Guide to Feeding Horses
Horse Diet - why it matters, what to feed, how often and what to look for
Here are 10 top tips for feeding horses that support health, performance, and digestive wellbeing:
🐴 1. Feed Plenty of Forage
Forage (hay, haylage, or pasture) is the foundation of every horse’s diet and should make up at least 1.5–2% of their body weight per day in dry matter. That’s roughly 7.5–10 kg for a 500 kg horse. Fibre supports healthy digestion, maintains a stable gut microbiome, and satisfies a horse’s natural grazing behaviour, reducing boredom and stress-related habits like cribbing or weaving. Horse's on restricted grazing or who have restricted forage due to weight gain, obesity, laminitis concerns or injury are most likely lacking in diversity of plant fibres which can impact significantly on their hind gut health. Consideration should be given to feeding a prebiotic supplement like Equell UltraMet to support their hind gut health.
🕰 2. Feed Little and Often
Horses are trickle feeders by nature, with stomachs that continuously produce acid and are relatively small. Feeding large meals can overwhelm the stomach and increase the risk of colic or gastric ulcers. Aim to divide concentrate feeds into two or three smaller meals per day if needed, and ideally provide free-access forage to mimic natural grazing patterns. Overweight horses (including horses with EMS, laminitis or metabolic disorders) may require their forage to be soaked to reduce calorie value and double netting can slow the intake, reducing the time spent not eating. Remember that soaking hay will result in leaching of necessary vitamins and minerals - as well as reducing sugars.
🧪 3. Balance the Diet
Even the best quality hay or grass may lack key nutrients like copper, zinc, or selenium. A daily vitamin and mineral balancer ensures your horse gets what they need without excess calories. This is especially important for horses on restricted diets, poor pasture, or who aren’t fed a complete compound feed.
Remember that horses evolved to roam and forage across diverse terrains, eating up to 40 different plants a day. Their gut health is dependent on what they eat and gut health influences overall wellbeing, particularly their immune health with 70% of the immune system located in the gut.
Equell Gut Food was developed specifically for the hind gut, providing a wide variety of 100% natural prebiotic fibres, rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals - it is a fabulous daily addition to support vitality in every horse from leisure to performance.
💧 4. Provide Constant Access to Clean Water
Water is critical for every function in the horse’s body—from digestion to temperature regulation. Horses can drink between 25 and 55 litres per day, more if they are sweating heavily. Clean troughs and buckets daily, and in winter, check that water isn’t frozen. In summer, ensure water is cool and not contaminated by algae or insects. You may want to experiment with water buffets by adding a variety of herbs or flavours to buckets and allowing self selection, but always ensure plain clean fresh water is available alongside.
📉 5. Avoid Sudden Changes in Feed
Any change in a horse’s diet—whether it’s new hay, grass, or hard feed—should be made slowly over 7–10 days. This allows the delicate population of gut microbes to adapt and reduces the risk of digestive upsets like diarrhoea, gas, or colic. This is particularly important for horses with ulcers as their digestive system is already struggling. Always introduce new feeds gradually and monitor your horse’s response.
🏃 6. Feed According to Workload, Age, and Condition
Feeding isn’t one-size-fits-all. Growing horses, seniors, broodmares, and those in heavy work all have different nutritional needs. Underfeeding can lead to poor performance, weight loss or developmental issues, while overfeeding can cause obesity, laminitis, or metabolic disease. Regularly assess your horse’s workload and condition and adjust accordingly.
⏱ 7. Keep a Consistent Feeding Routine
Horses are creatures of habit and thrive on routine. Feeding at irregular times can lead to stress and even digestive upset. Try to feed at the same times each day, and avoid long gaps without access to forage. Consistency helps regulate the horse’s internal body clock and digestive function.
🧂 8. Add Salt or Electrolytes Daily
Many horses don’t get enough salt, especially if they’re not fed hard feed or are sweating regularly. Plain white salt can be added to feed or provided via a salt lick, and horses in work may benefit from an electrolyte supplement to replace lost minerals. A basic rule is to add 1–2 tablespoons of salt per day, adjusting based on amounts provided in forage/hard feed, sweat loss and work levels. Salt is especially important during hot weather as it will encourage your horse to drink more, keeping them hydrated and keeping their gut function healthy.
🚫 9. Avoid Feeding Just Before or After Intense Work
Feeding a large meal immediately before or after hard exercise can compromise digestion and increase the risk of colic. It’s best to allow at least 1 hour before and after strenuous activity before feeding concentrates. Small amounts of forage such as a scoop of chaff or hay/haylage can be given beforehand to protect the delicate stomach mucosa against gastric ulcers by creating a fibre raft, but avoid larger hard feeds until the horse has cooled down properly.
👀 10. Monitor Body Condition Regularly
Keep track of your horse’s Body Condition Score (BCS) every few weeks. This hands-on method helps detect weight gain or loss early so you can tweak the diet accordingly. Seasonal changes, pasture quality, and exercise levels can all impact condition. Use a weight tape for consistency and keep records to monitor trends over time.
Reach out to our team of nutrition team if you have any queries that we can assist with! Use the chat function, send us a DM on Facebook or email us at info@equell.co.uk
