Soaked. I soak them for less than half an hour. If I put just enough water to cover the cubes, they soak it up, so it’s not “mushy” andthe cubes are deliciously soft :winkgrin:
This is how I feed the cubes. This way almost all of the water is soaked up with little or no excess.
I know one BM who soaked the cubes for about an hour or so and all of her horses looked grand. A few got dry cubes, but they were younger with good teeth.
My very senior mare gets a scoop of TC SR with the soaked TC alfalfa cubes at night. So far no digestive issues over the past 3 years and the vet is very happy with her weight. The teen-aged gelding gets soaked cubes without additional feed as he really doesn’t need it.
Only downsides are:
The feed buckets “must be” washed out every morning.
If your horse takes a bite then looks about the area beneath the feed bucket can get rather messy:yes:
If you have a slow eater the food can freeze during winter months and attract flies during the summer months. Requires additional cleanup year round.
That said - I like the way my horses look so it is all worth it.
I just gave King his first bucket of pre-soaked alfalfa cubes. He dove right in – smelled them coming. But … he was definitely slowing down after the first few bites. He was sort of like, “What the heck?”
I’ll see in the morning how much of it he eats. I hope he eats it all. He loves the alfalfa … the wet part? not so much!
I mentioned in another thread a while ago that some innovative person needs to invent an alfalfa cube shredder.
It has to have a hopper on the top that you can put a scoop full of cubes into, and it needs a clamp that you can use to clamp it to the edge of a counter top.
Then it has a hook to hang a bucket from.
You crank a handle, and out comes shredded/crushed cubes that are safe to feed without worry of causing choke.
Maybe a motorized version even, I just see the neeeeeeeed for it. 
FWIW, the only choke I have ever had in a horse of mine was after feeding inadequately-soaked alfalfa cubes. 
I just add normal temp water to the cubes. I don’t let them soak for that long. Give it to horsie. She loves 'em. I also bought her some plain old alfalfa hay which she will probably like even better. She is such a spoiled girl!
<sigh> – the soaked cubes were a no-go for King. He dove right in, but once he realized they were mushy, that was the end of it. Just checked his bucket and 90% of what I fed him last night is still there – now a frozen chunk.
I know he LOVES alfalfa … so maybe I should try just moistening them and not actually soaking? Gosh, he’s so picky!
Can you get chops/dengi instead of cubes?
Don’t give up! Sometimes they are just offended by wet stuff and need some time to realize that it actually is yummy. Maybe try just a handful of scantily-soaked stuff at first, let him think about it, then build up from there. :yes:
I add a kettle full of boiling water and leave them to soak while I ride then add some cool water and make sure they are mushed up before feeding. If they are too wet my thbd will dump the tub to drain them but he eats them quite wet. I like the extra water he gets so I make them as soupy as he will tolerate. I also add a cup of fresh ground flax. He loves it.
Maybe if you add something tasty like flax your guy will decide he loves them too?
[QUOTE=sisu27;6006163]
If they are too wet my thbd will dump the tub to drain them but he eats them quite wet. [/QUOTE]
Too funny! Yours too?
[QUOTE=King’s Ransom;6005596]
<sigh> – the soaked cubes were a no-go for King. He dove right in, but once he realized they were mushy, that was the end of it. Just checked his bucket and 90% of what I fed him last night is still there – now a frozen chunk.
I know he LOVES alfalfa … so maybe I should try just moistening them and not actually soaking? Gosh, he’s so picky![/QUOTE]
Does he get any grain? I pour my old girl’s (31 TB ex-starved, poor teeth) grain on top of the soaked pellets I use. She enjoys all of it. I over-soak though, either all day for dinner or overnight for breakfast.
It took my picky guy who hates wet food a couple of feedings to warm up to the soaked alfalfa cubes, but now he loves them.
Good luck!
I soak them for mine, but the mare doesn’t NEED hers soaked. If you soak them in a moderate amount of water, which will take some playing around, then it’ll soften them up without turning them soupy.
[QUOTE=King’s Ransom;6005596]
<sigh> – the soaked cubes were a no-go for King. He dove right in, but once he realized they were mushy, that was the end of it. Just checked his bucket and 90% of what I fed him last night is still there – now a frozen chunk.
I know he LOVES alfalfa … so maybe I should try just moistening them and not actually soaking? Gosh, he’s so picky![/QUOTE]
What I did to introduce my horse (9yr) to them was to break them apart and barely moisten them. He had never been fed ANYTHING wet/soaked in his entire life, and promptly turned his nose up. I dumped a couple in his bucket with his RB, and he thought they were treats. He chomped 'em up, and did the bob-head-up-and-down thing like “OMG! Those are yummy!”
Break them in half, and put just enough water in the bucket (cold water takes longer, hot not so much) to moisten them. Try feeding him only a couple that are moist, but not completely soaked with his regular feed. Increase the volume of cubes as he starts eating them regularly.
That’s what helped for my guy! Now he gulps them down, fully soaked. I don’t ever have actual liquid left over from soaking them. I found the perfect mix for my horse is to put juuuuust enough water to barely cover them, slosh them around, and let them set. I dump his grain in about 5 min before I feed, and its a semi-mash consistency. Mr. Finicky thinks its The. Best. Thing. EVER. :lol:
What if you tried US Alfalfa–it’s not cubes, it’s dehydrated & chopped alfalfa with a bit of oil & molasses added. We’ve fed it for about 20yrs. with all horses loving it. I add cold water in summer & hot in winter. Because it’s not cubes, it’s loose, the water soaks in really well and you can easily adjust how wet you want it. I also hide supplements in it–vit.E, garlic, electrolytes…US Alfalfa is the product name, but Purina makes a version too.
Also–I stir mine with an old metal sweat scraper. No muss, no fuss.
KR- at the feed store south of town on Old Kansas City road (CJ Feed) you can purchase “Alfalfa Chops”. This is alfalfa that is shredded and I have used it with good results.
Thanks Leslie, I’ll give those a try.
Don’t give up yet -
Our King used to get a flake of alfalfa twice a day to help his ulcers and keep his weight. Tried alfalfa cubes once because a boarder wanted their horse to have them - he was unimpressed and so we went back to hay.
Lost our source of alfalfa this year so we tried the cubes again - I add very hot water and cover with a towel for about 30 mins. The water soaks up and then I stir it when I dump it into his tub to check for any chunks. At first he wasn’t too excited but now looks forward to it. Sometimes I will throw a carrot or apple pieces in but usually just plain. He quietly and slowly munches away and now seems content with it so don’t give up yet.
He gets his after his am feeding and at night check and I am sure if I were to try to skip it HRH would have something to say about it!
