Home › Blog › How Much to Feed Your Horse
By Schneider Saddlery • February 20, 2026 • 8 min read
One of the most common questions horse owners ask is, "How much should I be feeding?" It sounds simple, but the answer depends on your horse's weight, age, activity level, health conditions, and even the quality of your hay. Getting it wrong — in either direction — can lead to serious health problems.
This guide breaks down the science-based approach to horse feeding using the same NRC (2007) standards that board-certified equine nutritionists rely on.
Every horse's diet should be built on forage — hay, pasture, or a combination. The National Research Council recommends that horses consume a minimum of 1% of their body weight in forage per day, with most horses doing best at 1.5-2% of body weight.
For a 1,100 lb horse, that means:
Dropping forage below 1% of body weight is never recommended, even for overweight horses. Insufficient forage leads to gastric ulcers, behavioral issues, and colic risk.
Your horse's workload determines how many calories they need beyond what forage provides. Here are the general forage-to-concentrate ratios recommended by the NRC:
| Activity Level | Forage % | Concentrate % | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | 100% | 0% | Pasture pet, retired horse |
| Light Work | 85% | 15% | 1-3 hrs/week trail riding |
| Moderate Work | 70% | 30% | Regular training, local shows |
| Heavy Work | 60% | 40% | 5+ hrs/week competition |
| Very Heavy | 50% | 50% | Racing, endurance, upper-level eventing |
The Henneke Body Condition Scoring system (scale of 1-9) is the standard way to assess whether your horse is at a healthy weight. A score of 5-6 is ideal for most horses.
Hay flakes vary enormously — from 3 to 8 lbs per flake depending on the bale. "Two flakes twice a day" could mean 12 lbs or 32 lbs. That's a massive difference in calories.
Invest in a hanging fish scale ($10-15) and weigh several flakes from each new bale. This single step improves feeding accuracy more than any other.
The average 1,100 lb horse needs 5-10 gallons of water daily, with heavily worked horses needing up to 15 gallons. Provide a white salt block plus loose salt in feed (1-2 oz/day for horses in work).
Revisit your horse's feeding plan when:
At minimum, review the plan every 3-4 months.
