If you look at a horse’s diet, it can be surprisingly easy to focus on the bucket.

Which feed should you use? Does your horse need a balancer? Should you add oil? What about supplements? Does your horse need more energy for work?

But before you start worrying about what goes in the feed bucket, there is a much more important question:

Does your horse have an appropriate forage-based diet?

Forage should be the foundation of almost every horse’s diet. Whether that comes from grass, hay, haylage or an appropriate forage replacement, horses are designed to spend a large proportion of their day eating and digesting fibre.

In fact, the British Horse Society recommends that forage forms the basis of a horse’s diet, reflecting the fact that horses have evolved to graze and chew for many hours each day.

That doesn’t mean every horse should have unlimited access to rich grass or a mountain of hay. A horse’s forage intake needs to be appropriate for their bodyweight, condition, workload, age and health.

But it does mean that forage should generally come first.

Everything else should be built around it.

What is forage?

Forage is essentially the fibrous plant material that makes up the bulk of a horse’s natural diet.

For horses, common sources include:

• Grass
• Hay
• Haylage
• Straw
• Chaff
• High-fibre forage feeds
• Soaked fibre-based feeds used as a forage replacement

Fresh grass is the obvious example, but conserved forage such as hay and haylage becomes particularly important when pasture isn’t providing enough food.

The UK Government’s Code of Practice states that horses should be provided with a predominantly fibre-based diet, such as grass, hay, haylage or a suitable hay replacement.

And that is important because forage isn’t simply there to stop your horse feeling hungry.

Fibre is a fundamental part of how the horse’s digestive system works.

Why do horses need so much forage?

Horses are trickle feeders.

Unlike humans, who might eat three meals a day and consider that perfectly normal, horses evolved to spend much of their day moving around and eating relatively small amounts of fibrous food.

A horse living naturally on pasture may spend many hours grazing, moving between food sources and chewing.

The modern horse obviously doesn’t always have the opportunity to behave this way.

A competition horse may spend part of the day stabled. A horse on restricted grazing may have limited access to grass. A good-doer might need carefully controlled forage to prevent weight gain.

But although our management systems have changed, the horse’s digestive system hasn’t suddenly become designed for two large meals of concentrated feed a day.

This is why feeding practices should aim to provide plenty of fibre while avoiding unnecessarily long periods without food.

The BHS estimates that horses may chew for up to 18 hours a day and highlights the importance of forage for both nutritional and behavioural needs.

1. Forage provides the fibre your horse needs

Perhaps the most obvious reason forage is so important is its fibre content.

Fibre is fermented in the horse’s hindgut by a complex population of microorganisms. The products of this fermentation provide the horse with energy.

This is particularly important because fibre can provide a substantial proportion of the energy required by the average leisure horse.

Your horse doesn’t necessarily need a bucket full of cereal-based feed simply because they are ridden several times a week.

Many horses doing relatively moderate work can maintain their condition and energy levels predominantly from forage, with additional feed used to provide nutrients or calories that forage alone doesn’t supply.

The BHS notes that many leisure and grassroots horses can maintain a healthy weight and energy levels on a high-forage diet. Scottie is a great example of this, he looks fantastic on just grass, Hay & a low calorie balancer.

Of course, there are exceptions.

A racehorse in full training, a horse doing significant amounts of competition work, a lactating mare or an underweight horse may have considerably greater nutritional demands.

That’s where additional feeds can have an important role.

But even then, forage doesn’t suddenly become irrelevant.

2. Fibre supports the horse’s digestive system

The horse’s digestive system is particularly well adapted to processing fibre.

Unlike humans, horses rely heavily on fermentation in their hindgut to extract energy from fibrous plant material.

The bacteria and other microorganisms living there break down fibre, producing volatile fatty acids which the horse can use as an energy source.

This is one reason sudden changes in diet can cause problems.

The microbial population in the hindgut adapts to the food available to it. A sudden change in the type or amount of feed can therefore disrupt this carefully balanced ecosystem.

This is why dietary changes should be made gradually.

The BHS recommends making feed changes over around 10–14 days, while UK Government guidance also emphasises avoiding sudden dietary changes.

This applies to forage too.

Suddenly replacing one batch of hay with completely different forage, introducing a horse to lush spring grass or dramatically changing the proportion of haylage in the diet can all represent significant dietary changes.

