How much hay should a horse get per day?
The lowest recommended ration is 1.5 kg of hay dry matter for every 100 kg of body weight.
Just as important is how long the horse eats and how long the breaks are.
We show you how to calculate the ration for your horse and spread it over 24 hours.
- The lowest recommended ration is 15 g of hay dry matter per kilogram of body weight per day, which is 7.5 kg of dry matter for a 500 kg horse. The absolute minimum is 12.5 g.
- The ration is calculated in dry matter, not in kilograms of feed, because hay and haylage vary greatly in moisture content.
- A horse should be able to eat for at least 8 hours a day, ideally 10, and should not go without forage for more than 4-5 hours at a time.
- An overweight horse needs hay too: the recommendation is a weighed ration rather than starving the horse.
“How much hay?” is one of the most common questions at the yard. The answer has two parts: how many kilograms a day, and how to spread those kilograms over time. Both are equally important.
A 2024 systematic review recognised eating forage as one of the signs of good wellbeing in horses, and access to forage, along with space and company, as a need that must be met throughout a horse's life[1].
How much hay per day
A 2017 review of research on feeding horses hay and haylage gives the lowest recommended ration: 15 g of dry matter per kilogram of body weight per day. The absolute minimum is 12.5 g[2].
The Merck Veterinary Manual says much the same: at least 1.5-2% of body weight as forage dry matter. The most a horse usually eats is 2-2.5% of body weight in dry matter[3].
of hay dry matter per day is the lowest recommended ration for a 500 kg horse, i.e. 15 g per kilogram of body weight[2].Harris et al., Animal, 2017
| Horse's body weight | Daily minimum (dry matter) | Recommended range (dry matter) |
|---|---|---|
| 300 kg | 4.5 kg | 4.5-6 kg |
| 400 kg | 6 kg | 6-8 kg |
| 500 kg | 7.5 kg | 7.5-10 kg |
| 600 kg | 9 kg | 9-12 kg |
The minimum is 15 g per kilogram of body weight[2], and the range is 1.5-2% of body weight[3]. All figures are in dry matter, as explained below.
Why we calculate in dry matter
Hay, haylage and fresh grass contain very different amounts of water. That is why the 2017 review recommends calculating the ration in grams of dry matter per kilogram of body weight, rather than in kilograms of feed as fed[2].
Hay contains little water, so a kilogram of hay is almost a kilogram of dry matter. For example, in the recommendations for horses with equine metabolic syndrome, a ration of 1.25-1.5% of body weight in dry matter corresponds to 1.4-1.7% of body weight as hay in the form you feed it[4]. It follows that a kilogram of such hay is about 0.9 kg of dry matter. Haylage contains much more water, so the same kilogram provides noticeably less dry matter.
How long a horse eats
The same review recommends that a horse should be able to eat forage for at least 8 hours a day, ideally 10, and should not go without it for more than 4-5 hours at a time[2].
In a Danish study of 201 horses, a gap of more than 6 hours between forage feeds increased the risk of ulcers in the upper, non-glandular part of the stomach. The risk also rose when straw was the only forage[5].
The longest gap usually falls at night, between the evening and morning hay feeds. This is the first gap worth shortening, for example by leaving hay in a net overnight.
How to make eating last longer without increasing the ration
- Slow-feed nets and feeders. A review of 26 studies from 2009-2025 showed that they extend eating time by about 40%, depending on the mesh size, the number of net layers and the type of hay[6].
- Don't overdo the small mesh. Nets with holes that were too small could frustrate horses: they pawed, tugged and threw the net about[6].
- Low, not high. Slow feeders at ground level let horses eat with their heads down, while nets hung high increased neck tension[6].
- Soaking hay. Soaking for 7-16 hours reduces sugar content by 24-43%, which helps overweight horses[4]. Soaked hay should not be stored: in a study, bacteria, moulds and yeasts multiplied quickly in it, and the horses accepted it less readily[7].
