05/05/2026
Great advice
Feeding horses in cold weather
When temperatures drop, your horse relies heavily on dietary fibre fermentation to generate internal heat. Understanding how different feeds contribute to this process allows you to feed more effectively through winter.
🔬 The concept of “heat waste”
During hindgut fermentation, fibre is broken down by microbes, producing energy in the form of volatile fatty acids — but also a significant amount of heat as a by-product.
Feeds such as lucerne hay, clover hay and cereal chaff can lose up to 70% of their energy as heat during digestion, making them highly effective for supporting warmth in cold conditions.
🔹 Why lucerne is a winter essential
Lucerne provides:
• Highly digestible fibre
• Quality protein for coat growth and metabolic function
• A strong thermogenic effect during fermentation
👉 Feeding lucerne hay at night helps sustain hindgut fermentation overnight — effectively acting as an internal heater during the coldest hours.
🔹 Balancing forage and concentrates
In cold, wet or windy weather — or when horses are losing condition — additional energy may be required.
A combination of chaff and oats for horses who do not suffer metabolic issues is particularly effective because:
• Oats contain ~10% fibre
• They produce around 30% heat waste, higher than corn or barley (~20%)
• They provide a safer, more balanced energy source when combined with fibre
🔹 The role of fibre-based concentrates for sugar sensitive horses
Where additional energy is required beyond forage, low sugar fibre-based hard feeds provide a safer energy source when compared to high-starch grains.
✔️ During very cold or wet conditions (when daytime temperatures remain below 10°C), a mix of 50:50 lucerne chaff and oats can be fed at approximately 500g per 100kg bodyweight, in addition to hay, to help meet increased energy and heat production demands.
🔹 Feed management matters
Avoid feeding large amounts of concentrates (such as oats or pellets) to hungry, cold horses. Rapid intake can increase the risk of choke, digestive upset and colic.
👉 A better approach is to offer dampened hay first to slow intake and partially satisfy appetite, then follow with a measured concentrate feed.
🔹 How much hay is enough?
On sparse winter pasture, feeding hay at approximately 1–1.5kg per 100kg bodyweight will generally maintain condition — provided the hay is good quality and leafy.
Using a hay rack or feeder can also reduce wastage and ensure consistent intake.
💡 Key takeaway:
Winter feeding isn’t just about increasing volume — it’s about choosing feeds that maximise fibre fermentation and heat production while managing intake to protect digestive health.
If your horse is dropping weight or you’re unsure how to structure their winter ration, we can help you fine-tune a feeding program to suit their individual needs.
