Equine Nutrition for Performance Calculator

Total Dry Matter starts from roughly 2% of Body Weight per day, then that base is scaled by a Work Level energy multiplier ranging from 1.0x at maintenance to 2.0x at very heavy work. Because this calculator's Body Weight range covers everything from a 500 lb pony to a 2,500 lb draft horse -- a 5x span -- while Work Level's multiplier only spans 2x, Body Weight moves the total somewhat more across their full ranges, though both matter for any individual horse.

No -- Total Dry Matter and total daily energy are set only by Body Weight and Work Level. Hay Quality instead changes the split between Forage and Concentrate: premium alfalfa carries more energy per pound of dry matter, so a larger share of the fixed total can come from forage and less needs to come from concentrate, and the reverse is true for poor-quality hay.

Water need here is modeled as roughly 1 gallon per 100 lb of body weight plus extra per hour of work, since it tracks fluid lost through sweat and respiration during exercise. Hay quality affects the energy density of the ration, not how much the horse sweats, so it is not part of the water estimate.

2% of body weight per day is a commonly used general guideline for a horse at maintenance, but real intake varies with individual metabolism, body condition, and forage type -- some easy keepers need less, and hard keepers or growing/lactating horses may need more. Use this figure as a starting point and adjust based on the horse's actual body condition score over time.

It does not factor in a horse's individual body condition score, metabolic efficiency, ambient temperature, or a real forage analysis of your specific hay -- it uses generic quality tiers (poor, average, premium) rather than lab-tested nutrient values. A hay analysis and veterinary or equine nutritionist input will always be more precise than these generic estimates.