How much hay should horses eat a day?
Well, Brenna totally missed the mark. Hay is vital to a horse’s nutritional needs and well being. The other poster that went with the recommended 2% of body weight hit it pretty close. Now, of course, that’s good quality hay, not poor quality, stemmy, weedy coarse stuff that is basically good only for giving them something to do/satisfy their urge to have something in their gut. If a person is using that sort of junk, then a horse needs that pretty much free choice, plus a well balanced grain product to provide for their needs. My horses get very little grain, but they get good quality grass/alfalfa mixed hay. They would probably do just fine without they grain, but they could not do without their hay.
