Feeding Horses
Ann Swinker
State Extension
Hone Specialist
Penn State
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) Daily feed required for
the average adult 1,000-pound
horse, approximately, is:
• No work
20-25 pounds hay, no grain
• Light (1-2 hours work/day)
15-20 pounds hay,
1-3 pounds grain
(1-1.5 pounds grain/
hour of work)
• Medium (2-4 hours/day)
15-20 pounds hay,
3-8 pounds grain
(1.5-2 lbs. grain/hour of work)
• Heavy (Four or more hrs•/
day)
15-20 pounds hay,
5-10 pounds grain
(I.S-2.5 pounds grain/
hour of work)
Only a horse that is worked
extremely hard would ever re
ceive half of its ration in grain.
A racehorse in heavy training
is an example of a horse re
quiring half of its ration in
grain. So never feed your plea
sure horse more than it needs.
Younger horses require spe
cial rations, talk to your veter
inarian. The above chart can
be used as a rule of thumb, or
you can be more exact and
balance your horse’s ration.
There are many books avail
able to show you how to bal
ance a horses’ ration or con
tact your local Penn State
Cooperative Extension Agent
for help.
When balancing or evaluat
ing a ration, use the National
Research Council tables as a
guideline to determine avail
able nutrients to meet your
horse’s requirements.
When you balance a ration,
determine the age, weight and
level of activity or work of the
horse, and determine the actu
al nutrient content of the
available feed by sending your
feed to a commercial feed-test
ing laboratory. Contact your
local Penn State Cooperative
Extension agent for the name
of the laboratory nearest you.
Always be careful not to
create an excess of other nutri
ents when increasing feed in
gredient levels. Excesses of
Daily Intake and Typical Diets for Several Categories of Horses
Type of Horse
Weaning
Yearling
2 year old-training
Mature horse (1100 lb)
Maintenance
Moderate Work
some nutrients can interact
with other nutrients. For ex
ample, excess calcium can
prevent complete utilization of
phosphorus. Check National
Research Council tables for
calcium to phosphorus ratios;
however, a good rule of thumb
is a 2:1 ratio.
Metabolic disorders, such as
laminitis, osteochondrosis and
epiphysitis, stem from an im
balance in nutrients. Many
disorders can be avoided by
giving your horse a balanced
ration. Remember, each horse
has to be fed as an individual.
Feed an amount that is ade
quate to maintain a body con
dition similar to that of an
athlete. The National Re-
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 10, 2003, Boarders Trainer-E5
Digestible Energy Daily Intake Typical Ration
Requirement (Meal) Lbs DM Alfalfa (lb) Grain (lb)
15.0
18.9
26.3
16.4
24.6
search Council requirements
are suggested values; individu
al horses may require adjust
ments to these nutrients.
Constantly assess the body
condition of your horse. A
properly conditioned horse
will have enough fat so its ribs
don’t show, but you should
still be able to feel the ribs
when you run your fingers
over them.
Feeding Tips
These helpful hints will
help you care for your horse
nutritionally.
• Provide high quality alfal
fa or grass roughage with a
complementing grain to bal
ance the horse’s diet. Feed by
weight, not by volume.
• Always maintain at least
half of the ration as roughage,
such as hay or grass.
• Never feed moldy or
dusty hay, grass or grain.
• Never feed lawn grass
clippings.
• Have fresh, clean water
available at all times except
to a hot horse. A hot horse
needs to be given water slow
ly.
• Watch your horse while it
eats and inspect feed con-
9 4
10 9
tamers daily to detect abnor
mal eating or drinking behav
iors.
• Check horse’s teeth annu
ally for sharp points that in
terfere with chewing. Floating
sharp edges of teeth will in
crease feed efficacy. If a horse
dips mouth in water while eat
ing, it may have a sharp tooth.
Tilting head to one side while
eating grain may indicate a
tooth problem.
• Ration changes should be
gradual, over a minimum of
five days to prevent digestive
disturbances.
• Because a horse’s stomach
is very small and cannot hold
a large amount of feed at one
time, it should be fed at least
twice a day on a regular
schedule. Some horses benefit
from three or more feedings
per day. But don’t overfeed
your horse; too much feed at
one time can cause founder.
Estimate your horse’s body
weight. Multiply the girth (in
inches) times itself (heart girth
2) times the body length (in
inches) and divide by 330. Ex
ample: Heart Girth = 74.8
inches Body length = 63 inch
es 74.8 x 74.8 x 63 330 Equals
1,068 pounds.