Forage Amounts for Horses

It has always been a rule of thumb that a mature horse should eat 1-2% of its body weight a day in forages. That means a 1,000-pound horse should eat 10-20 lbs. of good quality hay a day. This number is based off of the dry matter of the feed they are eating. Hay is normally about 90% dry matter because it has been dried and cured. So, if you take that dry matter amount and apply it to standing lush pasture that is normally about 20-30% dry matter that means the dry matter is a lot lower, so in turn the horse has to consume a lot more forage. Eating anywhere from 40-60 lbs. of forage in a day. But we also need to keep in mind that horses shouldn’t be allowed to eat very rich lush pasture 24/7 because it can lead to digestive issues and over eating. Horses are more prone to digestive issues because of the way their digestive system is set up. When a horse eats, the material passes through most of its digestive tract before reaching the main breakdown area of forages which is the cecum. The cecum houses protozoa and bacteria that break down forages so that the horse can absorb nutrients, but because the cecum is near the end of the digestive tract past the small intestine this makes horses not the most efficient eaters. In the body the small intestine is where the majority of nutrient absorption occurs and since that is before where the major break down process of most of the food they are eating, makes them less efficient than other livestock. Just remember that it takes a lot of forages to keep your horses gut operating normally and correctly so make sure they are receiving enough forages. Weigh some flakes of your hay bales to see if they are receiving adequate amounts. They may not be the most efficient eaters but they are more fun to ride than a cow, trust me.