3. Chewing forage produces saliva

There is another important benefit to feeding forage: chewing.

When a horse chews, it produces saliva.

Saliva isn’t just there to make food easier to swallow. It plays an important role in the horse’s digestive system and helps buffer stomach acid.

Unlike humans, horses produce stomach acid continuously rather than only when they eat.

This means prolonged periods without forage can leave the stomach empty while acid production continues.

Chewing forage therefore provides a double benefit:

Forage → chewing → saliva production → support for the stomach environment.

The BHS specifically highlights the importance of forage and saliva production, and recommends providing fibre before exercise rather than exercising a horse with an empty stomach.

This is one reason the old idea that a horse shouldn’t have anything to eat before exercise is outdated.

A large meal immediately before strenuous exercise isn’t sensible, but having some forage in the stomach before exercise can be beneficial.

4. Forage can help reduce the risk of digestive problems

A horse’s digestive system is much happier when it is being used as intended.

Long periods without forage, large concentrate meals and sudden dietary changes can all increase the risk of digestive upset.

This doesn’t mean forage is a magic cure for colic or gastric ulcers. There are many different causes and risk factors involved, and forage alone cannot prevent every digestive problem.

However, a forage-first feeding system supports several aspects of healthy digestion.

Providing forage:

• Keeps the horse chewing
• Stimulates saliva production
• Provides fibre for hindgut fermentation
• Helps maintain normal gut function
• Allows food to pass through the digestive system regularly
• Reduces the need to rely heavily on concentrate feeds

If you’d like to dive deeper into this, I’ve also written about how forage can help reduce the risk of colic.

5. Forage keeps horses occupied

There is another reason forage matters which is often overlooked when we’re calculating diets: horses don’t just eat for nutrition.

Eating is a huge part of normal horse behaviour.

A horse that finishes its hay in 20 minutes and then spends the next six hours standing in an empty stable has had its nutritional needs approached very differently from a horse that spends several hours gradually eating the same amount.

This is particularly important for stabled horses.

Forage provides something for the horse to do.

It encourages natural feeding behaviour and can help reduce boredom and frustration associated with long periods without anything to eat.

The UK Government’s welfare guidance specifically states that horses should have almost constant access to forage during non-exercise hours where possible, and warns that diets too low in fibre can cause physical or psychological problems.

The BHS similarly recommends providing enough forage to satisfy horses’ nutritional and behavioural needs.

6. Forage can help reduce stereotypical behaviours

Long periods without food can be particularly problematic for horses that are prone to stereotypical behaviours such as:

• Crib biting
• Windsucking
• Weaving
• Box walking

The relationship between management, diet and stereotypical behaviour is complicated, and providing more hay isn’t guaranteed to stop an established behaviour.

However, allowing horses to express normal feeding behaviour and reducing unnecessary periods without forage is an important part of good management.

This is another reason why how forage is fed can be almost as important as how much is fed.

A horse given a huge pile of hay that disappears within an hour may technically have received plenty of forage.

But if they’re then left without anything to eat for most of the night, you’ve lost some of the benefits of trickle feeding.

7. Fibre can provide plenty of energy

“Forage” and “low calorie” aren’t interchangeable terms.

This is particularly important for owners of good-doers.

Some types of grass, hay and haylage can contain considerable amounts of energy. A horse can therefore become overweight while eating a diet that consists almost entirely of forage.

This is why the goal shouldn’t be:

Feed as much forage as possible.

Instead, it should be:

Provide an appropriate amount and type of forage for the individual horse.

The BHS recommends considering a horse’s bodyweight and condition when determining forage intake. It gives approximately 2–2.5% of bodyweight per day as a typical total feed intake for maintaining condition, with 1.5% as a general lower limit, although individual circumstances vary.

For example, a 500 kg horse eating at 2% of bodyweight would consume approximately:

500 kg × 0.02 = 10 kg of forage/feed dry matter per day

But this isn’t a one-size-fits-all feeding prescription.

An overweight horse may need carefully controlled calorie intake while still being given sufficient fibre. An underweight horse may need more calorie-dense forage and/or additional feed.

And don’t forget that grass counts.

If your horse spends 12 hours grazing lush pasture, the hay you put in the stable isn’t the whole story.

8. Forage can be used for weight management

One of the biggest misconceptions about forage is that weight control means drastically restricting it.

