A sugar free diet.

Actually soaking doesn't effect the nutrients at all just he sugars and starches :)

Let me dig for that article LOL

K my bad steaming doesn't effect them soaking only effects
Magnesium, potassium, Phosphorus, copper, sodium

And that's all stuff that's in a trace mineral lick, isn't it? Or at least easily supplemented?

I'm curious how one would steam hay though, without causing a barn fire or mold, lol.

Ricci they actually make hay steamers ...

Haha, that's awesome! Maybe when I'm rich, I'll get a hay steamer. =]
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Grass hay and beet pulp :)

Good luck!

Ricci won't eat just beet pulp, that's the problem. She's been getting alfalfa hay, beet pulp, and some grass pellets, because I need a wet "grain" that can more or less hide her supplements. Ricci has decided she doesn't like it, hence the need to change her "grain" situation.

Rice Bran and Soybean hulls are ranked with the lowest GI according to this site (Sugar Content in Feed and Forage Affects Horses' Health). And as far as the alfalfa, make sure it's late cut hay. As that website mentions it is useful to get the hay tested for sugar content and GI. Here's an interesting article on hay as well (http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/pubs/id146.pdf).

I feed my horses a soybean hull based pellet which also contains rice bran. They love the taste and I can mix in my biotin supplement with a little water and there are no issues. Moorglo is another popular feed with similar ingredients.