How much should a horse eat a day? A healthy adult horse typically needs to consume between 1.5% and 3% of its body weight in dry matter feed daily, with the majority coming from forage.
Determining the right amount of food for your horse is key to its health. Getting the horse daily feed intake wrong can lead to serious health issues, like obesity or colic. This guide will help you figure out the best diet for your horse. We will look at what makes up a good diet and how much your horse needs to stay fit and happy.
Factors That Change a Horse’s Needs
Not all horses eat the same amount. A horse’s needs change based on several things. Knowing these factors helps you set the recommended horse feeding amounts.
Body Weight and Condition
Weight is the biggest factor. Bigger horses need more food. Smaller horses need less. You must know your horse’s weight accurately. A weight tape is helpful. A livestock scale is even better.
Body condition scoring (BCS) tells you if your horse is too fat or too thin. A BCS of 5 is ideal. If your horse is too thin, it needs more calories. If it is too heavy, you must reduce its food.
Age and Life Stage
A young, growing foal has different needs than an older horse.
- Foals and Growing Horses: Need more protein and minerals for bone growth.
- Lactating Mares: Need a lot of energy and nutrients to make milk.
- Working Horses: Horses used for hard labor need much more energy. A horse doing light work needs less food than one competing in three-day events.
- Senior Horses: Older horses may have trouble chewing or digesting food. They might need softer feed.
Environment and Activity Level
Where your horse lives matters. Cold weather makes horses burn more calories just to stay warm. If your horse lives outside in winter, it needs more hay.
Activity level is crucial when calculating a horse’s diet.
| Activity Level | Daily Work Estimate | Energy Needs Increase |
|---|---|---|
| Light Work | A few hours of gentle riding per week. | Minimal increase over maintenance. |
| Moderate Work | Regular training, trail riding several times a week. | Up to 25% more than maintenance. |
| Hard Work | Intense training, racing, or heavy hauling. | Up to 50% or more over maintenance. |
Core Principles of Equine Nutrition Guidelines
Good equine nutrition guidelines focus on giving the horse what it needs naturally. Horses are designed to graze almost constantly. Their stomachs are small, but their digestive systems are built for slow, steady food intake.
The Importance of Forage
Forage—hay, pasture, or grass—is the most important part of a horse’s diet. It keeps the gut healthy and prevents many common problems.
Forage intake for horses should always be the base of the diet. Horses should eat at least 1% of their body weight in forage daily. For most horses, this should be closer to 2% or more.
- Example: A 1,000 lb horse should eat at least 10 lbs of hay per day, but ideally 15 to 25 lbs.
Forage provides fiber. Fiber keeps the gut moving. It also provides most of the horse’s energy needs for basic life functions.
Water Intake
Water is often forgotten but is vital. A horse needs fresh, clean water all day. A horse typically drinks 5 to 10 gallons of water daily. This amount goes up a lot if the horse is working hard or if the weather is hot. Dehydration can lead to severe issues like colic.
Calculating a Horse’s Diet: The Basics
To figure out the horse daily feed intake, you must first know the horse’s body weight and its energy needs. This process is called calculating a horse’s diet.
Step 1: Determine Body Weight (BW)
Use a weight tape or scale. Let’s use a hypothetical 1,100 lb horse for our examples.
Step 2: Establish Dry Matter Intake (DMI)
As a rule, feed 2% of BW in Dry Matter (DM) daily for a horse at maintenance (not gaining or losing weight, light work).
- 1,100 lbs x 2% (0.02) = 22 lbs of total feed per day (DM).
Step 3: Determine Forage Needs
Most of that 22 lbs should come from hay. We want at least 1.5% to 2.5% BW from hay.
- 1,100 lbs x 2% = 22 lbs of hay needed.
If the horse is on good pasture, it might get most of its needs from grazing. If the pasture is poor, you must make up the difference with hay.
Step 4: Assess Energy Needs (Maintenance Energy Requirements)
The basic energy a horse needs just to live is called horse maintenance energy requirements. This is measured in Mcal (Megacalories) of Digestible Energy (DE).
A 1,100 lb horse at maintenance usually needs about 16.7 Mcal DE per day.
