What's the rule of thumb on how much hay to feed?

[AmberC]

My friend (who is very new to owning a horse) was wrongly told by someone she trusted (not me!) that her horse was too fat. So she cut his feed, and now he's too thin. She knows this and upped his hay. I fed him tonight, and when I picked up the hay, I got the feeling that it probably wasn't enough. It looks like a lot of hay, but the flakes are pretty light. But from what I could see in the poor light in the barn it's a decent quality hay. Good color, good smell. I'm not sure what kind it is, but I know it's not alfalfa or orchard grass. Maybe a timothy mix? I'm guessing the horse should weigh around 1000-1100 pounds, he's pretty stout.
So can anyone help me out with the general rule of thumb on how much hay to feed to help my friend get him back where he should be? He's definitely not emaciated, but you can feel his ribs more than you should be able to.

Amber

[linda]

Well, all they will eat of grass hay--unless they start to get too fat. Grass hay, free choice. I don't feed grain at all, as a general rule. I will and do feed some soaked beet pulp--very handy to get supplements into the horses. Soaked beet pulp might be a good thing to add to the diet at this time. How much? Take 1 measuring cup of dry beet pulp, add about 3-4 cups of hot water and let it sit for a couple of hours. You don't have to use hot water--but it will make a mash faster that way. The nice thing about beet pulp is that once it is soaked, the horses think they are getting a HUGE treat.

Your friend is lucky to have you help her.
Linda

[Mary Ann]

The rule of thumb on total feed is 2-2.5# ADF (air dried feed) per cwt (hundredweight). Therefore, a 1000# horse should need 20-25# of hay and grain total per day. This is just a rule of thumb.

Most grass hays at their peak of nutrition (second cutting, no seed heads, no stemminess) will be about 900 calories a pound, and most alfalfas at the same stage of maturity will be about 1000 calories per pound.

But grass hay harvested too late (stemmy, with some seed heads, and high in lignin) will be around 780 calories per pound, yet the bummer is the lignin (a type of fiber) will tie up the calories and render the hay indigestible. They can eat it, but they can't utilize it. Even fed free choice, they'll starve to death over time. And this hay can be a bright color with a great smell.

The stage of maturity of the plant is of vital importance in the value of the hay. Cut too late is useless; they can't break it down. It just goes right on through.

This type of hay is not without value. It's great to serve some of the time to those extremely easy keepers, as it gives them chew time without making them gain. We call it 'diet hay' here. And it's fine for cows, who are ruminants with more than one stomach for digestion of these tough fibers.

It's very important to weigh rations. If a bale of quality hay weighs 50#, then she can do it the easy way by saying she'll feed a half a bale a day per head. If the bales aren't that heavy, then she needs to adjust it accordingly.

A weight tape is a good investment. It can tell you if the horse is gaining or losing quicker than the eye can. If she's feeding the right amount by weight of her hay, and the horse isn't gaining, she can add complete feed (a type of feed that contains all the nutrients, forage, etc and needs nothing else with it) in however many pounds per day the horse needs to begin gaining again. She can even topdress these pellets with oil to help gain. Oil is 1600 calories a cup. Complete feed is about 1000 calories a pound, and grains like corn and oats are about 1400 calories a pound.

However, adding calories from grains is risky. Sometimes horses become so fretful from the extra carbohydrates that they'll actually lose weight rather than gain it. Also, grain changes the pH of the gut, making it more acidic, and can predispose a horse to ulcers.

Total caloric needs per day is about 20,000-25,000 per day, depending on the individual metabolism and work. A horse that needs to be on the gain needs to be on the upper end of this. Just like with people, 3500 calories equals a pound. If she goes from the lower end of this to the upper end of this, she'll have about 1.5# of gain per day.

I hope this helps!

[linda]

Oh Mary Ann, you are so exact ;D Wait until I get you out here--I am going to drive you crazy!

The good news is that Amber now has both sides--the simple, feed by result and the carefully measured one. Between the two, her friend should be able to figure out exactly what she needs to know.

Thanks for providing the scientific side of the discussion!
Linda

[Sheryl]

Very interesting topic. One of the problems is that if horses are not free choice hay, then the hay really needs to be weighed. One of the minor frustrations I have at my barn is that depending on who feeds, the feed quantity varies somewhat (different judgement on flake size). They do a good job of really increasing the hay significantly when it is cold though.

I use the weight tape on my horse. When I thought she looked a little thin, the tape showed 1,000# (down from 1,050 last fall). We upped her hay, and pretty much everyone that sees her things she looks in great shape (can't feel ribs, good flesh along backbone and rump tetc) and she tapes at about 1,020. I would have thought she would tape at a higher weight, but human error on my part (and perhaps redistribution of weight?) makes this just an estimating tool.

Maryann, I appeciated your in depth answer to this question
Sheryl

[AmberC]

Thanks for all this info everyone! I've saved it all and I'll show it to my friend when she comes over tomorrow.

Amber