How Much Grain Should a Horse Eat?

Jan 31

2/1/20

“Should I be feeding a coffee can of grain to my horse?”

When I was a kid, the answer was simple - now, not so much!

Every horse in the barn received a coffee can full of grain a.m. & p.m. in addition to their hay. When I say every horse, I mean EVERY horse. This included ponies, potentially metabolic horses, overweight horses, high strung horses, you name it, they got the coffee can (pictured) full of 75% oats, 25% cracked corn grain. Sometimes the overweight horses and ponies may have only received 1/2 a coffee can of grain, but it still was too much feed for many of these horses. Surprisingly, this "coffee can method" was standard in most barns, even up until just 25 years ago.

While some barns still feed this way, the scientific data on how to best feed horses has progressed by leaps and bounds and we are now easily able feed horses as individuals. Feeding programs can be optimized for each horse based on metabolic & health status, body condition, life stage, workload, hay quality and various other factors. Amazingly, even if a horse has lost most of it's teeth or capacity to chew and digest traditional feedstuffs, if they're otherwise healthy we can keep them thriving on a complete feed (hay and grain built into a highly digestible, easily soak-able pellet)! Nutrition is pretty amazing isn't it? You can also note that horses are an animal that was once considered old and likely close to death in their early 20's, but is now thriving well into their 30's all because of nutrition and veterinary medicine advancements! How cool is that?!... I think it's pretty cool.

So now, before I tell you how do you apply this to your own horse, take a look at an example by viewing the pictures of the two horses below. The 17.3, 13 y/o pinto Oldenburg/Clydesdale receives 4 lbs. of grain per day, an amino acid supplement, and 50/50 alfalfa/grass hay free choice during competition season or while in work. In the off-season, he receives 2 lbs. of ration balancer and limited hay at an amount around 1.5% of his bodyweight per day. He is an easy keeper when not in work so the reduction is to ensure he doesn't get overweight. The 16.1, 4 y/o chestnut thoroughbred receives 10 lbs. of high fat low starch feed per day, 1 lb. of a high quality fat supplement, an amino acid supplement and free choice 50/50 alfalfa/grass hay when in work, 8 lbs. of grain per day and free choice hay when out of work. He is still young and growing and as a "hard keeper" he needs quite a bit to support this stage of life.

These horses live at the same farm, have the same great quality hay available, yet how is it that the much larger 1500 lb. horse needs less than the 1100 lb. thoroughbred? What would happen if I gave both a coffee can of oats & corn twice a day?.... I'll answer that for you. . . The Oldenburg would be morbidly obese and the thoroughbred would be skinny! Why? Because they are individuals, just like your horse!

So how does one determine the right amount of feed for their horse?

1. Start with the hay. Your horse should consume 1.5 - 2%+ of their bodyweight in good quality hay per day. If your hay is poor quality, you may need to feed more grain. If your hay is super high quality (ex. rich alfalfa), you may be able to feed less grain. Hay quality varies all the time so you must keep an eye on your horse's condition all the time. If your horse is a hard keeper or on the thin side, their hay intake should be 2% or more of their bodyweight per day. If your horse is an easy keeper (like my pinto warmblood), you may need to limit hay during periods of low exercise to 1.25-1.5% of their bodyweight per day (1.25% is the lowest I recommend for forage intake and should be used only for very easy keepers).

2. Once you've established that your horse is receiving the adequate quantity of good quality hay, select a feed that meets their nutritional recommendations and provides fuel for them to do their job and maintain a healthy body condition. Easy keepers often do great on ration balancers which are designed to fill any nutrient gaps that are in the hay. Even the best quality hay will not meet 100% recommendations on trace minerals and vitamins. Although, here's a plot twist... ration balancers may not provide enough fuel for your easy keeper to keep up with the demands of being a performance horse even when they maintain their condition on it. If this is the case with your horse, talk to an equine nutritionist about feed options that deliver fuel without adding too many excess calories.

Horses that do not fall in the easy keeper category will often require a feed that is designed to be fed at a rate of 4-8 lbs. per day. The best piece of advice I can give here is to read your feed label to make sure you're feeding the recommended amount of feed based on your horse's specifications, make sure the feed is labeled for a horse at yours' life stage and age, and make sure the feed is from a reputable company. If you have questions about the feed and whether or not it's best suited for your horse, contact a company rep directly or consult with an equine nutritionist. They can help you navigate through the percentages on the tag and tell you whether or not it's right for your horse.

Of course there are many other horse scenarios out there including horses who get hot on certain types of feed, horses that need more get up and go from the feed, horses that are sensitive to certain ingredients, senior horses, horses with metabolic issues, going to heavy work to stall rest, going from turnout to heavy work, etc. It can feel like a puzzle... although there is good news....

In a sea of many different types of feed, no one is expecting you to be a nutritionist! As much as I would love to leave a simple response here that says if your horse needs more calories "feed 2 full coffee cans twice a day!" Ok, maybe I wouldn't love to say that, it's obviously not the right answer. But what I am trying to say is that your horse is an individual. What works best for the horse in the stall next to yours, in the same pasture, same breed, etc. may not work for your horse. You could ask your friends or strangers on a facebook group and get 100's of answers, or you could work with a nutritionist or company rep that will be able to tell you everything you need to know about a particular feed. They can also help you discover if it is in fact the best fit for your horse, and give you other options if it isn't. So the good news is that you have resources to help you, reach out to them! Better yet, schedule a consultation and let me help you out!