Feeding Horses: Forage First, Hard Feed Second
The horse gut is built for constant small amounts of fibre. Feed against that and you get colic.
A horse evolved to graze for sixteen hours a day on low-quality fibre. Its stomach is small, empties fast and produces acid continuously. Every feeding rule follows from that.
Forage first
Grass, hay or haylage should make up the bulk of the diet — aim for at least 1.5% of body weight in dry matter daily, so roughly 7.5 kg for a 500 kg horse. Long gaps without forage are a leading cause of gastric ulcers. Use small-hole haynets to slow intake rather than reducing the amount.
Hard feed, if needed at all
- Many leisure horses need no concentrates at all — just forage and a balancer.
- Never feed more than about 2 kg of concentrate in a single meal.
- Split the daily amount across two or three feeds.
- Change feed gradually over 10–14 days.
Water
25–50 litres a day, more in heat or on dry forage. Never let a horse go without — dehydration is a direct route to impaction colic.
Feeding and work
Leave an hour after a hard feed before working, and let a hot horse cool before feeding.
Watch condition, not the scoop
Weigh feed rather than measuring by volume, and body-condition score monthly.
