Two cubes, one real difference. Here’s how to tell which one belongs in which feed room — and why a lot of barns end up using both.
Premium Alfalfa Cubes
100% alfalfa
What it is
Straight alfalfa, compressed. Nothing else in the mix.
What it does
Richer forage. More calories and protein per pound.
Best for
Hard keepers, horses in real work, broodmares, growing horses, seniors who need conditions.
Preferred Protein Cubes
50% alfalfa · 50% wheat straw
What it is
Alfalfa blended with wheat straw for added fiber.
What it does
More chew time and volume, fewer calories per pound.
Best for
Easy keepers, light-work and retired horses, and any horse that needs something to eat without gaining.
The difference in one sentence
Premium Alfalfa is the richer feed. Preferred Protein stretches that alfalfa with wheat straw, so you get more bulk fiber and fewer calories in the same scoop. Everything else about the two products — how you feed them, how you store them, how they arrive — is identical.
When Premium Alfalfa is the right call
Reach for straight alfalfa when the horse needs to gain, hold, or perform. That covers a lot of ground in a working barn:
- Horses in consistent training or competition
- Hard keepers who drop weight over the summer
- Broodmares and young growing horses
- Rescues and rehab cases coming back into condition
- Seniors who are eating but still losing topline
When Preferred Protein is the right call
The wheat straw does a specific job: it adds fiber and chew time without piling on calories. That matters for the horses who’d get fat on straight alfalfa but still need something in front of them.
- Easy keepers and air ferns
- Retired and light-work horses
- Horses that finish their hay in two hours and stand around bored
- Anywhere you want forage volume without weight gain
Running both in a mixed herd
Most barns don’t have one kind of horse. The simplest setup is to pick one as your base feed and use the other as the adjustment.
If most of your herd is in work: make Premium Alfalfa the default and move the easy keepers to Preferred Protein.
If most of your herd is retired, boarded, or lightly ridden: make Preferred Protein the default and top up the hard keepers with Premium Alfalfa.
Either way you’re managing one variable across the whole barn instead of building a different diet for every stall.
A few practical notes
- Change feed gradually. Give it a week or two to transition, same as any forage change.
- Keep water available. Always good practice, and it matters more with a higher-fiber feed.
- Check with your vet for metabolic horses, seniors with dental issues, or anything with a history of choking.
- Both cubes feed the same way. Dry or soaked, in whatever pan or manger you already own. No special equipment for either one.
Want the numbers? Ask us for the current nutrient analysis on either product and we’ll send it over — useful if you’re working with a nutritionist or balancing against a grain ration.
Ordering either one
We’ve manufactured alfalfa cubes in Southern California for over 50 years and sell direct — manufacturer pricing, no distributor markup. Both products ship in super sacks or 50lb bags. Two-pallet minimum, with free delivery throughout Southern California.
Not sure which fits your herd? Tell us how many horses you’re feeding and what they’re doing, and we’ll point you at the right one.
