How Much Hay Does a Horse Need? Daily and Per Winter

Hay is the biggest regular cost of keeping a horse through winter, and the amount surprises most new owners: it's measured in tonnes, not bales. It scales with the size of the horse, from a small pony to a heavy draft breed. Agricultural extension services work it out in three steps, and this guide follows the same method.

Step 1: dry matter, about 2% of bodyweight a day

University of Nebraska Extension puts free-choice hay or pasture intake at 2–2.5% of bodyweight in dry matter, and Washington State University Extension gives a wider range of 1.5–3%. This site plans with 2%, the figure behind our horse feed guide. For a 500 kg (1,100 lb) horse, that's 10 kg (22 lb) of dry matter a day.

Step 2: turn dry matter into hay

WSU Extension treats hay as about 90% dry matter, so divide by 0.9 for the weight of hay itself. The 500 kg horse needs about 11 kg (24.5 lb) of hay a day when hay is its whole forage diet.

Step 3: a winter's supply, plus waste

Over a six-month winter of 182 days, that's about 2 tonnes (4,460 lb, or 2.2 US tons). It matches WSU Extension's own worked example for an animal of the same weight at the same 2%, which also comes to 2.2 tons. WSU puts hay waste at 10% to 50% depending on how it's fed; with 20% added, plan on roughly 2.4 tonnes (5,350 lb, or 2.7 US tons) per horse.

What changes the answer

• Size. A 250 kg pony needs about half of these figures and a heavy horse much more, since the figure is a percentage of bodyweight.
• Hard feed. Any concentrate replaces part of the daily intake, so a horse on a daily ration of hard feed needs less hay.
• Turnout. Days with good grazing need less hay; the figures above assume none.
• Condition. The published range is wide, so adjust if your horse is losing or gaining weight, ideally with your vet.

Work out your own numbers

The hay calculator does these steps for your horse's weight and your winter length, and gives a bale count if you enter a bale weight. Horses drink a lot alongside dry hay; see the horse water guide and water calculator.

Sources: Washington State University Extension (Dr Susan Kerr), “Calculating Livestock Winter Hay Needs”, via Oregon State University Small Farms: smallfarms.oregonstate.edu; University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension, “Basics of Feeding Horses”: unl.edu. Sources checked: October 2026. General information, not a ration plan from a vet or nutritionist.

Common questions

How much hay does a horse eat a day?

About 11 kg (24.5 lb) a day for a 500 kg (1,100 lb) horse, if hay is its whole forage diet. That's 2% of bodyweight in dry matter, divided by 0.9 because hay is about 90% dry matter.

How much hay does a horse need for winter?

Roughly 2 tonnes (about 2.2 US tons) for a 500 kg horse over a six-month, 182-day winter, or about 2.4 tonnes (2.7 US tons) with a 20% allowance for waste.

What percentage of its bodyweight should a horse eat in hay?

University of Nebraska Extension puts free-choice hay or pasture intake at 2–2.5% of bodyweight in dry matter, and Washington State University Extension gives a wider 1.5–3%. This site plans with 2%.

How many bales of hay does a horse need?

Divide the winter total by the weight of one of your bales. Small and large bales differ hugely, and so do suppliers, so weigh a bale or ask, then use the hay calculator.