Owners Should Weigh Horse Feed and Limit When Necessary

Horse owners were recently offered the opportunity to share their feeding protocols with equine nutritionists. Data collected from 470 surveys completed by Pennsylvania residents identified three key findings:

• Of the 345 horses offered commercial feeds, 81% were fed by volume instead of by weight, as recommended by experts. Similarly, 95% of horses were offered hay based on volume (i.e., flakes) rather than weight;
• Feeds were offered to horses irrespective of exercise intensity; and
• Just over half of all horses were fed forage from the ground versus from feeders or haynets.^*

Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., a nutrition advisor for Kentucky Equine Research explained each of these practices and what effect they might have on your horse’s health.

Practice #1: Feeding by Volume, Not Weight

Only 16% of the survey respondents indicated they weighed their horse’s feed. The majority used a scoop to measure concentrates, which means horses were fed on a volume rather than a weight basis.

Because the density of feed varies, volumes and weights of all feeds are not consistent, which can lead to errors in providing accurate levels of nutrients to horses, wrote the researchers.

With forage, this concept is easy to understand. If you want to feed an average 1,100-lb (500-kg) horse the recommended 1.5% of its body weight in forage per day, the horse should be offered 16.5 lb (7.5 kg) of hay. In other words, 1.5% of 1,100 lb (500 kg) = 16.5 lb (7.5 kg) of hay.

Not every flake weighs the same, so the only way to know if you are feeding the recommended amount is to weigh it. This can be done using a haynet and a hanging scale.

“The same principle applies to concentrate feeds because a scoop of pellets typically weighs more than a scoop of textured feed. Owners can feed on a volume basis once the scoop is known to contain so many pounds or kilograms of a specific feed,” said Whitehouse.

In order to feed by weight, the horse’s weight also needs to be accurate.

“Concentrate feeding directions are based on body weight, such as 1 lb (0.5 kg) of feed per 220 lb (100 kg) of body weight per day. For a 1,100-lb (500-kg) horse, this would be 5 lb (2.5 kg) of feed, but for a 1,320-lb (600-kg) horse this would be 6 lb (3 kg) feed per day,” Whitehouse explained.

Practice #2: Feeding Horses Similarly Regardless of Exercise Intensity

Most of the horses mentioned in the survey results participated in light work. Despite this, 90% received more than forage, including commercial concentrates (73.4%) or ration balancers (21.7%).

“In the survey, respondents could select multiple feeds for each horse. This highlights the complexity of some diets and a tendency for horses to receive several feeds and supplements,” said Whitehouse.

The number of scoops of concentrate being offered to horses was the same regardless of the amount of exercise the horse experienced. Similarly, the number of flakes of hay per day offered to horses did not differ based on exercise level.

“This practice reflects a mismatch between the amount a horse is fed and its exercise intensity, which puts the horse at risk of being or becoming overweight. Failing to match a horse’s energy requirements with its exercise level together with the fact that most owners underestimate their horse’s body weight contributes to the current obesity epidemic among horses,” she continued.

Forty percent of horses included in this survey were not exercised and a substantial proportion of “exercised” horses were used only for trail riding or recreational riding.

Practice #3: Feeding Off the Ground

According to the researchers, “Feeding hay on the ground rather than in a feeder results in significant amounts of hay waste and an economic loss for caretakers.” They specifically noted that 13% of hay fed in a small square bale is wasted when the hay is spread around on the ground by the owner, not fed in a feeder.

“There are several health benefits of feeding off the ground, including respiratory health and maintaining a natural grazing position and encouraging foraging behavior,” Whitehouse shared, “so it would be best to find a way to limit waste and optimize consumption.”

^*Orr, EL, W.B. Staniar, and D.N. Smarsh. 2022. A survey of Pennsylvania horse management: Part one – nutrition. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science:104140.