How much hay does a horse need on pasture in 1 day in winter?

Answer 1

some people just give then a round bale in a round bale holder and that lasts a from 5-6 days maybe lees depending on how many horses you have but i throw out 1 1/2 bales a day for my 3 year old and its gone by the next day

Answer 2

It really depends on the hay. Many people say feed 1.5% to 2% of a horses body weight. I say it's best to let a horse always have access to hay whenever it doesn't have access to grass. However, if the hay is very rich it is not the best kind of hay to feed free-choice and can cause obessity and illness. You may have to find hay lower in nutrients before you can feed it free-choice.

If your hay is too rich to feed free-choice and you can't find others, you will need to figure out your horses dietary needs and feed according to those, and to do that it would be best to talk to your vet.

its different for every horse. it really depends on the horses medical conditions, what their supplements are, and the horses height weight and if they have any Allergies. because it really depends on the specific horse, please contact your vet. they can tell you exactly what is a healthy amount of hay and grain to feed your baby. but please remember that if you are not sure about how much food to feed your horse, you may want to question your experience level with horses and if you are capable to handle one. horses are very expensive, loving animals that need a lot of care and attention. always remember that keeping a horse is a tough job, but pays off in the end. please be extra careful. and if you are ever not sure about anything related to your horses health or their eating amounts and capabilities please contact your vet. it is always better to be safe than sorry. giving horses the wrong amounts of hay and grain or not giving them the supplements they need for their specific conditions can be very dangerous and potentially fatal to your horse. good luck, and please be cautious and careful.

Answer 3

To be specific, a healthy horse needs to consume about 2% of its desired bodyweight per day. Increased to 2.5 - 3 % in winter if it is cold or if the horse is in hard work or needing to increase its weight.

So, if a 14.2hh pony of average build should weigh about 800lbs; at the 2% bdywght/day it would need to consume 16lbs of hay/feed per day. Less, of course, if the horse is out eating grass and only stalled for part of the time. Sections of hay vary between batches of hay and even between bales within the same cutting. But on average a section of hay weighs about 5lbs. So your 14.2hh pony would need 3 or 4 sections throughout the day if kept in and fed no hard feed. Tip: Your yard should buy a spring balance hook weigher. Cheap to buy and easy to fill a haynet and hang the haynet string on the weigh hook to check the weight of the contents.

A bigger horse, weighing 1200lbs would need to be eating 24lb of hay/feed per day. Maybe 6 lbs of sweet feed/course mix with 18lbs of hay split into a couple of feeds throughout the day.

The easiest way to estimate a horse's weight is to use a special equine weigh-tape which you can buy from saddlers. It measures around the horse's body behind the front legs and gives a weight measurement dependent upon the circumference.

And Wendy R, I DO weigh all my haynets and indivual hard feeds!!! Honestly! I always have since a little girl. Must admit, I am the only person I've ever known to do it! And the odd looks I get from other horse owners is incredible. Even the conscientious ones who think they are God's gift to the Equine World. :-)

Answer 4

The amount of alfalfa hay a horse can eat will vary with the quality of the hay, it's protein level, the horses age, health, and activity level. It should be kept in mind that Alfalfa hay is very high in calcium and lower in Phosphorus which can cause an imbalance if fed in excess. It is recommended to only feed about half or less of what a horses normal feed ration would be if feeding alfalfa hay and to provide a ration balancer to level out the other nutrients.

Answer 5

We usually feed our horses two leafs in the morning and two leafs at night.

Just in case you didn't know a leaf is the part of the hay that automatically separates also called a flake.

Answer 6

Generally speaking 2% daily of its body weight.