Feeding horse once a Day....?

Question

If I have a horse that grazes on 1-2 acres 24/7 then can I feed grain once a day? Can I also leave a constant supply of hay so she can have hay whenever she wants? If I feed grain once a day.. Can it be in the afternoon around 4:00/5:00

Answer 1

some people turn their horses on pasture and dont even feed them at all, mainly it depends on what the horse is used for

free choice hay is an excellent idea, all the hay the horse wants, it gets, although it can get expensive

my horses are on pasture during the day and inside at night and i feed them 2 cofee cans 2wice a day, but then again they are highly active and endure a rigerous training schedule

this feeding method should be fine, it mainly depends on the horse, if it looks like it's losing weight then bump up the grain, as far as time of day goes, it depends when you ride, you don't want to feed the horse an hour or two before or after you ride

Answer 2

depends how much the horse is working. i'd say it'd be okay because at one barn i boarded at that's what they did. they hand more acres for all the horses and did have hay out at all times.

i think if it's a pleasure horse( aka trail riding and fun stuff) then you may not even need to grain. . . horses dont need grain, and the reason it's fed is when they're working/training to give more energy and keep wieght on.  (not just me but my local riding friends and trainers say this too)

If your not sure you can ask a vet or trainer for their advice. or try it and if you notice the weight dropping go back to what you did before.  I think you should watch your weight of the horse instead of doing what everyone else does for their horse.  If you watch the weight and make changes where you see fit then your horse should be fine. always get a second opinion tho from a pro.

Answer 3

i have 1 minature and 1 9 year old arab, and 1 and a half - 2 scoops of oats if good because i have 2-3 acres and i dont even give hay,,, so i think its normal. Everthing should be good!!!

Answer 4

that is fine, just give her a whole scoop, and if the horse is rather large, give her a small taste of grain in the morning to, expessially if you ride her regurally. and keeping hay out is fine, as long as she is not always eating it. if she does that then just give her a small amount in the morning~hope this helps!~

Answer 5

hello i dnt feed hay in the summer i have 13 acres for my horses and u shld feed him once a day but if its an under weight feed him twice hope i helped

Answer 6

its ok for you to feed in the afternoon, my horse is fed both the morning and afternoon, and a constant supply of hay will not hurt your horse at all

Answer 7

Most horses do well out on pasture with nothing else, except in colder temperatures.  If your pasture is in good shape (not too weedy, overgrown etc.) your horse should be just fine without any grain at all.  If you would like to give her free choice hay, that's not a problem.  Just watch her weight, if she starts losing, make sure to supplement with grain.  As long as she is constantly grazing giving her grain once a day is fine, but never give a horse more than a quart of grain at one feeding, unless they are large draft-type horses.

Answer 8

Did you just get this horse? You'll want to not change her feeding program rapidly. It also depends on what you use your horse for, you want to make sure she is getting the right nutrition for the amount of work she is doing. If she is just your backyard pony that you trailride on or dont ride regularly (and work hard) then she should be just fine being fed only once a day. and the time of day doesnt matter, just try to keep her on a schedule.  

Answer 9

Whatever fits into your schedule in regards to feeding times, will work for the horse, just be sure that you give them at least an hour after you feed them to digest their dinner before riding.  If her pasture is lush and full of grass, you dont need to give her hay, if the pasture is lacking enough grass, then yes, give her a couple flakes of hay to eat... make sure you work the grain into her diet slowly so she doesnt founder or colic from the extra richness of her food...I would say start at about a 1/2 cup & move up by 1/4 cups abut every week until you reach your desired amount.  

Answer 10

Depends on the pasture and the horse. I have 2 arabians. I have a pasture that is about 4 acres and it is very lush. However I am in the Deep South and it is very hot here. My mares were underweight when I got them so I needed to build them back up. I worked my way up to 2 scoops and 2 flakes twice a day. Then I let them out to pasture and cut it back to once a day with the rest of the time in the pasture. Within 2 weeks I noticed they started loosing weight again. So back to feeding twice a day. Found out quickly that mine are not easy keepers. Each horse is different.  

Answer 11

This is something that you have to play by ear. It depends on the horse itself and the quality of the grass.

Mine are currently on 24 hour turnout and they just get a very small feed every night ( more for supplements etc than because they actually need food) They never get hay during the Summer months either. On the other hand some horses will lose condition fast with this routine and need feeding twice a day.

Like I said, you have to play it by ear and tailor the feeding arrangement to suit your horse.

The time of day that you feed doesn't really matter as long as you are able to stick to that time.