Hay Feeding Advice

It’s important to provide healthy, nutritious hay for horses on a daily basis. To learn more about this important foodstuff, feeding techniques and to find out exactly why horses love this tasty treat, read our advice guide to horse hay below.

 

 

 

Hay For Horses: Feeding Advice

•    If you are in the process of setting a feeding schedule, it’s important to think about every horse as an individual. Depending on the size and age of the horse, the amount of hay a horse needs can vary. Establish the weight of your animal in relation to other horses of a similar weight – this will help you to decide on an appropriate amount of feed.

•    Now, a quick biology lesson. Roughage is one of the most important parts of a horse’s diet – providing the equine body with plenty of the fibre it needs to thrive, which is the reason hay is the principal feed type for horses.

•    If you are agonising over the correct amount of hay to provide a horse with, try and approach it scientifically. It’s generally recommended that a horse should eat around three per cent of its body weight in roughage per day – this may help you fill the horse hay feeder to an appropriate level.

•    Make adaptations to the amount of hay in the horse hay feeder over time – naturally, at times the horse’s exercise and training schedule may be more intensive; on these occasions you should top up the horse’s hay supply. In winter, you may also need to monitor the horse's hay carefully, especially if conditions are testing – try and provide the best quality hay available at all times.