Last updated: October 6, 2026
You walked into the barn and found your horse’s feed untouched, or watched it nose through its hay and walk away. When a horse that normally cleans up its feed suddenly goes off feed, I take it seriously. A change in appetite can be the first sign that something isn’t right.
Start with the warning signs below. Then we’ll look at the feed itself and what refusing hay, grain, or both might tell you.
Table of Contents
When to Call the Vet
If your horse is distressed or having trouble swallowing, call first and take its vital signs while you wait, if it’s safe to do so. How quickly the problem came on matters too. A sudden loss of appetite in a horse that ate normally this morning is more likely to point to something acute, like colic, choke, or a fever, than a horse that’s slowly been eating a little less over a couple of weeks.
- Pawing, rolling, looking at its flank, or other signs of colic
- A fever or a dull, depressed attitude
- Little or no manure, or diarrhea
- Pale, dark red, or muddy-looking gums
- Feed or saliva coming out of its nose, or trouble swallowing
- Labored breathing or other signs of illness
Penn State Extension lists normal ranges for an adult horse at rest as 99 to 101.5 degrees F, a pulse of 28 to 44 beats per minute, and 10 to 24 breaths per minute. Those ranges are a starting point, though. What really matters is what’s normal for your horse, so it pays to know your horse’s numbers before there’s a problem.
Feed or saliva coming out of the nose, coughing while eating, or trouble swallowing can mean choke, a blockage in the esophagus. Call your vet immediately. Remove access to feed and water, and don’t give anything by mouth or try to flush the blockage yourself while you’re waiting for instructions. The Horse Side Vet Guide also makes a useful point: try to tell whether a horse has truly lost its appetite or is hungry but can’t eat because of pain or a blockage.
Check the Feed if Your Horse Seems Well
If the horse is bright, drinking, passing manure, and otherwise acting normal, look at what you’re feeding it. When a horse goes off feed, the first thing I ask is what’s changed: the hay, the grain, a supplement, the water, the weather, the routine, a trip, or a herdmate. Smell the feed and look for mold or dust. If several horses start leaving the same feed, check that batch closely. EQUUS suggests offering a fresh bag of feed or a new flake of hay, and if the horse eats that readily, setting the old batch aside. A musty or unusually dusty batch of hay is a common culprit, which is why choosing good hay matters.
Common Reasons a Horse Goes Off Feed
What a horse does, and doesn’t, eat often points you toward the cause. Here’s where I’d start looking.
| What you notice | What I’d check first |
|---|---|
| Won’t eat anything | Check for pain, colic signs, fever, choke, dehydration, or other illness. Call the vet if anything is abnormal. |
| Eats soft feed but leaves hay | Teeth, chewing pain, and hay quality |
| Eats hay but leaves grain | A feed or supplement change, a bad batch, or illness |
| Drops feed or leaves wads of chewed hay | A dental problem |
| Off feed after hauling or a move | Stress, dehydration, or illness |
| Picky for weeks, poor coat, behavior changes | Ulcers, dental trouble, or another ongoing problem. Talk to your vet. |
| Off feed with diarrhea | Call the vet promptly |
Dropping feed, chewing slowly, or leaving wads of partly chewed hay is a reason to have your horse’s mouth looked at. I once had a gelding that suddenly stopped eating his grain. I figured he was being picky until I checked his mouth and found sharp points on his molars. The equine dentist floated his teeth, and he was eating normally the next day. Not every dental problem is that simple, which is why regular dental exams matter. Your vet can tell you whether floating or another treatment is needed.
Ulcers can cause a picky appetite, weight loss, and behavior changes, but those signs can have other causes too. Your vet can diagnose ulcers by scoping the stomach. If you’re seeing those changes, get your vet involved.
A move, a long haul, or losing a herdmate can put a horse off feed too, since stress affects horses more than most people expect. And a horse that isn’t drinking often won’t eat dry feed, so watch for the signs of dehydration.
