A mouthful of fresh grass looks idyllic in any paddock shot—but a healthy equine diet is more than a grazing moment. Horses are hind-gut fermenters designed to eat little and often, which means forage first—and plenty of it. Good pasture or clean, dust-free hay should make up the bulk of every horse’s ration (usually 1.5–2% of body weight per day in dry matter). Forage fuels the microbes in the cecum and colon, producing the energy a horse needs for steady work while keeping the gut moving to reduce colic risk.
Quality matters. Hay should smell sweet, with no mold, weeds, or brittle stems. For easy keepers or laminitis-prone horses, choose a lower-sugar grass hay and consider soaking to remove excess soluble carbohydrates. Performance horses, seniors, and hard keepers may need richer forages (like a grass/alfalfa mix) to meet protein and calcium demands.
Concentrates—sweet feeds or pellets—are tools, not foundations. Use them to fill gaps when forage alone can’t meet calorie or nutrient needs, and feed by weight, not scoop. A ration balancer can deliver essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids without excess starch for horses on mostly hay.
Never overlook water and salt. Horses require constant access to fresh, unfrozen water and a plain salt source (loose or block) to support hydration, nerve function, and sweat losses. In hot climates or heavy work, electrolytes help replace sodium, chloride, and potassium.
Feed on a routine, divide meals into smaller portions, and make any dietary change gradually over 7–14 days. Monitor body condition (ideal score ~5/9), topline, hoof quality, and coat shine to judge whether the diet is working. Finally, keep treats modest—carrots and apples are fine in small amounts—and avoid sudden pasture binges in spring and autumn when sugars spike.
Simple rule: forage foundation, thoughtful balance, slow changes, and constant water. That’s the everyday recipe behind happy guts and steady, reliable performance.
