A horse’s stomach is small and its gut is long — it’s built to eat little and often, almost around the clock. That’s the starting point for all horse feeding. This guide walks through the basics so you understand why the ration looks the way it does, not just what to put in the bucket.
Important: This is a general introduction, not an individual feeding plan. Every horse’s needs depend on weight, age, work and health — consult your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist for an exact plan, especially in cases of illness, obesity or being underweight.
Forage is the base
The most important feed is forage — hay, haylage or grazing. It should make up the majority of the horse’s daily intake and keep the digestive tract moving.
- A rule of thumb is that a horse needs forage equivalent to roughly 1.5–2.5% of its body weight in dry matter per day — but the exact amount depends on the horse and the forage quality.
- Weigh the feed instead of guessing by “a flake”. Hay varies enormously in weight and nutritional content.
- Long gaps without forage increase the risk of ulcers and stereotypies. Aim for the horse to rarely stand completely without forage for long.
Water — always, and clean
A horse drinks a lot, and the need rises with work, heat and dry feed. Free access to clean water is non-negotiable. Frozen water bowls in winter and dirty buckets are common reasons horses drink too little — keep an eye on it.
Concentrates only when needed
Concentrates (grain, pellets, muesli) are far from necessary for every horse. A horse in light work or at maintenance often does fine on good forage plus minerals alone. Add concentrates only when forage doesn’t meet the horse’s energy needs — and when you do, split them into several small meals rather than one large one, because the horse’s stomach is small.
| Principle | Why |
|---|---|
| Forage first | Digestion is built for fibre |
| Small, frequent meals | Small stomach, steady energy |
| Weigh the feed | Avoid over- and underfeeding |
| Free water | Essential for digestion and health |
| Minerals/salt | Forage rarely covers everything |
Change feed slowly
A horse’s gut flora needs time to adjust. Never change feed abruptly — phase in new forage or concentrates gradually over one to two weeks. Sudden changes are a classic cause of colic.
Season and individual
- Winter: horses at grass often need more forage when the grass runs out and they keep warm by digesting fibre.
- Hard-working horses need more energy — but increase forage first before raising concentrates.
- Easy keepers (many ponies and cold-bloods) gain weight easily; here it’s often about limiting, not topping up.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Measuring feed by volume instead of weight.
- Switching hay abruptly when a new bale is opened.
- Overfeeding concentrates “just to be safe”.
- Forgetting minerals and assuming forage covers everything.
Work out the ration easily
Once you understand the principles, the next step is the maths — how much of each feed the horse should actually get. That’s exactly what our feeding feature does: you enter the horse’s details and the feed’s nutritional values and get a balanced ration. Read more in our post on feed rations and nutrition calculation.
Good feeding is rarely complicated — it’s consistent. Forage at the base, clean water always, small changes one at a time, and a plan tailored to your particular horse together with your vet.