It doesn’t.

An overweight horse still needs fibre.

The challenge is to provide enough forage to support healthy digestion and normal feeding behaviour without supplying excessive calories.

There are several ways to achieve this, depending on the individual horse.

Use lower-calorie forage

The nutritional value of hay can vary enormously.

A mature, stemmy hay may provide considerably less energy than a lush, leafy hay harvested earlier.

For horses that gain weight easily, choosing appropriate forage can therefore make weight management much easier.

Analyse your forage

If you’re struggling to understand why your horse is gaining or losing weight, forage analysis can be incredibly useful.

A forage analysis can provide information about nutrients such as:

• Energy
• Protein
• Sugar
• Fibre
• Minerals

Rather than guessing what is in your hay, you can make feeding decisions based on actual information.

Soak hay when appropriate

Soaking hay can reduce its water-soluble carbohydrate content, although the amount removed varies depending on the hay and soaking method.

This is commonly used as part of weight-management programmes and for horses at risk of laminitis.

I’ve previously covered this in much more detail in Soaking Hay: The Pros, Cons & Top Tips.

It’s worth remembering that soaking isn’t appropriate or necessary for every horse, and it can also remove some nutrients alongside the sugars.

Slow down consumption

If your horse demolishes their hay and then spends hours with nothing to eat, a slow-feeding system may help extend eating time.

Options include:

• Small-holed haynets
• Multiple haynets
• Hay cubes or suitable feeders
• Ground-level feeding where appropriate
• Splitting forage into multiple feeding points

The aim isn’t necessarily to make eating frustrating.

It’s to allow the horse to spend more of the day behaving like a horse.

9. Forage isn’t only hay

When people say “forage”, they often mean hay.

But forage can come in many forms.

Grass

For many horses, grass is their primary source of forage.

Good pasture provides fibre, water and a range of nutrients.

However, grass isn’t automatically the perfect food for every horse.

Spring grass, for example, can be highly nutritious and may provide more calories and sugars than some horses need.

Good pasture management therefore forms an important part of feeding.

Hay

Hay is one of the most commonly used conserved forages in the UK.

It is grass that has been cut, dried and baled for storage.

The nutritional value varies according to factors including:

• Grass species
• Soil
• Fertiliser
• Weather
• Time of cutting
• Maturity at cutting
• Storage
• Drying conditions

A good hay should be clean, dry and free from visible mould and excessive dust.

Haylage

Haylage is grass that has been partially dried before being wrapped and preserved.

It generally contains more moisture than hay, which means you need to feed more by weight to provide an equivalent amount of dry matter.

Haylage can be highly nutritious and palatable, making it an excellent forage for many horses, but it isn’t automatically the right choice for every horse.

Straw

Good-quality straw can also form part of a horse’s forage ration.

Because it is generally lower in calories than many types of hay, it can be useful for horses that need plenty of fibre without excessive energy.

However, straw isn’t suitable as the sole forage for every horse.

It should be clean and good quality, and horses need appropriate teeth and digestive health to consume it safely.

The BHS notes that barley, oat and wheat straw can be used as partial hay replacements and recommends introducing straw gradually.

10. What about chaff and fibre feeds?

Chaff and other chopped fibre products are often described as “forage”, although they aren’t necessarily a direct replacement for long-stem forage.

They can be useful additions to a feeding programme.

For example, a handful of chaff can:

• Increase chewing time
• Help slow down bucket-feed consumption
• Provide additional fibre
• Make a small feed more interesting

However, a bucket containing a large amount of chopped fibre doesn’t necessarily provide exactly the same feeding experience as several hours spent eating long-stem hay or grazing.

Think of these feeds as tools within the overall diet, rather than automatically replacing your horse’s main forage.

For horses that can no longer chew hay properly because of dental disease, however, soaked fibre-based feeds may become an important forage replacement. The BHS recommends seeking veterinary or nutritional advice for horses with significant dental problems.

11. Forage quality matters

“Lots of forage” isn’t enough.

The forage itself needs to be suitable.

Good-quality hay or haylage should be:

• Clean
• Fresh smelling
• Free from mould
• Free from poisonous plants
• Free from excessive dust
• Appropriate for the horse
• Stored correctly

The UK Government’s Code of Practice specifically states that conserved forage should be clean, free from soil, debris and poisonous plants, and visibly free from mould and dust.

