Ask a Question
or
Create a Poll
  1. Home /
  2. Questions /
  3. Pets And Pet Care
  4. / Exotic Pets
  5. / Horses

by Answerbag Staff on June 22nd, 2010

Answerbag Staff

Question

Help answer this question below.

How many pounds of hay should one feed a horse per day?

Share:
Other

Answers. 3 helpful answers below.

  • by Amy Gouger on June 22nd, 2010

    Answerbag Experts

    Great Answer

    Professionally Researched. (What's this?)

    Horses should be fed half their rations twice a day. According to the University of Missouri Extension, "a 1,000-pound horse needs 10 pounds of hay per day." Add a pound of hay per additional 100 pounds. Subtract a pound of hay per 100 pounds for horses that weigh less than 1,000 pounds.

    References:

    University of Missouri Extension: Feeding Horses

    1 comment | Post one | Permalink

  • by Daniel_H5476 on December 20th, 2010

    Daniel_H5476

    Generally speaking, a working horse should get 2% of his body weight in hay and a non-working horse from 1 to 1.5%. of his body weight in hay. To get an accurate weight for your horse go here: http://www.hoofnexus.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=17
    Beet pulp, rice bran and flax seed can be made into a mash that hydrates the horse and adds essential fatty acids like Omega3 to the diet. This is especially good in winter or if your horse doesn't have the opportunity to graze in pasture where fresh grass has Omega3. 1/2 to 1 cup of both rice bran (stabalized) and flax seeds (freshly ground, preferably just before being fed) with two to four cups of beet pulp. BP is an excellent source of low glycemic carbohydrate high in fiber. These can all be adjusted up or down depending on your horses metabolism, health, work load and weather. Pay attention to your horses weight and adjust accordingly.

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

  • by bagicide stayed 10 months too long on June 25th, 2010

    bagicide stayed 10 months too long

    Like most of the questions you all are posting, this one is much more complex than you think it is, and can't be answered with a formula given by some University. Hay is not just some factory produced processed food with a nutrition label. It can be any mix of cured plant life, from weeds to alfalfa and everything in between. Horses also vary widely in their metabolism and exercise level. So if you give 10 pounds of cured Johnson grass (a noxious weed) to a Thoroughbred, you are going to get very different results than if you give 10 pounds of alfalfa hay to a pony. You are going to have a starved and ribby Thoroughbred and a foundered pony that will likely die. You are also going to ruin your property when that Johnson grass gets spread all over your pasture or dry lot.

    http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/WEEDS/johnsongrass.html
    http://www.alfalfa.okstate.edu/webnews/quality2.htm

    In truth, with more than thirty years experience in horses, having worked with nearly every breed and type of horse, I've had much better luck with giving horses a small amount of grain and free choice hay, the hay being poor quality but clean and dust free grasses. I'd far rather feed a horse free choice bluegrass hay with maybe a little clover or timothy in it and a very small grain ration, like a pound or two a day depending on their size and activity level. If a horse is being worked really hard, like plowing or hunting all day, I might give them a bit more grain to pick them up a bit. A really thin horse might benefit from the addition of some rice bran, alfalfa hay or flax seed mash. I would figure on about a half a bale of hay per horse per day if it were low quality grass hay. But if I were feeding timothy or alfalfa, I'd figure on much less.

    You all need to watch these answers copied from a text book or the back of a feed bag. You are going to get someone in real trouble and you may harm a horse. Horsemanship is something learned from experience, asking good questions of good horsemen, and study from a lot of different resources. You cannot answer most of the questions you are asking in less than several substantial magazine articles. There is just too much to cover about plant life, moisture content, mold and dust, debris in bales cut close to roads, protein, carbohydrate and roughage content, feeding heavey horses, etc, to answer in one brief entry. Be careful about awarding those "great answer" designations based on simplistic answers to complex questions just because it cites a university.

    No comments. Post one | Permalink

Want to attach an image to your answer? Click here.

Did this answer your question? If not, then ask a new question or create a poll.

More Questions. Additional questions in this category.

You're reading How many pounds of hay should one feed a horse per day?

Follow us on Facebook!

Related Ads

Related Questions

Professionally Researched

ANSWERBAG BUZZ

How many pounds of hay to feed horses per day
How many pounds of hay per day is healthy for a horse
How many flakes of hay should a thoroughbred that is 1000 lbs eat
How many hay cubes does one horse need per month
How many pounds of hay do you give a horsey

Answerbag

a Demand Media company