Horses are herbivores and therefore require a very specific diet. They need a lot of fiber to maintain their extremely long and sensitive digestive tract, and they need to eat little and often, almost all day. Simply put, horses eat grass and hay or silage, but salt, concentrates and fruit or vegetables can also improve their diet, depending on the work regime required and the feed available.
Here's our horse nutrition guide, which contains a handy list of everything your average adult horse should eat to stay healthy. If your horse's feeding habits change or you notice weight loss or gain, seek advice from your equine veterinarian as soon as possible.
It is also important to point out that any rapid change in your horse's diet can cause illness, especially colic. If you change your horse's diet, make sure you do so gradually over a period of two to four weeks. An equine nutritionist can help you plan the diet change.
What do horses eat?
Horses naturally want to graze all day and need to eat little and often. These are our best types of horse food:
- Grass – horses love grass. It is their natural food and good for their digestive system (but be careful not to let your horse eat too much lush grass in the spring as this can cause lameness). Make sure you also remove plants from your pasture that could be harmful to horses, such as ragwort, which is common in Britain.
- Hay or hay – will keep your horse full and his digestive system going, especially in the colder months of autumn to early spring when there is no grass.
- Fruit or vegetables - these add moisture to the food. A carrot cut lengthwise is ideal. However, there are some fruits and vegetables that you should avoid. See the section on the types of food horses should not eat below.
- Concentrates – if your horse is old, young, lactating, pregnant or competitive, your vet may recommend concentrates, which are grains such as oats, barley and corn. These give your horse energy. Be aware that these can be dangerous if you mix the wrong amounts or combinations, causing mineral imbalances.
- Salt – it is good to offer your horse a salt lick or loose salt in a separate container in the pasture. Many owners notice that horses like to eat salt during the summer months.
Water
Fresh Water – In addition to horse food, your horse needs access to fresh, clean water as much as possible, but at least twice a day. If your horse doesn't have access to that, make sure he doesn't have water immediately after feeding, otherwise he could develop a blockage due to undigested feed moving too quickly through the digestive tract. Make sure your horse's water does not freeze in winter temperatures.
How much should horses eat?
An average adult horse should eat dry matter (what's left after all the water has evaporated from the feed) weighing about 1.5-3 percent of its body weight. This depends on the activity of the horse and the quality of the feed.
Relative to the amount of hay a horse needs to feed, at least half of its diet should consist of grass or hay/straw. When a horse is worked or ridden, he must receive more food during the day, otherwise he will become underweight. Do not work a horse immediately after feeding very large meals. This is very uncomfortable for the horse and can affect digestion.
How to feed a horse
Horses should be fed little and often throughout the day. If a horse is kept in a stable, it needs two to three feedings per day. Do not leave your horse without food for more than eight hours. Horses like routine, so try to feed them at the same time every day. Also make sure the troughs are clean, otherwise horses may refuse to eat or drink.
What do horses like to eat?
Horses like treats and snacks, but also grass and hay. But make sure you don't overdo it. See our section on foods to avoid.
What do wild horses eat?
Wild horses graze over large areas and eat grass, the seed heads of grasses and other edible shrubs and plants. They usually live near freshwater supplies. It is estimated that wild horses can graze 15 to 17 hours per day.
Type of food that horses should not eat
What horses eat can seriously affect their health. In addition to ensuring that your horse eats small amounts of food, you should also ensure that you do not feed your horse the following:
- Lots of fruit snacks/snacks – these can cause colic and obesity and lead to serious health problems including the painful foot problem of lameness. Make sure you don't give your horse more than one or two pieces of fruit, such as an apple, or one or two carrots per day. Also ensure that your horse does not graze near an orchard or fruit tree during the season, and post signs on fences asking the public not to feed or give treats to your horse.
- Stone fruits – if they are not pitted, they can cause your horse to choke.
- Chocolate or other sugary foods – although your horse may enjoy eating these, these sugary foods are not necessary and can lead to health problems or obesity.
- Bread and pastries – these can cause a blockage in a horse's digestive tract.
- Meat – this can be harmful to your horse in the long term and from a nutritional point of view he simply doesn't need it.
- Vegetables from the cabbage family – turnips, cabbage, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc. will make your horse very uncomfortable and make him very gassy.
- Potatoes and tomatoes - these members of the nightshade family should not be fed to horses.
- Garden waste – there are so many risks associated with garden waste, including plants, weeds and toxins from garden sprays that can be toxic. While it may seem like a good idea to give horses freshly cut grass, you can't be sure what other yard waste is in it, and your horse may eat the grass much faster than if it were to graze naturally. Colic can be a consequence.
- Moldy or dusty hay: This can damage your horse's lungs.
- Bran – is not good for horses and should be avoided unless necessary for a specific prescribed diet.
And don't forget to check that your horse is not overweight!
Check your horse's body condition regularly. Like underweight horses, overweight horses are at risk for many health problems. It is therefore important to check whether you are not feeding too much or exercising too little. Be sure to keep an eye on the amount of treats you give your horse!
A quick thank you from SPANA
We hope you find our guide on what to feed your horses useful. Thank you for taking the time to research the best horse food. At SPANA we deliverveterinary treatmentfor working animals around the world, including horses that do the work of trucks, tractors and taxis in many low-income countries. Many of these horses suffer from poor nutrition.
If you would like to support our work, including our worktraining program for owners, Find outhow you can help.