Horse Not Eating Hay or Grain
Eating Grain but Leaving Hay
Hay takes far more chewing than grain, so a horse that eats its grain but leaves its hay may have sore teeth, a cut in its mouth, or trouble grinding. The hay itself may be the problem, too, if it’s stemmy, dusty, moldy, or different from what the horse is used to.
Eating Hay but Leaving Grain
A horse that eats hay but leaves its grain may dislike a new feed or supplement, or there may be a problem with that batch, like feed that’s gone stale. Ulcers are another possibility, but refusing grain alone doesn’t tell you whether a horse has them. A horse that’s running a fever or just feeling off may also eat its hay and skip the richer feed.
Older Horse Not Eating Grain
In an older horse, worn or missing teeth are worth checking first, especially if it drops feed or struggles to chew, and many seniors do better on a soaked or softened feed. Watch the feeding situation, too. A senior turned out with younger horses can get pushed off the feed tub and look like it’s refusing grain when it’s really being bullied away from it. And don’t assume it’s just age. Weight loss or a fading appetite in an older horse deserves a vet check, since age-related conditions can affect appetite as well.
Horse With Diarrhea and Not Eating
If your horse has diarrhea and won’t eat, call your vet promptly. I wouldn’t spend the afternoon trying different feeds. Tell the vet when it started, whether the horse is drinking, and whether its temperature or attitude has changed, and if your vet suspects an infectious cause, follow their advice about separating the horse from the others. Horses can lose a lot of fluid quickly, and some causes, like colitis or Potomac horse fever, can turn dangerous fast.
For more background on what your vet may be investigating, see what causes diarrhea in horses.
How to Get a Horse Eating Again
Once urgent medical problems have been ruled out and your vet says feeding can continue, the next step depends on why the horse stopped eating. If it’s a dental problem, address the teeth. If it’s a bad batch of hay, replace it with a known-good one. If a new feed or supplement lines up with the refusal, go back to what worked and make changes gradually. If the horse is stressed after a move or a trip, keep its routine steady and keep a companion in sight while it settles. And if a senior is struggling to chew, ask your vet about a softened feed that fits its needs.
If your horse can safely keep eating, stick with suitable, familiar forage rather than trying several new feeds at once, and follow your vet’s feeding instructions if the horse has been ill. If it has dropped condition, putting weight back on a horse takes a slow, steady plan.
Horse Not Eating FAQs
How long should I wait before calling the vet if my horse won’t eat?
Call right away if your horse has colic signs, diarrhea, trouble swallowing, abnormal vital signs, or seems dull. If it leaves one meal but otherwise seems normal, check the feed and watch it closely. If it keeps refusing feed, call your vet for advice rather than waiting a set number of hours.
What does it mean when a horse goes off feed?
Off feed is a horseman’s term for a horse that eats less than normal or refuses its feed altogether. It’s a symptom, not a diagnosis, so the next step is figuring out why.
A horse that’s off its feed is telling you something. Check the horse, check the feed, and think about what’s changed before you start changing the ration. If the horse is bright, drinking, and passing manure, you may have time to work through the simple possibilities. If there’s pain, fever, diarrhea, colic signs, or trouble swallowing, call your vet.
About Miles Henry
Racehorse Owner & Author | 30+ Years in Thoroughbred Racing
Miles Henry (legal name: William Bradley) is a professional horseman based in Folsom, Louisiana. He holds Louisiana Racing License #67012 and has spent over three decades managing Thoroughbreds at premier tracks including Fair Grounds, Delta Downs, and Evangeline Downs.
Expertise & Hands-On Experience: Beyond the track, Miles has decades of experience in specialized equine care, covering everything from hoof health and nutrition to training protocols for Quarter Horses, Friesians, and Paints. Every guide on Horse Racing Sense is rooted in this “boots-on-the-ground” perspective.
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