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A pasture is being interseeded with red clover. Will this make the pasture unusable for horses, especially pregnant mares?

Last Updated: June 18, 2009

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Red clover is an acceptable legume to use with horses, particularly when interseeded with other forage crops. Horses do not bloat in the technical sense, so legumes such as white clover, red clover, ladino clover, or alfalfa can be used in a successful feeding program for horses. Legumes are good for pregnant or lactating mares because they contain two to three times the amount of protein and calcium that most grass hays contain. (As a side note, if there is a large amount of red clover within a pasture, sometimes it can cause horses to slobber. The slobber causes no harm to the horse.)

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