness closely.

🌱Used thoughtfully, alfalfa is neither a magic bullet nor a villain – it’s a 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥 that needs to match the horse in front of you and the job you’re asking them to do.

🪴Alfalfa is also 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 – 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐦𝐞. It’s a deep‑rooted perennial crop, usually planted in pure or mixed stands, and naturally runs higher in protein, calcium and overall nutrient density than typical grass hays.

Two “alfalfa hays” can differ a lot in leafiness, protein, fibre and mineral content depending on variety, stage of maturity at cutting, and how it was cured and stored, so it’s worth knowing how and where it was grown and, when possible, backing up decisions with a forage analysis instead of assuming all alfalfa is the same.

The difference in a person's ratio of leg length to their torso length has a profound impact on the ability to balance in the saddle. The rider on the left has legs longer than her torso length. This automatically lowers her center of balance in the saddle compared to the rider on the right who has a longer torso compared to the length of her legs, which results in the rider being "top heavy" in the saddle.

This is a simple interaction of rider body mass placement in the saddle and gravity. The longer legs place more of the rider's body mass below the saddle whereas the longer torso rider proportionally places more body mass above the saddle.

The result often is that the rider with the longer torso on the right will tend to balance more in the seat than in their legs and seat, which is a challenge. In an extreme situation a rider with a longer torso can look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy rolling around on their butt in the saddle while they constantly unbalance their horse.

When teaching riding, the instructor of a longer legged rider only needs to tell the student to relax and let the legs fall naturally down to the stirrups. However, the trainer teaching the short legged, long torso person must tell this student to balance more using their feet in the stirrups.

When I get a student with shorter legs that torso, who is top heavy in the saddle, I temporally shorten their stirrups. This places their feet closer to the stirrups. Once the stirrups are raised and are more available for the rider, students usually begin balance more using their feet in the stirrups. In time, after they are regularly using their feet to balance, I lengthen their stirrups to help them lower their center of balance.

Teaching riding is more than yelling "heels down" to a class of students. Effective teaching includes assessing how a student's body type helps or hurts their ability to balance. We need to help riding students optimize the use of their body.

At present, Stormy Acres Ranch does not offer full care boarding nor are we hosting events. We would like to express gratitude to our valued clients and friends for being part of our journey. As we take this opportunity to slow down, we are focusing on appreciating what we have built. Any future updates will be shared accordingly. We hope everyone finds time to enjoy life between the ears and a little hay in their pockets 💕

The moments between storms are where the magic runs free 💕

9-11 "Lest we forget" #NeverForget #September11 #NineEleven

🎁🐴 Mini Giveaway Time! 🐴🎁

Royal Legacy Custom Leather wants to share a little something special with our horse-loving friends!

One lucky winner will receive this exclusive prize pack:
✨ Royal Legacy Tote Bag
✨ 3D Logo Keychain
✨ Logo Air Freshener
✨ Drawstring Bag

Perfect for barn life, shows, or just repping your love for all things equestrian! 🐎
👉 To enter:
1️⃣ Like this post & our page
2️⃣ Comment your horse’s name & breed below 🐴
3️⃣ Share with your barn friends for extra luck!

Winner will be announced once this post hits 200 likes! 🎉 I will choose a random # and whoever's comment that aligns with, wins!

📌 Check out more at: www.royallegacyleather.com

Good luck and may the best horse win! 🦄🐉

Always so peaceful at the barn 💕

We still have Saturday AM shift and a Sunday AM shift open. We are looking for someone who has horse experience. Can feed, water turnout and clean 10-14 stalls. You must be old enough to drive the Gators. (16) you may make extra money helping with lessons after morning chores are done. You could also get lessons. Interviews will be with our trainer Julie Gibbs-Churchley