Do Horses Need to Eat All the Time? Managing Your Horse’s Diet

Some owners provide constant access to hay or grass for their horses because they believe horses need to eat all the time. But is this necessary? I decided to research the issue to find out if horses really need to eat all the time or can a rationed diet work just as well.

Horses don’t need to eat all the time, but it does help their digestion to eat small amounts of forage throughout the day. Constant access to hay helps promote healthy digestion; however, you need to consider your horse’s age, diet, and digestive health, along with the type of forage it’s eating.

Many horse owners feed their horses on a standard schedule. But all horses aren’t the same; some may need to eat more often than others to stay healthy and perform their best.

Should horses have free access to hay?

Feeding horses isn’t complicated, but there are critical considerations, they require forage in their diet, and too much grain can cause severe health issues.

There is no downside to allowing most horses constant access to hay, but is it necessary? No, but they need to consume enough during the day to keep their digestive system performing optimally.

If your horse doesn’t have the opportunity to graze in a pasture all day, it’s a good practice to feed it hay multiple times daily.

Constant access to hay or pasture isn’t good for all horses.

I said there are no negatives to free access to hay, but that’s not entirely accurate. 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. They are great for owners because you don’t need to supplement their diet with grain or quality hay.

But the downside is they are at a higher risk of founder from overeating lush pasture grass or rich hay. Founder is a severe inflammation of the hoof’s laminae, resulting in permanent lameness.

Horses that overeat rich hay also can develop diarrhea. Diarrhea caused by eating lush grass or hay typically only lasts a couple of days. But you need to control the amount of time your horse has access to these rich forages to prevent it from recurring.

Rich or lush grasses are ones high in starch and carbohydrates. Most new grass, i.e., spring pastures, are rich, and because of this, horses’ grazing time should be limited.

Alfalfa is rich and should be fed in limited amounts. To make portioning alfalfa easier, you can buy it in pellets or cubes. Some horse owners turn out their horses in the spring with grazing muzzles to limit their grass intake.

Grazing muzzles are an excellent option for many owners because they allow horses to be kept in a pasture but limit their grass intake.

Managing grazing and feeding times

Let’s back up and tackle the big question, do horses need to eat all the time? The simple answer to the question is no. Horses do not need to be fed all the time.

Their breed influences their feeding schedule and the amount of exercise a horse gets daily. Managing a horse’s diet can be a bit tricky as you have so many options to choose from.

Such as grain, supplements, pastures(grass), hay, and whatnot. So do horses need to eat all the time? No, they have a precise internal clock when it comes to feeding. Let’s dive deep into the subject to know more.

Horses have a very delicate digestive system. So if they’ve been stall kept for a period, you should introduce them to pasture grazing slowly. Start by turning them out for a few hours a day.

Once they are accustomed to grazing pastures or grass, you can increase the time and let them graze anywhere between 3 and 4 hours twice a day, depending on the pasture’s size. If you have a large field with good green grass, you can even let them graze for 6 hours straight.

For horses that spend most of their time inside a stall without any access to pastures, you need to feed them hay multiple times a day. Three times a day is better than two times, and four times a day would be ideal.

I would even suggest putting enough hay in the stall to last them eight hours. That way, they can eat a small amount whenever they feel hungry.

The digestive systems of horses are designed to take most of their nutrition from grass or hay. Technically speaking, a horse’s consumption of hay or grass should be one to two percent of its body weight. To slow down the speed your horse eats hay, you can use a hay net.

Feeding schedules

As mentioned earlier, horses have an internal clock that lets them know when to eat. It would be best if you avoided any abrupt changes to their feeding schedule.

You shouldn’t make significant changes to the amount of feed or type of feed quickly because of a horse’s sensitive digestive system; dietary changes can cause severe health issues like colic.

So you should feed based on a schedule and follow it through to ensure that the horses are fed at approximately the same time every day, even if you let them out to graze. Don’t suddenly disrupt your horse’s feeding pattern.

Can your horse survive on grass alone?

Horses can survive and thrive on a forage-only diet. The horse’s digestive system is designed to take most of its nutrition from hay and grass. Yes, you can feed them grain and other supplements.

But the truth is you don’t have to. A horse’s weight may fluctuate with seasons and the kind of work they are doing, but grass on its own should be enough to feed the horse and meet its nutritional value.

If you want to learn more about why horses eat grass and what types of grass they eat, you should read Grass For Horses: Why it’s Essential and the Different Types.

Can you feed your horse lawn clippings?

Feeding a horse lawn clipping is a big no! Lawn clippings are usually fermenting, which is the reason why freshly cut grass is warm when you touch it.

If you feed your horse lawn clippings, they will surely gorge it, which is dangerous. First, the horse won’t chew on it, and as a result, it won’t mix with saliva as it should.

The saliva helps dilute the grass. Second, fermenting usually happens much later when the food arrives in the horse’s gut. The already fermenting grass releases gasses that could lead to stomach expansion to the extent that it ruptures. Feeding your horse lawn clipping can be fatal to them.

If you want to feed your horse some healthy treats check out my article: What Do Horses Like to Eat? 11 of Their Favorite Treats.

Conclusion

Horses don’t have to eat all the time, but having constant access to hay helps keep their digestive system working correctly. Allowing your horse to graze on pasture grass is safe and keeps them healthy.

A healthy pasture provides all the nutrition horses need. However, limit their time grazing on rich fields, especially in the spring. If you keep your horse in a stall, make sure you provide an ample amount of high-quality hay.

With access to good hay or grass, you don’t need to worry about adding grains and supplements to their diets. But one caveat is that all horses are individuals, and some may need extra energy, especially when working with your animal.