A bale can look and smell excellent yet provide a very different ration from the bale you fed last month. That is why people searching for ruwvoer analyse berekenen voor jouw paard are asking the right question: not simply, “Is this hay good?” but “What does this hay contribute to my individual horse’s daily intake?” A forage analysis turns assumptions into numbers, and numbers make calmer, more responsible feeding decisions possible.
Forage should remain the starting point of the ration. Concentrates and supplements can be considered afterward, once you know what the forage already supplies and where a horse’s ration may need attention.
Start with the horse, not the forage report
A laboratory report is only useful when it is matched to a real horse. Begin by recording body weight, age, workload, turnout, body condition, and how much forage the horse actually eats. A 1,100-pound horse in regular work does not necessarily need the same ration as an easy-keeping 1,100-pound retired horse, even if they share a hay net.
Also consider the forage source. Is it grass hay, haylage, mixed forage, or a combination? Is the horse eating it freely, or is the amount weighed and controlled? Is pasture part of the daily intake? These details affect the calculation as much as the values on the report.
A useful principle from Annette’s book, The New Feeding Philosophy, is to build feeding decisions from the horse’s natural need for forage first. That sounds simple, but it prevents a common mistake: adding products before establishing what the base ration contains.
How to calculate your horse’s roughage ration
The first calculation is not about protein, sugar, or minerals. It is about dry matter. Fresh forage contains water, and haylage generally contains far more water than dry hay. Horses consume forage as it is offered, but nutritional requirements and laboratory values are often assessed on a dry-matter basis.
Step 1: calculate forage dry matter intake
Use this formula:
Forage offered in pounds × dry matter percentage = pounds of dry matter
For example, imagine a horse receives 22 pounds of hay per day. The analysis states that the hay contains 88% dry matter.
22 pounds × 0.88 = 19.36 pounds of dry matter
That horse is consuming about 19.4 pounds of forage dry matter each day, assuming the full amount is eaten. If there is waste in the stable or field, weigh what is left occasionally. A hay net filled with 22 pounds does not prove that 22 pounds reached the horse.
For a 1,100-pound horse, this example represents around 1.76% of body weight in forage dry matter:
19.36 ÷ 1,100 × 100 = 1.76%
Many adult horses are managed with forage dry matter intake around 1.5% to 2% of body weight or more, depending on their circumstances. There is no single percentage that suits every horse. Body condition, dental status, forage quality, management, energy needs, and veterinary or nutrition advice all matter. The calculation gives you a reliable place to begin the conversation.
Step 2: confirm whether the report is based on dry matter
Forage reports may show results “as fed” or “on a dry-matter basis.” Do not compare those figures without checking the heading. A haylage sample with 60% dry matter can appear lower in nutrients as fed than dry hay, simply because water makes up a greater share of each pound.
Dry-matter values allow a more meaningful comparison between forage types and batches. If a value is given as fed and you need to convert it, use:
Nutrient percentage as fed ÷ dry matter fraction = nutrient percentage on a dry-matter basis
For example, a forage containing 7% crude protein as fed and 70% dry matter contains 10% crude protein on a dry-matter basis:
7 ÷ 0.70 = 10
Your laboratory may already provide both figures. When it does, use the dry-matter column for ration comparisons and keep the as-fed figures for weighing what goes into the feed room.
Read the values that influence the ration
A full forage analysis can feel technical, but you do not have to interpret every number in isolation. Focus first on the values most relevant to the horse in front of you: dry matter, energy, crude protein, sugar and starch where provided, and the mineral profile.
Energy and body condition
Energy is reported in different units depending on the laboratory and country. The key question is practical: does the forage, at the amount fed, appear to match the horse’s body condition and workload? A horse maintaining more condition than desired on a measured ration may need a review of total energy intake, turnout, treats, and forage access. A horse struggling to maintain condition needs equally careful assessment rather than an automatic increase in concentrates.
Forage energy should be viewed alongside the horse’s actual condition over several weeks. Seasonal coat changes, changes in turnout, training intensity, and forage batches can all alter the picture.
Protein is a daily total, not a single number
Crude protein helps describe what the forage contributes, but a high or low percentage alone does not tell you whether the ration is appropriate. The amount eaten matters. A simple calculation is:
Pounds of forage dry matter × crude protein percentage = pounds of crude protein supplied
If the hay in the earlier example provides 10% crude protein on a dry-matter basis:
19.36 × 0.10 = 1.94 pounds of crude protein per day
That result still needs interpretation in the context of the horse’s life stage and ration as a whole. Young, growing horses, breeding stock, and horses in demanding work can have different needs from mature horses at maintenance. Quality and amino acid balance also matter, which is why a forage report is a foundation rather than a complete feeding plan.
Sugar, starch, and fiber need context
Forage sugar values are often discussed as though one number makes hay suitable or unsuitable for every horse. Reality is more nuanced. Consider the laboratory method, the horse’s total intake, pasture access, and individual management needs. If your horse requires closely controlled sugar and starch intake, seek advice from an appropriately qualified professional before making major changes.
Fiber figures can help describe how mature or digestible a forage may be, but they should not be judged alone either. A very stemmy forage may take longer to chew and may be less readily consumed by some horses. A softer, more energy-dense forage may suit another horse well. The best choice depends on the horse and the role that forage must play in the entire ration.
Do not overlook minerals
Forage mineral content can vary widely with soil, grass species, cutting time, and conservation method. Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, zinc, selenium, potassium, and iron are all worth reviewing when the report includes them. The balance between minerals matters as much as individual values.
This is where adding a generic scoop of “vitamins and minerals” can become guesswork. A suitable balancer is chosen to complement the forage and the rest of the ration, not to create unnecessary overlap. Check labels for nutrients already supplied by concentrates, fortified feeds, treats, and supplements.
Equilin’s roughage-first approach is designed around this order of thinking: assess forage, establish the base ration, then use targeted nutrition only where it has a clear place. If the report is incomplete or the horse has specific feeding considerations, a qualified equine nutrition professional can help translate the results into practical daily amounts.
Make the calculation useful in daily life
A forage analysis should lead to a feeding routine you can maintain. Keep a simple record with the forage batch, dry matter percentage, amount offered, estimated amount eaten, and any changes in body condition or work. When a new delivery arrives, do not assume it matches the previous one just because it comes from the same supplier.
Weigh forage with a scale rather than relying on flakes, slices, or the size of a hay net. Those visual measures change dramatically with bale density and forage type. If pasture is available, remember that grazing is forage too, even when it is difficult to measure precisely.
The goal is not to chase perfect numbers every day. It is to replace broad assumptions with a ration that is informed by the forage, adjusted for the individual horse, and reviewed as circumstances change. One well-sampled forage report can make the next feed-room decision much clearer.
