How Much Hay Does a Horse Need?
Enter your horse's weight and bale price for pounds per day, bales per week, tons per year, yearly cost, and how much storage space you'll need.
Your hay estimate
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A general planning estimate from your inputs, not veterinary or nutrition advice. Actual needs vary with workload, weather, age, hay quality, and the individual horse.
What Do Horses Eat? The Complete Feeding Guide from 40-Year Horse Owners
Forage first — the why behind the numbers. Bob's complete guide covers how much hay, the role of pasture and grain, water, treats, and the feeding mistakes that cost owners the most.
By Bob Pruitt · Co-Founder & Editorial Curator, InfoHorse.com — a lifelong horseman of 50+ years, feeding horses since 1997.
How much hay does a horse really need?
How we calculate it
The daily amount comes from the long-standing equine-nutrition guideline in the National Research Council's Nutrient Requirements of Horses: feed forage at roughly 1.5–2% of body weight per day (up to about 3% for cold weather or hard keepers). We multiply by your number of horses, subtract months of good pasture, and add a waste factor for your feeder type (feeding on the ground can waste 15–20%; a net or slow feeder cuts that to about 5%). Controlled university studies measured about 13% waste for small-square hay fed on the ground in a dry lot — and up to 57% for round bales with no feeder — so our 15–20% figure reflects typical mixed real-world conditions. Bales needed are the total divided by your bale weight; cost is bales × your price; and storage uses the standard estimate of about 250 cubic feet per ton. Buy a little extra to cover weather, waste and price swings.
Sources & methodology
Our figures come from university Cooperative Extension equine-nutrition programs and the NRC feeding guidelines, with outputs derived from the numbers you enter. Key references:
- Using Hay in Horse Diets — University of Minnesota Extension: forage at ~2% of body weight per day (~20 lb for a 1,000-lb horse).
- How Much Storage Area Is Required for Hay? — Extension Horses (Cooperative Extension): ~250 cubic feet per ton, and ~3–4 tons (100–120 bales) a year with no pasture.
- Hay Feeders and the Potential to Reduce Hay Waste — Penn State Extension: feeding-method waste (ground highest; feeders ~1–5%).
- Increase Hay Intake for Winter — Iowa State University Extension: cold-weather forage intake rising toward ~3% of body weight.
- Calculating Your Horse's Winter Hay Needs — University of Maryland Extension: daily intake and per-method feeding-waste figures.
Common hay questions
How much hay per day for a 1,000 lb horse?
About 15–20 lb of hay a day (1.5–2% of body weight). Cold weather or hard work can push it higher; good pasture lowers it.
How many bales per month?
At ~18 lb/day, roughly 540 lb a month — about 11 small square (50 lb) bales, or a fraction of a large square or round bale.
How much hay per year?
A horse with little or no pasture eats roughly 3–4 tons a year. Plan extra for waste and a buffer against shortages.
How much storage space do I need?
About 250 cubic feet per ton — so a year's supply (3–4 tons) needs roughly 750–1,000 cubic feet, about a 10×12 ft area stacked 8 ft high. Keep hay dry and off the ground.
Does a feeder really save money?
Yes — feeding on the ground can waste 15–20% of your hay. A net, rack or slow feeder typically cuts waste to ~5%, paying for itself quickly and slowing intake for better gut health.
