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Your Horse's Feeding Plan Starting Point

A science-based baseline you can take to your vet, nutritionist, or feed dealer. Built in under 2 minutes from NRC equine nutrition standards — by Schneider Saddlery, trusted by horse owners since 1948.

NRC 2007
Science-Based
10+
Health Conditions
2 min
To Complete
Based on NRC Equine Nutrition Standards
Trusted by Equestrians Since 1948
Powered by Schneider Saddlery (Est. 1948)

Build Your Horse's Feeding Plan Starting Point

Answer a few questions and we'll build a daily nutrition baseline, cost range, and product recommendations. It's a starting point — pair it with input from your vet, nutritionist, or feed dealer for a final plan.

1 Horse Info
2 Goal & Activity
3 Health
4 Feed Type

Horse Information

Tell us about the horse. These basics drive the nutrition calculations.

Goal & Activity Level

Tell us what you want the plan to achieve and your horse's current workload. This drives calorie and forage targets.

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Pro tip: Be honest about work level. Overestimating leads to weight gain and health issues. A horse worked 3x/week at walk-trot-canter for 30 minutes is "Light Work." Most lesson horses are "Moderate Work."

Health Conditions

Select any that apply. This adjusts the feeding plan and adds supplement recommendations.

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Important: This calculator provides general nutrition guidance. Always consult your veterinarian for horses with diagnosed medical conditions.

Feed Preferences

Tell us what forage and concentrate you're currently using (or plan to use).

Varies by season — pick today's level. Lush = spring/early summer, Good = mid-summer/early fall, Poor = late fall or drought, Dormant = winter.
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Not sure? "Mixed Hay" and "Commercial Pelleted Feed" are the most common combination and a great default. Browse supplements, hay nets, and feeders at Schneiders →

Your Horse's Daily Feed Plan (Starting Point)

Summary details here

Total Daily Feed
0
lbs / day
Total Forage
0
pasture + hay lbs / day
Grain
0
concentrate + balancer, lbs / day
Daily Feed Breakdown

Baseline assumption: calculations start from a general mixed grass hay profile (~0.91 Mcal/lb digestible energy, ~13% crude protein). If you selected alfalfa, alfalfa mix, or another high-energy forage, hay volume and concentrate amounts have been recalculated for you — see the Forage Insight panel below for details.

Feed Amount % of Diet Feeding Notes
📈 Daily Nutrition Requirements
Protein
10% CP
Calcium
20g
Phosphorus
14g
Vitamin A
15,000 IU
Vitamin E
500 IU
Selenium
1mg
Your Recommended Plan
💊 Supplement Recommendations
Estimated Feed Cost
Daily Cost Range
$0.00 – $0.00
midpoint $0.00 / day · hay + concentrate (pasture not included)
Monthly Range
$0 – $0
midpoint $0 / month · 30-day average
Hay quality (USDA tiers): Utility · Fair · Good (midpoint) · Premium · Supreme
Feed quality: Mill / Co-op · Mainstream (midpoint, e.g. Purina Strategy, Nutrena SafeChoice) · Premium / High-Fat (e.g. Tribute Kalm Ultra, Buckeye Cadence Ultra)

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Pasture costs are not included (not purchased feed). Range reflects USDA hay-quality tiers (utility through supreme) and feed-quality tiers (from mill / co-op through premium high-fat brands). Hay-type and regional pricing are factored in based on what you selected above. Actual prices vary by dealer, quantity, and quality. Schneiders does not sell commercial feed or hay — but stocking up on supplements, hay nets, and feeders at Schneiders can keep your total feed spend in check.
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Disclaimer: This calculator provides general nutrition guidance based on NRC (2007) equine nutrition standards. Individual horses vary. Always consult with your veterinarian or equine nutritionist for horses with specific health conditions, and have your hay tested for accurate nutritional analysis.

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How the Calculator Works

Built on the same science veterinary nutritionists use.

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NRC-Based Energy Math

We start from the National Research Council's Nutrient Requirements of Horses (2007) to calculate daily digestible energy (Mcal/day) based on your horse's weight, age, workload, and health conditions. The same formulas board-certified equine nutritionists use.

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Forage-First by % Body Weight

Hay is sized from body weight (1.5–3.0% BW depending on goal, workload, and conditions) and represents what you feed out, including typical waste. Grain (calorie concentrate or ration balancer) only fills what forage can't — calorie concentrate if forage doesn't meet your horse's energy need, or a balancer for vitamins and minerals on a forage-only diet. Pair with a slow feeder to extend forage time without overfeeding.

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State-Level Cost Range

Daily and monthly cost projections layer state-level retail anchors (hay belts, drought regions, import markets) with regional hay-type multipliers (alfalfa runs anywhere from ~15% above grass hay in growing regions to 2–3× in import regions like the Deep South), USDA hay-quality tiers (utility through supreme), and feed-quality tiers (mill / co-op through premium high-fat brands). The displayed range brackets your realistic spend; the midpoint reflects good-quality hay and mainstream commercial feed. Pasture isn't costed — it's yours.

Learn More

Deep-dive guides from the Schneider Saddlery equine nutrition library.

Frequently Asked Questions

The calculator uses NRC (2007) equine nutrition standards, which are the same formulas used by board-certified equine nutritionists. It provides a strong starting point, but individual horses can vary by 10-15%. For the most accurate plan, we recommend having your hay tested and working with your veterinarian for horses with health conditions.
Weighing is much more accurate. Hay flakes can vary from 3-8 lbs each depending on how the bale was made. Invest in a hanging scale or fish scale and weigh a few flakes from each bale to calibrate your eye, then use a weighable hay net or slow feeder to keep portion control honest meal-to-meal. This one step improves feeding accuracy dramatically.
Never drop forage below 1% of body weight (10 lbs for a 1,000 lb horse). Instead, use low-NSC hay, soak hay to reduce sugars, use a slow feeder to extend eating time, and replace calorie-dense concentrates (grain mixes, sweet feed) with a low-NSC ration balancer. Magnesium-based calming supplements like Quiessence are also commonly used to support insulin sensitivity in metabolic horses. The calculator accounts for this when you select "Easy Keeper."
Recalculate whenever there's a significant change: seasonal shifts (horses need more calories in winter), changes in workload, new hay source, weight gain or loss, pregnancy/lactation stages, or health changes. At minimum, review the plan every 3-4 months.
Select "Pasture (good quality)" as forage type. Keep in mind that pasture quality varies enormously by season, region, and management. Spring grass can have very high sugar content (risky for metabolic horses). Most pastured horses still benefit from a ration balancer to fill nutritional gaps, and may need supplemental hay (often paired with a slow feeder) during winter or drought.
This tool is powered by Schneider Saddlery, a family-owned equine supply company trusted since 1948. We built this calculator as a free resource for equine professionals because we believe that horses define who we are. The formulas are based on the NRC's Nutrient Requirements of Horses (2007 edition).
Yes! Run the calculator for each horse individually, then use the "Email my plan" feature to get each plan sent to you. Many barn managers run this for all horses and keep the plans posted in the feed room. For bulk supplements, hay nets, and feeders, shop Schneiders.