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Horse Feeding Guide

What do I need to know about The 2.5% Rule?

Total daily intake (forage + concentrates): typically 2-2.5% of body weight by dry matter. A 500kg horse: needs approximately 10-12.5kg dry matter per day. Most should be forage — minimum 1.5% bodyweight in forage (7.5kg for 500kg horse). Horses evolved to graze 16-18 hours per day. Long feeding gaps (more than 4 hours) cause ulcers, stereotypies (crib-biting, weaving), and digestive issues. Ad lib forage is ideal where laminitis/obesity not a concern. For overweight horses: soak hay for around 12 hours before feeding, which reduces its sugar content while still providing the fibre needed for healthy digestion.

What's the key thing to understand about Forage Types?

Hay: traditional dried grass. Quality varies enormously. Should be sweet-smelling, green-brown, free of dust and mould. Late-cut hay: lower nutrition (better for easy keepers and laminitics). Early-cut: higher protein and sugar (for hard-working horses or thin ones). Haylage: partially dried, ensiled grass. Higher moisture (35-50%). Lower dust (good for respiratory issues). Higher energy. Open bale must be used within 5-7 days. Straw: bedding-grade can be fed sparingly to good doers as a low-calorie forage supplement, though it shouldn't replace proper hay as the main fibre source.

What's the key thing to understand about Laminitis Prevention?

Laminitis: inflammation of the laminae in the hoof. Extremely painful, often catastrophic. Major triggers: high sugar/starch intake (spring/autumn grass, cereal-based concentrates). Obesity. Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) — insulin resistance. PPID (Cushing's disease) in older horses. High-risk breeds: native ponies (Welsh, Shetland, New Forest, Dartmoor, Exmoor). Cobs. Iberian breeds. Prevention: restrict grass access (track systems, grazing muzzles, dry lot in spring/autumn). Maintain ideal body condition year-round, since overweight horses and ponies of these predisposed breeds are at significantly higher risk of a laminitis episode.

What should I know about Concentrates?

Concentrates: cereal-based or fibre-based hard feeds. Used to supplement when forage cannot meet energy requirements. Light work: usually no concentrates needed if good forage. Moderate work: 0.5-1.5kg/day depending on horse. Heavy work: 2-4kg/day, split into 2-3 meals (never more than 2kg per meal — small stomach). Types: oats, barley, maize (cereals — high starch, hot). Sugar beet (high energy, slow release, soaked). Linseed (high oil, good for shine and weight gain). Balancers: low-calorie nutrient supplements that provide vitamins and minerals without the extra calories of a full concentrate feed, useful for good-doer horses that don't need extra energy.