How Much Grain Should A Horse Eat

Introduction

Horses are herbivores, which means their diet should be plant-based. This is important to understand when choosing how much grain to feed your horse, because we should always start with the basis that horses require a minimum of 1.5% of their body weight in forage every day. A “forage” is any type of grass or hay, and if you’re feeding multiple types, it will take a bit of math to find the average amount per pound. That said, I recommend feeding only one type at a time for consistency or feeding both pasture grass and dry hay – this way you know exactly what the horse is getting, since grass can vary greatly from pasture to pasture.

A horse’s diet should be forage-first, followed by grain to make up the rest of its nutritional needs.

Grains are a good source of energy, but they are not a complete source of nutrition.
Forage is the best source of nutrition for horses.
A horse should eat a wide variety of forage to get all the nutrients it needs in its diet.

For horses in moderate to heavy work, other concentrates can be added as well

When you are feeding grain, concentrates can be added to the diet if the horse is in moderate to heavy work. Examples of concentrates include:

Whole oats (rolled or crushed)
Coarsely ground corn (maize)
Barley

Horses typically need about 2% of their body weight in concentrate daily, so a 1200 pound horse would eat 24 pounds of concentrate per day. This should be divided into two feedings. The easiest way to do this is by dividing your horse’s total ration into thirds and giving each third at a different time. If your horse is extra hungry, you can feed him his entire ration at once but keep in mind that he still needs only two meals per day! Concentrates are usually fed by themselves as part of breakfast or dinner with hay/pasture being fed as a snack between meals if needed (and water).

Each horse is an individual and his needs will change with age, workload, and pregnancy.

There are many factors that contribute to a horse’s energy requirements. Age, workload, and pregnancy all affect the amount of grain a horse should eat.

Age is an important consideration as horses grow in different rates. A young foal may need less than an adult horse who has been working hard all day in the field. Pregnancy can also alter your horse’s diet; pregnant mares require extra energy due to the increased demand on their bodies caused by pregnancy itself, lactation after birth or both lactation and pregnancy at once depending on how far along they are in their gestation period (pregnancy). Additionally some older horses may have health issues such as insulin resistance which requires them to be fed special diets like high fat/low sugar rations for weight loss management purposes or low calorie rations for weight gain management purposes.”

The horse’s nutritional needs are best met by using quality feed sources.

When it comes to feeding your horse, the nutritional needs of the animal are best met by using quality feed sources. Grain is an important part of the horse’s diet because it provides a concentrated source of calories and nutrients that can be metabolized more efficiently than grass or hay. However, you should feed your horse grain in moderation because it does not provide all the nutrients a horse needs to grow and stay healthy.

Forage-first feeding is usually sufficient but grain can be added as needed.

While it’s true that grain is not essential to a horse’s diet, it can be useful as an energy source. However, it should only be fed in addition to forage and never instead of forage.

Grain is not a forage. Forages are the fibrous parts of grasses and legumes eaten by horses and other herbivores such as cattle, sheep and goats. Forages contain fiber that helps with digestion and can improve gut health; they also provide slow-burning carbohydrates (energy) needed during times of stress or activity when there may be insufficient time available to digest them fully before needing more energy again – so this makes them ideal fillers or supplements for any equine diet!

Grain is not a complete source of nutrition because it does not contain vitamins or minerals like forages do but rather contains just starch – making it an incomplete food source on its own which means if all you’re feeding your horse is grain you won’t get everything he needs from one meal alone!

Conclusion

Once you figure out how much forage your horse can eat, the amount of grain will typically be only a couple of cups per day. You’ll want to choose quality products that are low in sugar and starch and high in fiber, vitamins/minerals. Remember to feed at least twice daily and always provide free access to fresh clean water!