How much horse feed?

Question

I have a 15hh quarter horse gelding, moderate work, normal weight. how much consentrate should he be getting

Answer 1

this will depend on if your horse is an easy keeper or not.  need more info before you can get good answers for this question.

Answer 2

It depends entirely on what feed you feed him.  No matter which feed you choose, you need to feed him according to the directions on the bag -- if he isn't receiving at least the minimum listed on the bag, he's not receiving all the nutrients he needs.

Also, when you pick out a feed, don't go just by cost.  Many of the "inexpensive" feeds are actually more costly, because they are mostly sugar and grains (instead of nutrients) so you have to feed more of them -- usually at least 5-6 pounds/day.  On the other hand, "expensive" feeds like ration balancers, are more expensive per bag, but you only have to feed 1-2 pounds/day to give your horse all the nutrition he needs.

You will need to know how much he weighs, so you'll need a weight tape (or you can take a couple of measurements on him and do some math) to have an idea of what he weighs.

The website I referenced answers all these questions really well, and shows you how to correctly measure his weight as well, if you need that information.  It also has a really great discussion of ration balancers, if you have never heard of them.

Answer 3

Look on the feed bag. There will be instructions on how much to feed. Usually they will tell you X pounds per day per Y pounds of body weight. And the bag will tell you how to adjust for the horse's work level. Use a weight tape to determine his current weight. They aren't super accurate, but it will give you a ballpark number.

The instructions on the bag are written by the manufacturer taking into account all the ingredients of the feed. If after a month you see your horse gaining or losing weight, adjust your feed accordingly.