Horse feeding has gotten complicated with all the conflicting diet advice flying around. As someone who’s fed horses in every situation — from hard-working ranch horses to pasture ornaments who gain weight just breathing — I learned everything there is to know about building a daily horse diet. Today, I will share it all with you.
The good news? Once you understand a few core principles, it’s really not that hard.
How the Horse’s Gut Actually Works
Probably should have led with this section, honestly. Horses are herbivores with a digestive system designed for one thing: eating small amounts of forage almost constantly throughout the day. Their stomachs are surprisingly small for their body size, and their digestive tracts are long and complex. The whole setup evolved for steady grazing, not big meals spaced hours apart.
When horses go too long without food, bad things happen. Stomach acid builds up with nothing to buffer it, and that leads to ulcers, colic, and behavioral problems like cribbing and wood chewing. The goal with any feeding plan is to mimic natural grazing as closely as you can within the reality of keeping horses in a domestic setting.
Forage First, Always
If there’s one rule I follow religiously, it’s this: forage — hay and pasture grass — is the foundation. Everything else is built on top of it. Your horse should be eating 1.5-2% of their body weight in forage every single day. For a 1,000-pound horse, that’s 15-20 pounds of hay daily.
Here’s how the different hay types break down:
Grass hay (timothy, orchard grass, brome) — Lower in calories and protein, this is the safe choice for most adult horses in light work. If your horse is an easy keeper who gets fat on air, grass hay is what you want. It’s my default recommendation.
Legume hay (alfalfa, clover) — Richer in calories, protein, and calcium. This is the heavy artillery, and it’s fantastic for growing horses, pregnant or nursing mares, and those thin hard keepers that seem to burn through calories no matter what you do. But it’s often too much for the average pleasure horse in light work.
Mixed hay — A blend of grass and legume that splits the difference. Moderate nutrition without being too rich or too lean.
Whatever you choose, look for hay that smells fresh and sweet. If it smells musty, has visible dust clouds when you shake it, or shows any signs of mold or weeds — don’t feed it. Bad hay causes more problems than no hay.
Grain and Concentrates: Do You Actually Need Them?
Here’s something that surprises a lot of horse owners: many horses don’t need grain at all. If your horse is in light work and has access to quality forage, they might do perfectly fine on hay alone (with a mineral supplement, which I’ll get to). I’ve got horses right now that haven’t seen a grain bucket in years and they look great.
That said, horses in heavy work, growing youngsters, and hard keepers often genuinely benefit from concentrates. Here are your options:
Commercial feeds: These are formulated for specific needs — maintenance, performance, senior, breeding. Follow the bag directions based on your horse’s weight and workload. The people who designed these feeds did the math so you don’t have to.
Whole grains: Oats, barley, and corn can supplement forage, but they don’t have the balanced vitamin and mineral profile of a commercial feed. If you go this route, you’ll almost certainly need to add a separate supplement.
Rules I follow with grain:
- Split it into multiple small meals. Never dump a huge amount in at once
- Never feed more than 5 pounds of grain in a single feeding
- Feed hay first, grain second — it slows down digestion and prevents problems
- Change feeds gradually over 1-2 weeks. Sudden switches are how you get colic
Water: The Nutrient Everyone Forgets About
Clean, fresh water is hands-down the most critical thing in your horse’s diet. Horses drink 5-10 gallons a day under normal conditions, and way more when it’s hot or they’re working hard. Dehydration can trigger colic faster than almost anything else.
I check water daily without exception. In the winter, horses often drink less because the water is too cold — which is a problem because they’re eating more dry hay and actually need more water, not less. Heated buckets or tank heaters are worth every penny.
Salt and Minerals
Every horse needs salt. Period. Provide a salt block where they can access it whenever they want. If your horse is on a commercial feed that already includes minerals, a plain white salt block is fine. If they’re on straight hay and grain, a mineral block covers more bases.
Trace mineral needs vary depending on what’s in your local hay and soil. A basic vitamin/mineral supplement — or a ration balancer — fills in the nutritional gaps, especially for horses that aren’t on fortified commercial feeds.
Building a Feeding Schedule
That’s what makes feeding endearing to us horse people — once you’ve got a good routine, it becomes second nature. Horses are creatures of habit, and they thrive on consistency. Try to feed at the same times every day. Here’s a typical setup:
- Morning: Hay, and grain if you’re feeding it
- Midday: Another flake or two of hay for stalled horses
- Evening: Hay, grain if applicable
- Night: Enough hay to last them through to morning
The big rule: horses should never go more than 8 hours without forage. For stalled horses, slow-feed hay nets are one of the best investments I’ve made. They stretch out eating time and do a much better job of mimicking the continuous grazing horses were designed for.
Special Cases I’ve Dealt With
Easy keepers: Some horses gain weight if you look at them sideways. These guys often do best on grass hay only, with a ration balancer to make sure they’re getting their vitamins and minerals without the extra calories. No grain, no rich hay, just good grass hay and a balancer.
Hard keepers: The thin ones that won’t put on weight no matter what. Before you just pile on more food, rule out the usual suspects — teeth problems, parasites, ulcers, metabolic issues. Once you’ve cleared those, try adding alfalfa, a higher-fat feed, or increasing overall portions.
Senior horses: Older horses often need softer options because their teeth aren’t what they used to be. Senior feeds, soaked hay cubes, and soaked beet pulp can replace traditional hay when chewing becomes a struggle. I’ve kept several seniors in great condition this way.
Things That Should Never Go in the Feed Bucket
A quick list of no-go foods:
- Lawn clippings — they ferment fast and cause colic
- Moldy or dusty hay — just don’t. It’s not worth the risk
- Sudden access to rich spring pasture without gradual introduction
- Excessive treats or sugary foods
- Foods that are toxic to horses: avocado, chocolate, onions, and quite a few others
When you’re unsure about your horse’s specific nutritional needs, talk to your vet or an equine nutritionist. Getting the diet right keeps your horse healthy, keeps the vet bills down, and honestly makes everything else about horse ownership easier.
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