Feeding Horses Forage First: Hay, Grass and How Much

Why Forage Comes First

A horse's gut is designed for a steady trickle of fiber. In the wild, horses graze for most of the day and night. Long gaps without anything to chew don't suit them, and big bucket feeds of grain are a poor match for their digestion.

So the diet starts with grass, hay or haylage, and everything else is there to fill gaps. Many native ponies, cobs and horses in light work need little beyond good forage, salt and a small vitamin and mineral top-up.

How Much Forage?

University of Minnesota Extension advises feeding 1.5 to 2.5 percent of body weight in forage a day. For a 1,000-lb (450-kg) horse that is roughly 15 to 25 lb (7 to 11 kg); for a 500-lb (230-kg) pony, about 8 to 12 lb (3.5 to 5.5 kg). Grazing counts toward the total, which is why a horse on good grass may need little or no hay in summer.

• Lower end: good-doers, native ponies and horses that need to lose weight, under your vet's guidance. Don't cut forage drastically on your own.
• Higher end: horses in hard work, thin horses and horses in cold weather, when chewing hay helps them stay warm.

To know your horse's weight, use a weigh tape or ask your vet; see body condition scoring.

Choosing and Weighing Hay

Good hay smells sweet, looks green to golden, and is free of dust, mold, weeds and rubbish. Grass hays (such as timothy, meadow or mixed grass) suit most horses; alfalfa (lucerne) is richer and is often fed as part of a ration. Haylage is wetter and is fed by weight, so you need more of it to match the dry hay it replaces.

• Weigh it. A hanging scale and a haynet tell you what a "flake" or "slice" really weighs. They vary a lot.
• Look inside each bale as you feed it, and reject anything moldy, dusty or weedy, especially if you spot ragwort (see poisonous plants).
• Make it last. A small-hole haynet slows eating, which helps a good-doer on a weighed ration.
• Ask about analysis. A hay analysis shows energy, protein and sugar, which helps your vet or a nutritionist plan the diet for horses with special needs.

Water and Salt

Water matters as much as hay. University of Minnesota Extension says most 1,000-lb (450-kg) horses drink 10 to 12 gallons (38 to 45 liters, using US gallons) a day, and more in heat, work and when eating dry hay. Keep it clean, fresh and unfrozen. Give salt free choice, as a plain lick or loose salt.

When a Bucket Feed Helps

Forage alone may not cover every vitamin and mineral, and some horses need more energy than forage gives.

• Good-doers on forage: a ration balancer, a small daily serving, or a mineral lick.
• Hard workers or thin horses: a high-fiber or complete feed, or added oil, chosen with your vet or a nutritionist.
• Older horses with worn teeth: soaked feeds that replace hay; see senior horse feeding.

Our reading a feed label guide explains the bag.

Changing the Diet Safely

• Change gradually. Extension guidance is to swap only a small part of the old hay or feed for the new each time, over a week or more.
• Introduce spring grass slowly, starting with short turnout times.
• Feed little and often. Several small feeds suit a horse better than one big one.
• Keep routines steady, and keep feed bins shut: a horse that breaks into the feed room needs a vet call.