Horse Feed Cost Calculator

How horse feed requirements are calculated:

A horse’s daily feed intake is based on its bodyweight. Horses eat roughly 1.5–3% of their bodyweight per day in total dry matter, split between forage (hay or pasture) and concentrate (grain or pellets).

Supplements are not included in the figures below. Salt, minerals and any joint or hoof products are a separate line in the budget, and the list further down gives typical monthly ranges for them.

Daily intake formula:

Daily dry matter (lbs) = Horse weight (lbs) × Intake rate %

Intake rate by activity level:

• Maintenance (light work or retired): 1.5–2% of bodyweight
• Light to moderate work (trail riding, light dressage): 2–2.5%
• Heavy work or performance (eventing, racing): 2.5–3%

Forage first rule: At least 1–1.5% of bodyweight must come from forage (hay or grass). Grain should never replace forage, because a hindgut built to process fibre all day does not cope with a large starch meal. The calculator checks this: if your intake rate and forage share combine to put forage under 1% of bodyweight, it says so rather than quietly returning a cheaper number.

Worked example:

1,100 lb Quarter Horse in light work, which is the 2.2% setting here, fed 80% forage:

• Total daily dry matter = 1,100 × 0.022 = 24.2 lbs per day
• Hay: 19.4 lbs/day at $0.15/lb = $2.90/day
• Grain: 4.8 lbs/day at $0.40/lb = $1.94/day
• Daily feed cost: $4.84, so about $147 per month and $1,767 per year

Worth noticing in that example: hay is 80% of the weight but only 60% of the cost. Grain is where price per pound does the damage, which is why the first place to look when a feed bill climbs is how much concentrate is going in and whether the horse actually needs it. Plenty of horses in light work do not.

Typical feed costs (US averages):

• Grass hay: $0.08–0.18 per lb
• Alfalfa hay: $0.18–0.30 per lb
• Sweet feed / grain mix: $0.30–0.55 per lb
• Pelleted complete feed: $0.35–0.60 per lb

Supplements to budget separately:

• Salt/mineral block: $5–15/month
• Joint supplement: $30–80/month
• Hoof supplement: $20–50/month
• Dewormer (rotational): $10–15/dose, 4–6 times per year

Total monthly horse ownership typically runs $300–1,500+ including board, farrier, vet, and feed combined. Feed is usually 25–40% of total cost.