The overweight horse: less hay, but not none at all
The European College of Equine Internal Medicine consensus statement on equine metabolic syndrome recommends a ration of 1.25-1.5% of body weight in dry matter for overweight horses, i.e. 1.4-1.7% of body weight as hay as fed[4]. Changes to the ration are made gradually, usually over a week or two[4].
Including some straw in the ration can make eating last longer, because straw contains less energy than hay[4]. However, straw should not be the only forage[5].
How to calculate the ration for your horse
- Find out your horse's weightIdeally on a weighbridge. A weigh tape gives an approximate result, but it is good enough for week-to-week comparisons.
- Calculate the minimum in dry matterThe horse's weight in kilograms times 15 g. For a 500 kg horse, that is 7.5 kg of dry matter[2].
- Convert to hayDivide the result by about 0.9. For a 500 kg horse, that is about 8.3 kg of hay a day.
- Spread the ration over 24 hoursSo that the horse eats for at least 8-10 hours and the gaps are no longer than 4-5 hours[2].
- Weigh the hay for a few daysBales vary in weight, and it is easy to be out by several kilograms when judging “by eye”.
- Monitor condition and adjustIf the horse loses or gains weight, change the ration together with your vet, and do it gradually[4].
When to call the vet
- the horse leaves hay it usually eats, or eats noticeably more slowly,
- it drops wads of half-chewed hay from its mouth,
- it is losing weight despite a full ration,
- colic, diarrhoea or very dry droppings appear after a change of hay or ration.
Frequently asked questions
How many bales of hay a day does a horse need?
Bales vary in weight, so count in kilograms. Weigh a few bales from one batch and work out how many you need for the daily ration. For a 500 kg horse, the minimum is about 8.3 kg of hay a day[2].
Can a horse eat unlimited hay?
Many horses do well on it, but an overweight horse or one with equine metabolic syndrome will usually gain weight. For these horses, a weighed ration[4] and slowing down eating with a net[6] are recommended.
Scientific sources
We checked every publication in the Crossref and PubMed databases. The numbers in the text link to the list, and the DOI links lead to the original articles.
- Hall C, Kay R. Living the good life? A systematic review of behavioural signs of affective state in the domestic horse (Equus caballus) and factors relating to quality of life. Part I: Fulfilment of species-specific needs. Animal Welfare. 2024;33:e40. doi.org/10.1017/awf.2024.38
- Harris PA, Ellis AD, Fradinho MJ, Jansson A, Julliand V, Luthersson N et al. Review: Feeding conserved forage to horses: recent advances and recommendations. Animal. 2017;11(6):958-967. doi.org/10.1017/s1751731116002469
- Liburt NR. Nutritional Requirements of Horses and Other Equids. Merck Veterinary Manual. 2026. www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/nutrition-horses/nutritional-requirements-of-horses-and-other-equids
- Durham AE, Frank N, McGowan CM, Menzies-Gow NJ, Roelfsema E, Vervuert I et al. ECEIM consensus statement on equine metabolic syndrome. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 2019;33(2):335-349. doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15423
- Luthersson N, Nielsen KH, Harris P, Parkin TDH. Risk factors associated with equine gastric ulceration syndrome (EGUS) in 201 horses in Denmark. Equine Veterinary Journal. 2009;41(7):625-630. doi.org/10.2746/042516409x441929
- Amaje J, Upton S, Garba UM, Jolayemi KO. The use of hay nets and slow feeders as feeding methods in horse management: A semi-systematic review. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 2026;157:105762. doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2025.105762
- Glatter M, Bochnia M, Wensch-Dorendorf M, Greef JM, Zeyner A. Feed Intake Parameters of Horses Fed Soaked or Steamed Hay and Hygienic Quality of Hay Stored following Treatment. Animals. 2021;11(9):2729. doi.org/10.3390/ani11092729
Published . This article is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a vet.