You check your hay’s label or analysis to see how many Mcal it provides per pound. If your hay is low energy, you will need to add grain or commercial feed to meet the Mcal goal.
Step 5: Account for Concentrates (Grains/Pellets)
If the forage does not provide enough energy, vitamins, or minerals, you add concentrates. Concentrates are the grains or manufactured pellets.
Types of horse feed include plain oats, sweet feeds (molasses added), pelleted feeds, and textured mixes. High-fiber, low-starch pelleted feeds are often best for many horses.
If your 1,100 lb horse needs 22 lbs of total feed, and it eats 20 lbs of hay, that leaves 2 lbs of concentrate needed per day. This is just an example. Your actual amount depends on the quality of your hay and the horse’s job.
The Role of Forage Quality
The quality of your hay directly impacts how much a horse should eat a day. Hay is measured by its nutrient content.
| Hay Type | General Energy (Mcal DE/lb) | Protein Content | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Quality Alfalfa | 0.9 – 1.1 | High (18%+) | Growing, lactating, hard work. |
| Mid-Quality Grass Hay (Timothy) | 0.7 – 0.9 | Medium (9-12%) | Maintenance, light work. |
| Mature/Coarse Hay | Below 0.7 | Low | Easy keepers, weight loss plans. |
If you feed mature, low-quality grass hay, your horse must eat much more of it to meet its energy needs, which might mean feeding more total pounds than planned. Always try to get a hay analysis if you have specific dietary goals.
Balancing a Horse’s Ration
Simply feeding enough calories is not enough. You must be balancing a horse’s ration. This means getting the right mix of protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Protein Needs
Protein is made of amino acids. These are needed for muscle, skin, and hoof health. Growing horses and hard-working horses need higher protein levels than horses just sitting in a field. Alfalfa is high in protein. Most grass hays have adequate protein for maintenance horses.
Vitamins and Minerals
Most commercial feeds are fortified with essential vitamins (like A, D, E, and B vitamins) and minerals (like calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium). If a horse is fed mostly hay, they often need a ration balancer pellet or a vitamin/mineral supplement. Too much calcium or phosphorus can cause bone problems, especially in young horses.
Scheduling Your Horse’s Meals
The feeding schedule for horses should mimic natural grazing habits. Horses thrive on small, frequent meals.
Why Frequent Feeding is Best
A horse’s stomach empties quickly. If a horse eats a huge meal twice a day, the stomach acid production spikes. This can irritate the stomach lining, leading to ulcers. Also, large amounts of starch from grain arriving all at once can overload the hindgut, causing digestive upset or laminitis.
Ideal Feeding Schedule
- Small Amounts, Often: Aim to feed small meals spread throughout the day.
- Forage First: Always offer forage first, or offer it free-choice if possible.
- No More Than 5 lbs of Concentrate at Once: If you must feed grain or pellets, do not give more than 5 lbs in one sitting to an average-sized horse. For a 1,100 lb horse eating 22 lbs total feed, that means dividing the concentrate into 3 or 4 small meals.
Example Schedule for a 1,100 lb Horse Eating 20 lbs Hay and 2 lbs Pellets:
- 6:00 AM: 10 lbs Hay + 0.5 lb Pellets
- 12:00 PM: Small snack of hay (if possible) or free-choice access if using a slow feeder.
- 5:00 PM: 10 lbs Hay + 0.5 lb Pellets
- 10:00 PM: 1 lb Pellets (or divide remaining hay and pellets into the AM/PM feedings if free-choice isn’t possible).
Using slow feeders for hay helps extend grazing time and keeps the horse busy, which is good for behavior and digestion.
Recognizing and Avoiding Overfeeding
Knowing how much to feed is one part; recognizing if you are feeding too much is the other. Signs of overfeeding a horse usually relate to weight gain and metabolic issues.
Physical Signs of Too Much Food
- Obesity: You cannot easily feel the ribs. Fat deposits show along the crest of the neck, over the tailhead, and behind the shoulder.
- Lethargy: The horse seems lazy or sluggish.
