SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/horse-forage-share

About how much forage should a horse eat each day, as a share of its body weight?

1.5 to 2.5 percent of body weight, mostly hay or pasture.

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  1. 0.5 to 1 percent
  2. 1.5 to 2.5 percent ✔
  3. 5 to 8 percent

Why: Horses are built to graze all day, so forage should be the base of every diet. Grain is only an add-on. Extension specialists give this range as the daily target.

Huh, didn't know that: For a 1,000 pound horse, that works out to roughly 15 to 25 pounds of hay or pasture a day.

The dad joke
Why did the horse cross the road? Somebody shouted hay!
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References

Answer: 1.5 to 2.5 percent. Horses are built to graze all day, so forage should be the base of every diet. Grain is only an add-on. Extension specialists give this range as the daily target.

  1. Ten things you should know about feeding the mature horse, UMN Extension extension.umn.edu/horse-nutrition/ten-things-you-should-know-about-feeding-mature-horse
    Feed your horse 1.5 to 2.5 percent of their body weight in forage.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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