01/21/2026
🌾 Forage = Heat 🔥: Fueling horses through cold weather
Plummeting air temperatures mean your horse needs more energy to maintain their body temperature and condition. One of the best sources of warmth comes from fiber fermentation; the microbes in your horse’s hindgut generate heat as they digest forage. That’s why forage = heat.
During cold weather, meeting your horse's higher energy needs with forage is one of the most effective ways to help keep them warm and comfortable. How much forage is enough?
For every degree below 18°F, a horse's dietary energy needs increase 1%. For example, if a 1,000-pound horse needed 17.5 pounds of good-quality hay each day when the temperature was above 18°F, its requirement would be increased by about 3 pounds (to 20.5 pounds daily) if the temperature dropped to 0°F.
Let's break down the math in this example:
1,000-pound healthy horse at maintenance needs about 17 Mcal energy daily
Hay analysis indicates 0.97 Mcal energy per pound of hay
0.01 (% energy increase) x 17 Mcal (horse's daily energy) x 18 (number of degrees below 18°F) = 3 Mcal additional energy needed at 0°F.
3 Mcal additional energy / 0.97 Mcal energy per pound of hay = ~3 pounds of additional hay needed
3 pounds additional hay + 17.5 pounds hay daily (when above 18°F) = 20.5 pounds of hay per day to meet energy demands at 0°F