- Heat/Sweating: The horse sweats excessively during light exercise because it has too much internal insulation (fat).
Metabolic Signs of Too Much Food
Excess calories, especially from starch and sugar (non-fiber carbohydrates), can cause serious issues:
- Laminitis: Inflammation of the sensitive tissues in the hoof. This is often caused by too much sugar/starch at one time, or by feeding an overweight, insulin-resistant horse too rich a diet.
- Insulin Resistance (IR): The body cannot use insulin properly, often linked to obesity.
- Colic Risk: Too much grain or too little hay increases the risk of colic.
If you see these signs, immediately reassess the diet using the steps above. You might need to switch to a high-fiber, low-sugar hay and reduce grain significantly.
Special Feeding Considerations
Some horses need special plans beyond the standard maintenance calculations.
Feeding the Easy Keeper vs. The Hard Keeper
- Easy Keepers: These horses gain weight easily on very little feed. They often need diets based almost entirely on low-energy forage (like mature grass hay) or specialized low-calorie feeds. Their DMI might drop to 1.5% of BW.
- Hard Keepers: These horses struggle to maintain weight, perhaps due to illness, old age, or very high workloads. They might need DMI closer to 3% or more of their body weight, often requiring high-quality alfalfa and concentrated high-calorie feeds (like beet pulp or rice bran mixed with oil).
Senior Horses
Older horses benefit from diets that are easy to chew and highly digestible. Soaked hay pellets or senior feeds are excellent choices. They still need the same amount of fiber, but it must be in a form they can break down.
The Importance of Forage Analysis
For the most precise approach to calculating a horse’s diet, a forage analysis is crucial. This lab test tells you the exact nutrient content of your hay. Without it, you are guessing how much DE (energy) and Crude Protein (CP) you are actually providing.
A test removes the guesswork about:
- Sugar and starch levels (NSC).
- Calcium and Phosphorus ratios.
- Vitamin and mineral adequacy.
If your hay analysis shows your grass hay is low in energy, you know exactly how much supplemental feed you need to add to meet the horse maintenance energy requirements. If the hay is too rich, you know to cut back concentrates.
Summary of Key Daily Intake Rules
To simplify the daily feeding process, remember these core rules:
- Forage First: Hay or grass should make up the bulk of the diet (1.5% to 3% of body weight).
- Small Meals: Never feed large amounts of concentrates at one time. Divide grain meals into 3 or 4 feedings if necessary.
- Constant Water: Ensure access to clean water 24/7.
- Monitor BCS: Adjust intake weekly based on your horse’s body condition score.
By following these principles and applying sound equine nutrition guidelines, you can ensure your horse gets the right fuel for a long, healthy life.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How much hay should a 1,200 lb horse eat daily?
A 1,200 lb horse needs between 1.5% and 3% of its body weight in dry matter feed daily. At the minimum (maintenance), this is 18 lbs (1,200 x 0.015). For a typical maintenance horse, aim for about 24 lbs (1,200 x 0.02) of hay per day.
Can I feed my horse only grain?
No. Feeding a horse only grain is dangerous. Horses are herbivores designed to eat forage. Feeding only concentrates can cause severe digestive upset, colic, and possibly laminitis because they lack the necessary long-strand fiber to keep the hindgut healthy.
How long can a horse safely go without eating?
A horse should never go more than four hours without some source of forage. If they go longer than 6-8 hours without food, the stomach acid builds up, greatly increasing the risk of ulcers and colic.
What is a ration balancer?
A ration balancer is a highly concentrated source of protein, vitamins, and minerals, usually given in small daily amounts (like 1-2 lbs). It is used when a horse is getting enough calories from forage but needs extra nutrients to achieve a balancing a horse’s ration without adding excess calories from traditional grain mixes.
How do I know if I am overfeeding my horse supplements?
Overfeeding supplements can be just as harmful as overfeeding grain. Check the feeding guidelines on every supplement container. Never add a vitamin/mineral mix to a complete feed unless the total combined feeding amount exceeds the safe limits for grain meals (i.e., do not feed more than 5 lbs total feed per meal). Always check nutrient ratios, especially calcium and phosphorus.