#2684 · Agriculture & Pets Tool

Horse Feed Daily Requirement Calculator

Estimate a horse’s daily forage and concentrate amounts from body weight, forage target, concentrate rate, dry-matter content, and feeding frequency.

Calculator

Horse and ration assumptions
kg
Current or best estimated weight.
% BW
Daily dry matter as a share of body weight.
%
Dry matter percentage of the forage as fed.
% BW
Optional as-fed concentrate percentage.
meals
Used to divide the daily amount.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the current measurements, counts, or costs shown in the input panel.
  2. Check that each unit matches your source information.
  3. Select Calculate to refresh the main and supporting results.
  4. Review the assumptions and adjust one input at a time to compare scenarios.

Formula

Forage dry matter = body weight × forage rate%. Forage as fed = dry matter ÷ forage DM%. Concentrate = body weight × concentrate rate%.

What the result means

The result converts a body-weight ration target into as-fed quantities and a per-feeding planning amount.

This is not a veterinary ration. Adjust for forage analysis, workload, body condition, health, and advice from an equine nutrition professional.

Example calculation

A 500 kg horse at 1.8% forage dry matter with 88% DM forage and 0.3% concentrate needs about 10.23 kg forage plus 1.50 kg concentrate daily.

Tips for better results

  • Measure with the same unit every time so changes are comparable.
  • Recalculate when animal count, body weight, enclosure layout, or supplier pricing changes.
  • Treat the result as a planning estimate and follow product labels and professional guidance where safety is involved.
  • Keep a written log of actual use and cost to improve the next estimate.

Frequently asked questions

Why is forage dry matter converted to as-fed weight?

Water content changes the scale weight, so dry-matter requirements must be divided by the forage dry-matter fraction.

Can I use this for soaked hay?

Yes, but enter an appropriate dry-matter percentage for the soaked forage rather than the original hay.

Does the concentrate input use dry matter?

No. In this calculator it is an as-fed percentage of body weight and is stated that way in the input.

Why divide the total into meals?

The per-feeding result helps plan portions, but safe meal size still depends on the horse and feed type.

Should a pony use the same forage percentage?

Not automatically. Use the percentage recommended for that animal’s health, condition, and management plan.

Inputs and units

VariableMeaningUnit
Body weightCurrent horse weightkg
Forage targetDaily forage dry matter share% BW
Forage DMDry fraction of forage as fed%
ConcentrateOptional as-fed share% BW

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