Horse Feed Cost
Free Horse Feed Cost calculator with clear step-by-step results.
About Horse Feed Cost
Horses are forage-first animals, so intake is set as a percentage of body weight - 1.5% is a restricted diet and 2.5% is generous ad-lib. Hard feed is entered separately in kilograms because it is fed to a scoop rather than a body-weight rule, and the forage share shows where the money actually goes.
Formulas
Forage intake
Hay kg per day = body weight x forage intake percentage
Cost per horse per day
Cost = hay kg x hay price + hard feed kg x hard feed price
Worked example
With the default values below, Horse Feed Cost returns Feed cost for the period of $387.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Number of horsesaccepts 1–500
- 3
- Average body weightminimum 50 kg
- 500 kg
- Forage intakeaccepts 1–3.5 % of body weight
- 2 % of body weight
- Hay priceminimum 0 $/kg
- 0.28 $/kg
- Hard feed per horse per dayminimum 0 kg
- 2 kg
- Hard feed priceminimum 0 $/kg
- 0.75 $/kg
- Periodaccepts 1–730 days
- 30 days
Results
- Feed cost for the period
- $387.00
- Cost per horse per day
- $4.30
- Hay required
- 0.900 t
- Forage as a share of feed cost
- 65.1% %
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Forage intake
- 3Cost per horse per day
- 4Feed cost for the period= $387.00
- 5Cost per horse per day= $4.30
- 6Hay required= 0.900 t
- 7Forage as a share of feed cost= 65.1 %
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 7 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation or tax into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
- General feeding guidance only. Rations for horses with metabolic conditions, laminitis history, or in hard work should be formulated with a veterinarian or qualified equine nutritionist.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
General feeding guidance only. Rations for horses with metabolic conditions, laminitis history, or in hard work should be formulated with a veterinarian or qualified equine nutritionist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum forage a horse needs?
Around 1.5% of body weight in dry matter to maintain gut function and reduce ulcer and colic risk. Going below that requires veterinary supervision even for weight loss.
Should hay be weighed?
Yes. Bale weights vary by 30% or more and a haynet filled by eye is a poor guide, which makes weighing the simplest way to control condition.