Do Pasture Horses Need Grain?

Pasture horses have very little need for extra calories from grain. The pasture horse needs 20 pounds of hay only when grass isn’t available. Remember the rule of thumb – one horse per acre of grass.

Can horses go without grain?

Many pleasure and trail horses don’t need grain: good-quality hay or pasture is sufficient. If hay isn’t enough, grain can be added, but the bulk of a horse’s calories should always come from roughage. Horses are meant to eat roughage, and their digestive system is designed to use the nutrition in grassy stalks.

Can horses go a day without grain?

Horses on high quality pasture for most of the day will not need extra grain. Good grass will provide most, if not all, the nutrients and calories they need. Horses evolved to be roughage eaters, so their bodies are naturally designed to subsist off of quality grasses.

What to feed horses when there is no hay?

Six Hay Alternatives for Horses

• Bagged chopped forage. It can replace all of your horse’s hay, if necessary.
• Hay cubes. Chopped cubed hay (usually alfalfa or timothy or a combination) is another 100-percent replacement.
• Hay pellets.
• “Complete” feed.
• Beet pulp.
• Soybean hulls.

How much grain does a horse need?

Most horses can be given as much hay as they will eat. For horses that are just starting on grain, it is usually safe to start the horse with a half-pound of grain every day for every 100 pounds of body weight. Since the average horse weighs about 1,100 pounds, this would result in 5.5 pounds of daily grain.

How much grain does a horse on pasture need?

Diets high in grains can lead to digestive issues — to prevent stomach ulcers and colic, a horse’s ration should be less than 25% grain. For the average horse, this means 15 pounds of hay and five pounds of grain spread throughout the day; double that for the high performance horse.

Can horses live on grass alone?

The simple answer is yes. A pasture can potentially be the sole source of nutrition for a horse. Given the variability of a horse’s own metabolism and needs, though, pasture alone may not be sufficient for your horse. This is why keeping a careful watch over your horse’s condition is essential.

How many hours should a horse be on pasture?

According to the sixth edition of the NRC’s Nutrient Requirements of Horses, one study concluded that horses need to graze for 17 hours daily to meet their nutritional needs. So unless your horse is going to be on pasture 24/7, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be able to meet his forage needs on pasture alone.

How many bales of hay should a horse have a day?

A horse can eat anywhere from 15-25 pounds of hay a day, which generally equates to a half of a 45/50-pound square bale of hay per day (~15-30 bales per month).

Do horses need grain in winter?

Horses can also be less feed-efficient when temperatures drop below their comfort zone. In general, feeding an additional one-quarter pound of grain per 100 pounds of body weight daily to non-working horses can provide adequate calories during cold, windy and wet weather.

What is a substitute for grain for horses?

Limit or eliminate grain when possible, and offer an alternative hi-calorie food source as a grain substitute, such as any of the following: Fat is a safe and concentrated energy source and is well digested by horses. Fat can be fed as vegetable oil, rice bran or is available in commercially formulated high-fat feed.

Can a horse live without hay?

Horses can adapt to balanced rations that do not contain hay or pasture, but the absolute minimum of fiber necessary has not been established. However, low fiber/high concentrate rations have been documented to increase the risk of colic, gastric ulcers, and wood chewing behavior of horses.

What is the best forage for horses?

Alfalfa or mixed forages are ideal forage options for hard keeper horses, e.g. straight alfalfa, alfalfa/timothy grass or alfalfa/oat grass. Although not a hay, but a great fiber source, beet pulp is higher in calories and can also be a helpful addition to hard keeper horse diets.

What is the 20% rule with horses?

The researchers found that an average adult light riding horse could comfortably carry about 20 percent of their ideal bodyweight. This result agrees with the value recommended by the Certified Horsemanship Association and the U.S. Cavalry Manuals of Horse Management published in 1920.

Can a horse eat too much grain?

Consumption of large quantities of high starch grain can have drastic consequences to a horse’s intestinal health, causing digestive upset, abdominal pain (colic), and diarrhea. The most notable consequence of this occurrence is the development of laminitis (founder), which might only become evident days later.

Does grain put weight on horses?

High fat, high protein grain combined with a rich alfalfa hay can quickly put weight on a horse, if there is not an underlying medical condition.

What does a horse need in a pasture?

Horses need free access to clean, fresh water. Place waterers and troughs in areas where filling and cleaning are easy. If possible place water sources where multiple pastures will have access to them. Using laneways and gates to provide access to dry lot waterers from the pastures can be an effective approach.

What should be in a horse pasture?

For general purposes it is best to select a mix of grasses and legumes that provide pasturing needs throughout the growing season. Cool-season species, such as timothy, perennial ryegrass, bromegrass, bluegrass, reed canary grass, and orchard grass provide early grazing in spring and early summer.

How long should a horse graze on pasture?

The horses graze until they have removed about 50% of the forage, so 3-4″ of forage should remain. This is called the “Take Half, Leave Half” rule. The grazing period should take no longer than 7 days, and forage should not be grazed any lower than 3″.

Can horses be on pasture all the time?

Constant access to hay or pasture isn’t good for all horses.
Too much rich hay can cause health complications in some horses, especially ones considered “easy keepers.” “Easy keepers” are horses that tend to put on weight, even on a sparse diet.

Do horses get bored in the field?

Predictable routines and small stalls or enclosures that lack stimulation can easily bore horses. A lack of activity and exercise, or always performing the same tasks and exercise routines, can quickly become boring, and if horses have no way to relieve that boredom, they may suffer.