If your horse consistently refuses a particular bale of hay, don’t automatically assume they’re being fussy.

They may be telling you something.

A change in smell, texture, dustiness or palatability can make a horse reject forage that previously would have been happily eaten.

12. What if my horse doesn’t eat enough forage?

Sometimes the problem isn’t that the owner isn’t providing enough forage.

The horse simply isn’t eating it.

This can happen for a number of reasons.

Dental problems

Dental pain can make chewing uncomfortable, particularly when eating coarse hay.

Older horses are especially vulnerable to dental problems and may need their forage provided in a different form.

I’ve written more about feeding the older horse, including fibre-based alternatives for horses that struggle to chew hay.

Poor-quality forage

Some horses will happily eat almost anything.

Others have very strong opinions about their hay.

If your horse consistently leaves a particular forage, consider whether the quality, maturity, texture or taste is putting them off.

Respiratory problems

Dusty forage can cause problems for horses with respiratory sensitivities.

If your horse coughs while eating dry hay, changing the way forage is prepared or fed may help.

I’ve previously looked at steaming hay and soaking hay as ways of managing forage.

Feeding method

Some horses simply eat faster from certain feeding systems.

If your horse is finishing their hay extremely quickly, experiment with safe slow-feeding options rather than immediately reducing their overall forage intake.

13. Does every horse need hard feed?

No.

This is probably one of the most useful things to remember when thinking about horse nutrition.

Not every horse needs a large bucket feed.

A horse doing light work and maintaining a healthy weight may get most, or potentially all, of their calorie requirements from forage.

However, forage doesn’t always provide everything a horse needs.

For example, a forage-only diet may not provide adequate amounts of certain vitamins, minerals or amino acids.

This is where a balancer or appropriately formulated supplementary feed may be useful.

The important distinction is:

A balancer complements forage. It doesn’t replace it.

Likewise, supplements should have a specific reason for being included rather than being added simply because a feed-room shelf full of tubs makes us feel like we’re doing more.

14. What about horses in hard work?

There are horses for whom forage alone isn’t enough.

A racehorse in training, eventer, advanced competition horse or other equine with a high energy requirement may need additional calories.

This is where concentrates and higher-energy feeds can have a legitimate role.

But even performance horses still need forage.

In fact, the nutritional demands of a competition horse make getting the basics right arguably even more important.

For example, a typical UK racehorse’s daily routine includes plenty of forage alongside its concentrate feeds — something I’ve covered in A Typical Day in the Life of a UK Racehorse.

The goal isn’t to eliminate hard feed.

It’s to avoid using hard feed to compensate for poor forage management.

15. How much forage should a horse eat?

There isn’t one magic number that applies to every horse.

A horse’s forage requirements depend on:

• Bodyweight
• Body condition
• Workload
• Age
• Breed/type
• Metabolic health
• Dental health
• The nutritional value of the forage
• How much grass they are consuming
• Whether additional feed is being provided

As a general starting point, the BHS gives around 2–2.5% of bodyweight per day for total feed intake when maintaining condition, with a general minimum of around 1.5% of bodyweight.

For a 500 kg horse:

But these figures should be treated as starting points rather than rigid rules.

And remember: these figures need to account for the horse’s entire diet, including grass and other feeds.

A horse grazing lush pasture may be eating considerably more than you realise.

If you’re trying to calculate an appropriate ration for a horse that is overweight, underweight, prone to laminitis or has another health condition, speak to your vet or a qualified equine nutritionist.

Forage first doesn’t mean forage only

This distinction is really important.

Saying that forage should be the foundation of every horse’s diet doesn’t mean that every horse should live exclusively on hay or grass.

Some horses need more.

A balanced feeding programme might look something like:

Forage

↓

Mineral/vitamin support or balancer where required

↓

Additional calories where required

↓

Targeted supplements where there is a genuine reason

The proportions will vary hugely between individuals.

A native pony on restricted grazing and a racehorse in full training are obviously going to have very different diets.

But the principle remains the same:

Start with the forage.

Then ask what, if anything, needs to be added.

Why forage should come before the feed bucket

It’s very easy to look at your horse and think:

“They’re losing weight — what feed should I buy?”

Or:

“They’re lacking energy — what competition mix should I use?”

Sometimes those are the right questions.

