Horse Feed Calculator

Component	Amount / Day	Share of Total
Forage (hay/pasture)	—	—
Grain (concentrate)	—	—
Total	—	100%

Activity Level	% of Body Weight	Total Feed / Day	Forage	Grain
Enter your horse's weight in the Daily Feed tab first.

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Walk-through

How to Use This Calculator

3 steps

1

Enter your horse's body weight

Enter your horse's weight in pounds or kilograms (use the unit toggle above the field). If you don't have a scale, a weight tape or the girth-and-length formula gets you within about 5% accuracy.

2

Select an activity level

Choose Maintenance (idle or light pasture time), Light work (1-3 hrs/week riding), Moderate work (regular training), or Heavy work (daily intense work). Each level sets a default percent-of-body-weight feed ratio and a forage/grain split.

3

Review the forage/grain breakdown

The Daily Feed tab shows your horse's total feed for the day. Switch to Forage vs Grain for the hay/concentrate split, or By Activity Level to compare all four tiers at your horse's current weight.

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Reference

Formula & Methodology

2 formulas

Total daily feed

total feed (lb) = body weight (lb) x feed ratio (%)

The feed ratio defaults to 1.75-2.75% of body weight depending on activity level, within the broader 1.5-3% industry guideline. You can override the default ratio manually for a hard keeper or an easy keeper.

Forage / grain split

grain (lb) = total feed x grain share; forage (lb) = total feed - grain

Grain share scales with activity: 0% at maintenance (forage covers all needs), 10% at light work, 25% at moderate work, and 35% at heavy work.

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Glossary

Key Terms Explained

7 terms

Forage Hay, pasture grass, or other fibrous roughage that forms the base of a horse's diet. Most horses can meet maintenance energy needs on forage alone.

Grain ratio The portion of total daily feed that comes from grain or concentrate rather than forage, usually expressed as a percentage. Rises with workload.

Percent body weight The standard way to size a horse's daily feed: total feed as a percentage of the horse's body weight, typically 1.5-3% per day.

Maintenance activity A horse doing no or very light work — idle, retired, or on pasture. Requires the lowest feed ratio and usually no grain.

Hay Dried grass or legume forage (e.g. timothy, orchard grass, alfalfa) fed when fresh pasture isn't available or sufficient.

Concentrate feed Calorie-dense grain or pelleted feed (oats, sweet feed, commercial concentrate) added to boost energy intake beyond what forage alone supplies.

Roughage Another term for forage — the fibrous, high-bulk portion of the diet that keeps a horse's digestive system functioning properly.

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Scenarios

Real-World Examples

3 worked examples

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Backyard horse

1,000-lb horse, maintenance activity

Body weight 1,000 lb Activity level Maintenance

At the default 1.75% ratio, this horse needs about 17.5 lb/day of feed, and since maintenance activity carries no grain share, all 17.5 lb comes from hay or pasture. Bumping the ratio to 2% (the upper end of typical maintenance range) would raise that to 20 lb/day of hay — the classic '15-20 lb of hay for an idle 1,000-lb horse' guideline.

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Weekend trail horse

1,100-lb horse, moderate work

Body weight 1,100 lb Activity level Moderate work

Moderate work defaults to a 2.25% ratio and a 25% grain share: total feed is about 24.75 lb/day, split roughly 18.6 lb of hay and 6.2 lb of grain. The added grain supplies the extra energy that forage alone can't provide once regular training starts.

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Competition horse

1,200-lb horse, heavy work

Body weight 1,200 lb Activity level Heavy work

Heavy work uses the highest default ratio (2.75%) and grain share (35%): total feed is 33 lb/day, about 21.5 lb of hay plus 11.6 lb of grain. This is near the top of the 1.5-3% range — a sign that daily intense work substantially raises calorie needs over a maintenance horse of the same weight.

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Deep Dive

Understanding the Horse Feed Calculator

3 chapters · 3 min read

This calculator estimates a horse's daily forage and grain needs using the standard 1.5-3% of body weight guideline used by equine nutritionists and extension programs. It's a starting point for budgeting hay and grain — not a substitute for an individualized diet plan from a veterinarian or equine nutritionist.

How the Horse Feed Calculator works

The calculator multiplies your horse's body weight by a feed ratio — the percentage of body weight fed per day — to get total daily feed. The ratio defaults to a value appropriate for the selected activity level: 1.75% for maintenance, 2.0% for light work, 2.25% for moderate work, and 2.75% for heavy work, all within the broader 1.5-3% range cited by the National Research Council's Nutrient Requirements of Horses and widely used equine extension guidance.

Total feed is then split into forage (hay/pasture) and grain (concentrate) based on the activity level's typical grain share, which rises from 0% at maintenance to 35% at heavy work — reflecting that forage alone usually can't supply enough calories once workload increases substantially.

Inputs and what they mean

Body weight is the single biggest driver of the result — enter it in pounds or kilograms using the unit toggle. Most adult horses weigh 900-1,600 lb; ponies and minis weigh considerably less.

Activity level sets the default feed ratio and grain share. Feed ratio pre-fills from the activity level but can be adjusted manually between 1.5% and 3% — lower for an easy keeper or overweight horse, higher for a hard keeper that struggles to maintain weight.

Limits and edge cases

This calculator applies a general industry rule of thumb, not a nutrient-by-nutrient ration balance. It does not account for hay quality (grass vs. legume, cutting, moisture content), pasture access, growth stage (foals, weanlings, yearlings have different needs), pregnancy or lactation, or medical conditions like insulin resistance, laminitis, or PPID that require specialized diets.

For a horse with any of these factors, or one that isn't maintaining a healthy body condition on the estimated amount, consult a veterinarian or equine nutritionist for a diet plan tailored to bloodwork, body condition scoring, and hay analysis.

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Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

6 questions

What is the rule of thumb for feeding a horse?+

Feed 1.5-3% of a horse's body weight per day in total feed (forage plus grain), adjusted for activity level. A 1,000-lb horse at maintenance needs roughly 15-20 lb/day, mostly hay.

Is it OK to feed a horse all forage with no grain?+

Yes. For a horse at maintenance (little to no work), free-choice or scheduled hay alone can meet daily energy needs. Grain becomes useful once workload increases beyond what forage calories can supply.

When should I add grain to my horse's diet?+

Add grain or a concentrate when the horse is in moderate to heavy work, is a hard keeper that can't maintain weight on forage alone, or is a growing, pregnant, or lactating horse with higher energy demands.

Is free-choice hay a good idea?+

Free-choice (always-available) hay is common and mimics natural grazing behavior, but intake should still be monitored — easy keepers and horses prone to obesity or laminitis may need a slow-feeder net or measured portions instead.

How should I feed an overweight horse?+

Use the lower end of the 1.5-3% range (closer to 1.5%), choose lower-calorie grass hay over legume hay, and skip grain unless the horse is in heavy work. Pair with a vet-approved exercise plan.

Is this calculator veterinary or nutrition advice?+

No. This tool applies a general industry guideline for estimating purposes only. Individual horses vary by breed, metabolism, and health status — consult a veterinarian or equine nutritionist for a diet plan tailored to your horse.

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