How Much Hay Should A Horse Eat In 24 Hours
Introduction
Hay is the main source of feed for your horse. It is a grass or legume that has been harvested and stored as fodder. Your horse eats hay because it provides between 50-70% of its daily calories, which it needs to maintain a healthy weight. A healthy adult horse should consume 2-2.5% of its body weight in forage every day—the equivalent of 15-20 pounds (6.8 to 9 kg) of hay per day for an average 1,000 pound (454 kg) horse. This excellent guide will show you how to figure out how much hay your horse should eat in 24 hours based on its activity level/workload and what else it eats during the day.
Decide on the daily ration.
To create a feeding plan, you first need to determine how much hay your horse needs to eat each day. This will depend on his age, weight and workload. For example, if you’re feeding a pregnant mare or lactating mother in the wintertime when her energy requirements are higher, she needs more than she would during other times of the year. If your horse is growing (puberty through 12 months old), has had an injury that prevents him from being ridden regularly or is recovering from surgery or illness, he’ll also need more hay than usual.
If you’re feeding your horse a grain-based diet along with plenty of pasture time—which most animals do not get enough of—you can reduce his hay intake by about one third because he won’t be getting all the nutrients he needs for health through forage alone
Weigh the hay.
Weigh the hay before you feed it to your horse. Weigh it before you put the hay in the trailer. Weigh it before you put the hay in the barn. Weigh it before you put the hay in his feed room.
Weigh frequently: a few times per day is most efficient, but at least once a day is sufficient for people who are busy and have other things on their mind, like work or school or family obligations. If there’s one thing that matters most when dealing with horses, it’s weight control—and keeping track of how much food each horse consumes can help keep your animal healthy and happy!
Determine the amount of hay based on weight.
The amount of hay your horse should eat is based on its weight, whether or not it’s working hard, and if it’s pregnant or lactating. If you don’t know the weight of your horse, look at the chart below to find a guideline for how much hay they need to eat in 24 hours. Horses that are pregnant and lactating will also need more feed than other horses.
Equine Age Weight (pounds) Hay Consumption per Day*
Yearling 700-900 3-4 lbs/hd
2 year old 900-1200 4-5 lbs/hd
3 year old 1200-1500 5-6 lbs/hd
4 year old 1500+ 6+ lbs/hd *For non-pregnant mares
Consider What Else Your Horse Is Eating.
But there are other factors you must take into account when calculating the amount of hay your horse should eat. Your horse needs hay to stay healthy, just as much as he needs food, water and shelter. Hay is also essential for staying warm and cool in the winter and summer months respectively. If you live in a temperate climate where temperatures may dip below freezing during the cold months of winter or soar above 90°F during hot summer days, then your horses will need all the extra nutrition that hay can provide them with in order to maintain their health throughout these extreme seasons.
When it comes to feeding horses long-term, it’s important to remember that their energy requirements aren’t static over time—they actually increase as they grow older! Older horses tend not only need more calories than younger ones but also require higher levels of protein-rich concentrates (like grains) alongside less fiber from “roughage” sources like alfalfa/orchard grass hays so please keep this factor in mind when estimating how much feed each individual animal should consume daily.”
You need to decide how much hay to feed your horse based on what else it is eating and its workload or exercise level.
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Conclusion
You should now know everything you need to about determining how much hay your horse should eat each day. You are going to have your work cut out for you, especially when you first start, but don’t worry because it won’t take long before you get used to the process and know exactly what your horse needs at any given time.