Weight of the Horse

This is worked out on a percentage basis and as a rough guide, a horse that is out of work should be on 100 percent roughage (hay, grass, etc.) with no concentrate.

For the novice owner or rider, it is best to seek advice and help when deciding what, and how much, to feed your horse, but as a rule of thumb, a horse's appetite is approximately 2.5 percent of its total body weight.

Having established the weight of your horse, divide the weight of the horse by 100, and then multiply the result by 2.5, which gives you the weight of food that your horse should be receiving.

When using formulas like this, it is a good idea to feed slightly less than your target amount and monitor how the horse goes. This total weight of food covers both the horse's concentrates and its roughage, so the next step is to work out the proportion you should feed of one to the other.

Horses in light work should probably be on roughly 75 percent roughage and 25 percent concentrate; horses in medium work should be on roughly 60 percent roughage and 40 percent concentrate; and the horse in heavy work should be on roughly 50 percent roughage and 50 percent concentrate.

This is actually not as confusing as it sounds. It is a good idea to practice working out rations for different-sized horses in this way, and very quickly it becomes very easy.