General Feed Management Considerations for Horses

1. Calculate the total daily allotment of grain and hay. Divide this amount into 2 or more equal sized meals. Frequent but small meals especially of grain are less likely to cause digestive upset. Hays can be fed free-choice.
2. Feed grain by weight and not by volume (see grain section).
3. Gradually add grain to a horse's diet. For adults, add grain in ½ kg (1 lb) increments daily and lesser amounts (¼ kg or ½ lb) for smaller horses up to the calculated intake.
4. Gradually switch horses from poor to high quality hays and from unprocessed to processed hays (e.g. long to cubed alfalfa). Make changes over 7-10 days to minimise colic and diarrhoea.
5. Ponies and crested-necked horses prone to grass founder must be slowly switched from hay to lush pasture. Initially, restrict grazing to short periods (e.g. 1 hour morning, 1 hour afternoon) preferably after a feed of hay. Increase the time spent on pasture every day.
6. Feed at regular hours and at least twice daily. Racehorses, which have high intakes, may need to be fed 5-6 times daily.
7. Check water and salt daily to make sure both are available. Water should be clean. Check outdoor watering bowls daily in winter to ensure they are functional and unfrozen. Horses will go off feed when deprived of water.
8. For group-fed situations, make sure all horses have sufficient space to eat. In feeding, a group of horses is two. Foals need about 1 m (3-4 ft) of feeder space. Adults fed outdoors need about 3 m (10 ft) of space between horses. Provide 1 more extra feeding site than horses for outdoor, ground-fed horses to ensure all horses will get a chance to eat.