Feeding and nutrition

Every horse's diet starts with forage, then changes with its work, type, age and health. Work out how much to feed, check your horse's fat score by hand, and find out what horses like yours need.

How much should my horse eat?

A guide to the total your horse should eat in a day, from forage and any bucket feed together. These are only sums: your vet or a nutritionist can tailor them to your horse.

Your horse's weight

What's the aim?

Enter your horse’s weight to see how much it should eat in a day.

Fat score your horse

You can't judge fat by eye: you need to feel for it. Work through the three areas with your hands, and pick the description that fits best. Nothing you choose is saved.

1Neck and shoulders

Feel along the crest for hard fat that wobbles from side to side, then run your hand down onto the shoulder. It should be stopped by the shoulder blade.

2Back and ribs

Run your hand over the ribs, then lay it across the back a hand's width behind the withers. It should follow the curve over the spine.

3Hindquarters

Feel the hip bones, the top of the pelvis and the tail head, then stand safely behind your horse and look at the shape of the quarters.

Pick the description that fits best for each area.

Bransby Horses scores the three areas and takes the average. Horses with EMS or Cushing's disease can be harder to score, says the BHS, because they may carry fat in unusual places. The result is the average, to the nearest half point.

Weight, fat scoring and weight loss

Feeding your type of horse

Forage comes first for every horse. What changes is how much, what else, and what to watch out for.

A native pony, cob or heavy horse

Good doers keep weight on easily. The BHS says draught types, cobs and native breeds are more likely to be overweight than Thoroughbreds, because they evolved to live on poor grazing through harsh winters.

Forage

Plenty of forage, but low in calories: soaked hay, some straw if its teeth are good, and slow-feeder nets. World Horse Welfare says most leisure horses get more calories than they need from grass alone, so grazing may need restricting.

Bucket feed

Usually no hard feed. A balancer or a vitamin and mineral supplement balances the forage without adding many calories.

Watch for

  • Fat score and weigh-tape every two weeks.
  • Grass is higher in sugar in spring and summer, and on frosty autumn days, says Bransby Horses.
  • World Horse Welfare says insulin testing is valuable for native breeds, to assess the risk of laminitis and EMS.
Weight, fat scoring and weight loss

In the feed room

What each kind of feed is, who it suits, and what to be careful of.

  • Hay

    Grass cut when fully mature and dried completely before baling.

    Good for: The everyday forage for most stabled horses. Soaked hay suits overweight horses.

    Take care: Must be dry when baled, or it goes mouldy. Soaking removes sugar but also other nutrients.

    Forage first: building a balanced diet

  • Haylage

    Grass cut earlier, partly dried and wrapped in plastic.

    Good for: Horses with equine asthma: it's usually less dusty than UK hay, says World Horse Welfare's nutritionist.

    Take care: Wetter than hay, so feed more by weight, and use it quickly once opened. Often higher in calories than hay.

    Forage first: building a balanced diet

  • Straw

    Barley, oat or wheat straw. Horses often prefer the softer barley and oat straw.

    Good for: Good doers on a diet: low in calories, high in fibre and slow to eat. The BHS says it can replace up to 50% of the hay ration.

    Take care: Only for horses with good teeth. Introduce it slowly, and feed a balancer alongside.

    Forage first: building a balanced diet

  • Chaff and short-chop fibre

    Chopped forage, often fed with a bucket feed.

    Good for: Older horses and horses with dental problems, which find short-chop fibre easier to chew than hay. A scoop before exercise helps protect the stomach.

    Take care: Some chaffs have added oil or molasses: check the label if your horse is overweight.

    Forage first: building a balanced diet

  • Sugar beet

    The fibre left after sugar is extracted from sugar beet.

    Good for: Unmolassed beet is high in fibre and very low in sugar. Soaked, it's a low-calorie way to carry vitamins and minerals.

    Take care: Always soak it for as long as the maker says: dry pellets can swell in the gullet and cause choke.

    Hard feeds, balancers and supplements explained

  • Balancer

    Concentrated vitamins and minerals in a small daily amount.

    Good for: Horses that don't need more energy but still need their full vitamin and mineral intake, says the BHS.

    Take care: It isn't meant to add energy: a horse that needs more calories needs more forage, or a compound feed.

    Hard feeds, balancers and supplements explained

  • Mixes, cubes and fibre feeds

    Compound feeds made at different energy levels, from high-fibre to performance.

    Good for: Horses that need more calories than forage gives. Fed with suitable forage, they provide a balanced diet.

    Take care: Check the starch: low-starch compounds with under 10% are available. Split into small meals.

    Hard feeds, balancers and supplements explained

  • Cereals

    Grains such as oats, barley and maize. Oats are about 40% starch.

    Good for: Horses in medium to hard work. Cereals other than oats are easier to digest cooked.

    Take care: No more than 1g of starch per kg of bodyweight per meal. Horses with laminitis, EMS or ulcers need a low-starch diet.

    Hard feeds, balancers and supplements explained

  • Oil and linseed

    Vegetable oil, or linseed, which RoR calls one of the best sources.

    Good for: Adding calories without starch or sugar, for horses that need to gain weight.

    Take care: Very high in calories, which an overweight horse doesn't need. Introduce it gradually.

    Hard feeds, balancers and supplements explained

  • Electrolytes

    Salts lost in sweat, mainly sodium, potassium and chloride.

    Good for: Horses in medium work or harder, and before competitions or long journeys, says the BHS. A salt lick may be enough for light work.

    Take care: Follow the maker's instructions, don't make them too concentrated, and always offer plain water as well.

    Hard feeds, balancers and supplements explained

  • Other supplements

    Hoof, joint, gut, calming and many more.

    Good for: Filling a specific gap in the diet. The BHS suggests asking a vet or nutritionist first.

    Take care: They aren't medicines: the VMD says they can only claim to maintain health in healthy animals, not to treat or prevent disease.

    Hard feeds, balancers and supplements explained

  • Succulents and treats

    Horse-safe fruit and vegetables such as apples, carrots, swede and parsnips.

    Good for: Variety, and tempting fussy eaters.

    Take care: They add calories and sugar. Always slice them lengthways, never into rounds or cubes, to reduce the risk of choke.

    Forage first: building a balanced diet

Guides

The basicsForage first: building a balanced dietEvery horse's diet starts with forage. What a horse needs, how to choose between grass, hay, haylage and straw, how much to feed, and the rules of feeding that keep the gut healthy.9 min readFeeds & supplementsHard feeds, balancers and supplements explainedCereals, mixes, cubes, balancers, oil, sugar beet and a shelf full of supplements: what each one does, how to read a feed bag, what the law lets supplements claim, and how competition horses avoid prohibited substances.9 min readWork, type & ageFeeding for work, type and ageA hardy native, a Thoroughbred off the track, an eventer, a broodmare and a 25-year-old all need different diets. How to adjust feeding for workload, breed type and stage of life, and for health problems such as laminitis, ulcers and choke.10 min readWeightWeight, fat scoring and weight lossBeing overweight is now one of the most common health problems in UK horses. How to weigh your horse, fat score it by hand, and help an overweight horse lose weight safely, without leaving it hungry.8 min read

By the numbers

Sources

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