But before reaching for another bag of feed, consider:

What is my horse’s forage actually like?

Ask yourself:

• How much forage are they eating?
• How much grass are they getting?
• How quickly do they eat it?
• Are they regularly left without forage?
• Is the forage appropriate for their weight?
• Is it dusty or mouldy?
• Would a forage analysis be useful?
• Are they chewing comfortably?
• Is the forage providing enough energy?
• Is it providing enough protein?
• Could a balancer fill nutritional gaps?
• Has anything recently changed?

You might discover that the solution isn’t another bucket feed at all.

It could be better forage.

A forage-first approach to feeding your horse

If you want to make forage the true foundation of your horse’s diet, start with these basic principles.

1. Assess your horse

Know their:

• Bodyweight
• Body condition
• Workload
• Age
• Health status
• Dental health

2. Assess their forage

Consider:

• Grass availability
• Hay/haylage quality
• Energy content
• Sugar and starch where relevant
• Protein
• Mineral content

3. Provide enough fibre

Avoid unnecessarily long periods without forage.

Where possible, aim to mimic the horse’s natural pattern of eating little and often.

4. Manage calories, not fibre

If your horse is overweight, look at the energy density and intake rate of the forage rather than simply removing fibre.

Slow-feeding methods, appropriate forage selection, soaking and partial use of suitable straw may all have a role.

5. Add what is missing

Once the forage is sorted, consider whether your horse needs:

• A balancer
• Additional calories
• Protein
• Minerals
• Vitamins
• Additional fibre
• Targeted supplementation

6. Make changes gradually

Don’t suddenly swap forage or introduce large amounts of new feed.

Give the digestive system time to adapt.

7. Monitor and adjust

Your horse’s diet shouldn’t be static forever.

Changes in:

• Season
• Grass
• Workload
• Weight
• Age
• Health
• Dental function

may all mean the diet needs adjusting.

Final thoughts: put the hay before the hype

Horse nutrition can feel incredibly complicated.

There are endless feeds, supplements, balancers, oils, powders and miracle products promising to improve everything from coat condition to performance.

But sometimes the most important part of the diet is also the least exciting.

Forage.

Grass, hay, haylage and appropriate forage replacements provide the fibre, chewing time and feeding behaviour that horses are biologically designed for.

That doesn’t mean every horse can live on unlimited hay.

It doesn’t mean concentrates are bad.

And it doesn’t mean a forage-only diet is automatically balanced.

Instead, it means we should start from the right place.

Build the diet around the horse’s forage requirements, then add whatever else that individual horse genuinely needs.

Because when it comes to feeding horses, the bucket should complement the forage — not the other way around.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is forage really the most important part of a horse’s diet?

For most horses, yes. Horses are adapted to consume a predominantly forage-based, high-fibre diet. Grass, hay, haylage or an appropriate forage replacement should generally form the foundation of their feeding programme.

Can a horse live on hay alone?

Some horses can maintain their calorie requirements from forage alone, but hay doesn’t necessarily provide all the vitamins, minerals, protein or other nutrients an individual horse requires. A forage analysis can help identify potential nutritional gaps.

How long can a horse go without forage?

Horses are designed to eat little and often, so prolonged periods without forage should be avoided wherever possible. The UK Government recommends almost constant access to forage during non-exercise hours, while recognising that calorie intake sometimes needs to be carefully controlled.

Is hay or haylage better?

Neither is universally better. The best option depends on the individual horse, the quality and nutritional content of the forage, storage facilities and management routine. Haylage generally contains more moisture and can be more energy-dense, while suitable hay can be an excellent option for many horses.

Can overweight horses have ad-lib forage?

Not necessarily. Ad-lib forage may provide too many calories for some overweight horses. Weight management needs to balance sufficient fibre and feeding time with appropriate calorie intake. Lower-calorie forage, controlled portions and slow-feeding techniques may be more appropriate.

Does straw count as forage?

Yes. Good-quality straw is a fibre source and can be used as part of the forage ration for suitable horses. However, it isn’t appropriate as the sole forage source for every horse and should be introduced gradually.

Do horses in hard work still need lots of forage?

Absolutely. Horses in hard work may need additional calories from concentrates, but forage remains an important part of their diet. The additional feed should complement the forage rather than replace it.

Last Updated on 02/10/2026