Skip to content
Search Library
thumbnail

Compared to its popular legume cousins, alfalfa (lucerne) and clover, lespedeza is a little-known forage.  As a legume, it is higher than grass hay in protein and certain minerals, such as calcium and often potassium. Lespedeza is therefore appropriate for most horses with elevated nutrient needs—young horses, certain broodmares, and those that require calories to fuel performance or improved body condition, according to Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., nutrition advisor at Kentucky Equine Research(KER).

Referred to as “poor man’s alfalfa” by old-timers because it grows well in areas that alfalfa does not, lespedeza quality depends significantly on finesse of harvesting. Leaves tend to drop off the stems and crumble, called leaf shatter, if plants become overly dry or if too much handling occurs during harvesting. “This is problematic because most of the nutrients are found in the leaves, as with all forages, and so much of early-maturity lespedeza is comprised of leaves,” said Whitehouse. Baled lespedeza should contain an abundance of leaves, at least 50%.

In terms of yield, however, lespedeza lags alfalfa and clover, though this handicap is countered somewhat by lower production costs, including the plant’s preference for no fertilizer. Some hay growers will mix lespedeza with grasses, such as orchardgrass, to improve the quality of fall hay harvests.

Horses accept lespedeza well, though some managers have noticed some peculiar eating habits among horses. Some will shake or paw at flakes of lespedeza to encourage leaves to fall off of the stems. Once the leaves are eaten, sometimes only a pile of stems remains. When harvested at the proper time, lespedeza stems are fine, not at all coarse or stalky, so horses seem to have a definite preference for the leaves.

Are you thinking of adding lespedeza to your horse’s diet? Ask a nutritionist if it’s the right choice.

X

Subscribe to Equinews and get the latest equine nutrition and health news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for free now!