Losing Weight Over Winter: What to Check When Hay Alone Isn't Enough

Your horse has hay in front of him all day and he's still getting ribby. Before you buy a sack of conditioning mix, it's worth asking a slightly awkward question: how much hay is he actually eating? 🐴

Most of us overestimate. A 500kg horse generally needs around 10–12.5kg of forage dry matter a day, which is more hay than it looks like in a net. Weigh a few with a luggage scale — and don't count what ends up trodden into the mud or blown down the field.

Cold costs calories too. Below a certain temperature a horse burns energy just staying warm, and wind and rain push that threshold higher. Fibre is the best heater you have: hindgut fermentation produces warmth for hours, so ad-lib hay beats an extra scoop of hard feed in a cold snap.

Then check the mouth. Hay needs far more chewing than grass, so dental trouble shows up in winter. Balls of dropped half-chewed hay, slow eating, long fibre in the droppings — all worth a vet or equine dental technician's eyes on.

We've pulled the full checklist together: forage maths, water intake, worming, herd politics at the hay pile, and the point where weight loss means it's time to ring the vet. Full guide below. 🌾