Using and Storing Hay for Your Horse

How Much Hay Do I Need?

1) Figure our how much hay, in pounds, each horse consumes in one day. a 1000 lb. horse normally eats 20 lbs of good quality hay each day. Add extra pounds for colder weather, hard keepers, bigger horses, lower quality hay.

# of lbs each horse eats x # of horses = daily pounds needed

2) Multiply total pounds by number of days you need to feed. (Like from Nov. until May when the grass begins to grow) If you need over 2000 pounds of hay, convert to tons (total pounds/2000=# of tons).

Figure what you need like this:

# of lbs per day x # of days to feed = total lbs / 2000 = # of tons you need

3) Subtract the amount of hay you have on hand. To figure it out weigh yourself holding a bale and then not holding a bale. Subtract the lower number from the higher. That is how much your bale weighs. Do that with a few bales then average the weight. That is the figure you use to find how many pounds or tons of hay you have on hand.