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Using hay in horse diets

Quick facts

  • Good quality hay provides ample nutrients to meet the needs of most horses. 
  • Regardless of the class of horse, forages should make up at least 50% of the daily ration.
  • Optimizing forages in your horse's diet will result in a healthier horse and can help reduce costs.

The horse’s digestive tract is designed to use forage as the main diet component. Horses have simple stomachs and hindguts that aid in fiber digestion. Horses eat small frequent meals throughout the day. When pasture is unavailable or when stalling horses, you can feed hay to meet their nutritional needs.

How much hay should you feed?

Feed your horse based on its nutritional needs, which include digestible energy, carbohydrates, fats, amino acids, minerals, vitamins and water. Your horse’s individual nutritional needs depend on its age, metabolism, weight, maintenance, growth, exercise and whether it is pregnant or lactating.

Most classes of horse can meet all or most of their energy needs from quality hay alone. However, hay alone may not be enough for growing, reproducing or exercising horses. For more information on determining your horse’s nutritional needs, refer to the National Research Council’s Nutrient Requirements of the Horse.

  • Horses require at least 1% of their body weight in roughage such as hay or fresh forage each day. 
  • When given free access to hay, horses will willingly eat 2 to 2.5% of their body weight in hay daily.  
  • Most horses should consume 2% of their body weight in hay each day.

The amount and type of hay a horse needs ultimately depends on the individual horse's nutrient requirements and the quality of the hay. The best way to determine hay quality is through laboratory testing. 

Correctly using forage in your horse’s diet

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Authors: Krishona Martinson, Extension equine specialist, and Bridgett McIntosh, Mars, Inc.

Reviewed in 2023

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