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Written by: Jessica Konopinski
Published on: 02/07/2023
Forage: the most important meal of the day. It’s no secret that horses thrive off of a forage based diet and quite honestly, they couldn’t survive without it. While there’s tons of questions circling around how much forage to feed, how often, what kind, and in what form, there’s also the question about how much to feed during each season. Especially during the winter season, we can see a lot of confusion around this topic. So, let’s break it down.
A lot of times when we think of the term forage, we typically think of hay. While quality hay is an excellent source of forage, it’s not your only option. Sources of quality forage include: baled hay, pasture grasses, hay pellets, hay cubes, and haylage. [2] Now that you have a better understanding of what type of forage is best for your horse, it’s important to understand how crucial the quality and quantity of hay matters is, but especially during colder temperatures.
To put it simply, forage keeps horse’s warm. How is this so? Well, because of the high fiber content present in forage the more heat is produced by the horse’s body breaking down, digesting, and absorbing its nutrients.. If you’re familiar with the anatomy of the horse, you know that a horse’s digestion is done in the hindgut. Through bacterial fermentation, the cecum and large intestine work to break down and digest the forage, keeping the horse's body warm. [1]
A great rule of thumb for calculating your horse's hay intake is that it should be 1-2 % of your horse's body weight. For example, if your horse is 1,200 pounds, their forage intake each day should be between 12-24 pounds per day. In other terms, forage should take up anywhere between 50-100% of your horse’s diet depending on their age, condition, and personal needs especially when it comes to performance.
In the winter months, calculating your horse’s hay intake to make sure they are meeting their everyday nutritional needs serves as a key factor in maintaining your horses health and weight. If your horse spends most of their time turned out or lives outside, accessing the quality of the pasture (if any) and adjusting your horse’s forage needs from there can be a great indicator in how much to feed per day.
More times than not, you're going to have to adjust your horse’s hay intake percentage based on external conditions such as the quality of pasture and the quality of hay. For example, if your horse eats from a large round bale or square bale, these can become tampered with in less than ideal environmental conditions. It’s important to keep an eye on the conditions for these, adjust and supplement when necessary.
Quality over quantity! Providing your horse with the appropriate percentage of forage daily is important, but making sure that the forage is quality is even more important. You can feed your horse more and more hay all day long, but if it doesn’t meet the nutritional needs of your horse, you're going to be wasting a lot of time, money, and potentially cause harm to your horse's health.
So, how do we assure that your forage is quality? The best way to do this would be to send out a sample of your hay for testing. Not only will this detect high levels of dust, mold, and other impurities but it will also do a deep dive into the nutritional content. This can cover levels of digestible fiber and energy along with crude protein and fat. Overall, this can give you the most accurate idea of what you are feeding your horse. [2]
Something important to consider is that if your horse does not have access to quality grass pasture, they are not meeting the recommended amount of Vitamin E. Even if your horse has access to pasture during the summer months, but not in the winter season, discussing supplementation of Vitamin E with your Veterinarian might serve as a great option. [2]
Another way to assure your horse is getting the adequate amount of forage each day is by introducing it in another form such as through hay cubes or pellets. This is a great way to switch up your horse’s feeding while still providing them with the necessary amount of forage and nutrients daily.
Feeding your horse in the winter months can sometimes become overwhelming, but no need to stress. By reviewing the basic rule of thumb when it comes to your horse’s hay intake, reviewing the quality, and by adjusting when necessary, your horse will healthily and happily take on the winter season with a warm body - and full tummy at that!
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✅ Single ingredient, 100% pure Camelina Oil.
✅ Non-GMO
✅ Ideal balance of Omega-3 compared to other products, like soybean oil.
✅ Canadian produced and operated.
Jessica is a brand consultant who brings awareness and intention to equestrian and pet platforms. As a former collegiate equestrian athlete and animal lover, Jessica leads with passion and experience through her writing and brand work for companies who advocate for creating a difference in their space. When she's not riding her horse or walking her dog (with iced coffee in hand), you can find her sharing her love for health and wellness with others and integrating these practices in her everyday work.
