Dosage chart: senior horses 15+
Short version: see the overview
If your horse is 15 or older, use the figures on this page, not the chart for 0-14 years. Find the workload, find the weight, read off the grams per day.
If you don't have a mineral analysis of your forage, feed at Ekstra level. All doses are by dry weight.
Why senior horses need more
1. Reduced absorption and utilisation
With age, the gut becomes less efficient at absorbing nutrients. This means the horse gets less benefit from vitamins and minerals, even with the same feed intake.
2. Dental wear and chewing problems
Senior horses often chew less effectively because of worn teeth, tooth loss or sharp enamel points. This makes it harder to get the most out of the forage, which is otherwise an important source of minerals. The result is a lower intake of micronutrients from the feed.
Good planning makes everyday feeding easier
We recommend that you get to know what matters most for your horse's needs, i.e. the key factors, and how we calculate your horse's workload. The Normal, Ekstra and Maximum doses are just as important for planning. The definitions of light, moderate and hard work are in the guide to feeding amounts.
If your horse is 14 or younger, use the dosage chart for 0-14 years instead.
Don't have a mineral analysis of your forage?
Then we recommend following the Ekstra level in the dosage chart. It's the best way to make sure your horse gets enough of the important trace minerals, even if you don't know exactly what's in the forage.
If, on the other hand, you do have an analysis and the mineral levels are roughly as below, you can safely use the normal dose of, for example, Every Day Happy, Peak Performance or Supreme Minerals:
| Mineral in the forage | Level that allows a Normal dose |
|---|---|
| Copper | 4-5 mg/kg |
| Zinc | 20-22 mg/kg |
| Manganese | 40-50 mg/kg |
| Iron | 100-110 mg/kg |
| Calcium | approx. 4 g/kg dry matter |
| Phosphorus | 2.0-3.0 g/kg dry matter |
As horses absorb only a small proportion of the iron in forage, typically 10-15%, and as many analyses show low values, we often recommend the Ekstra to Maximum level if your forage is low, particularly in iron.
Light work and turnout
Grams per day by the horse's weight. Per 100 kg of horse, this equals 54 g on Normal, 80 g on Ekstra and 102 g on Maximum.
| Horse's weight | Normal | Ekstra | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 kg | 110 g | 160 g | 205 g |
| 250 kg | 135 g | 200 g | 255 g |
| 300 kg | 160 g | 240 g | 305 g |
| 350 kg | 190 g | 280 g | 360 g |
| 400 kg | 220 g | 320 g | 410 g |
| 450 kg | 240 g | 360 g | 460 g |
| 500 kg | 270 g | 400 g | 510 g |
| 550 kg | 300 g | 440 g | 560 g |
| 600 kg | 325 g | 480 g | 610 g |
| 650 kg | 350 g | 520 g | 665 g |
| 700 kg | 380 g | 560 g | 715 g |
| 750 kg | 405 g | 600 g | 765 g |
| 800 kg | 430 g | 640 g | 815 g |
Moderate work
Grams per day by the horse's weight. Per 100 kg of horse, this equals 73 g on Normal, 97 g on Ekstra and 121 g on Maximum.
| Horse's weight | Normal | Ekstra | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 kg | 145 g | 195 g | 240 g |
| 250 kg | 180 g | 240 g | 300 g |
| 300 kg | 220 g | 290 g | 360 g |
| 350 kg | 255 g | 340 g | 420 g |
| 400 kg | 290 g | 385 g | 480 g |
| 450 kg | 330 g | 435 g | 545 g |
| 500 kg | 365 g | 485 g | 605 g |
| 550 kg | 400 g | 530 g | 665 g |
| 600 kg | 435 g | 580 g | 725 g |
| 650 kg | 470 g | 630 g | 785 g |
| 700 kg | 510 g | 675 g | 845 g |
| 750 kg | 545 g | 725 g | 905 g |
| 800 kg | 580 g | 775 g | 965 g |
Hard work
Grams per day by the horse's weight. Per 100 kg of horse, this equals 91 g on Normal, 127 g on Ekstra and 145 g on Maximum.
| Horse's weight | Normal | Ekstra | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 kg | 180 g | 255 g | 290 g |
| 250 kg | 230 g | 320 g | 360 g |
| 300 kg | 270 g | 380 g | 435 g |
| 350 kg | 320 g | 445 g | 505 g |
| 400 kg | 360 g | 505 g | 580 g |
| 450 kg | 410 g | 570 g | 650 g |
| 500 kg | 455 g | 635 g | 725 g |
| 550 kg | 500 g | 700 g | 795 g |
| 600 kg | 545 g | 760 g | 870 g |
| 650 kg | 590 g | 825 g | 940 g |
| 700 kg | 635 g | 885 g | 1,010 g |
| 750 kg | 680 g | 950 g | 1,085 g |
| 800 kg | 725 g | 1,015 g | 1,160 g |
Remember salt every day
Horses have no salt reserves and need salt daily along with the daily dose of Every Day Happy or Peak Performance.
- Maintenance: 10 g salt per 100 kg of horse per day. For a 500 kg horse, that's 50 g
- For moderate work, give 15-17 g of salt and for demanding work 22-27 g per 100 kg on top of Every Day Happy or Peak Performance (with Supreme Minerals, 18-20 g and 25-30 g in total). Heat, pregnancy and lactation also increase the requirement.
- A salt lick alone is not enough. Add loose salt to the feed, and build up from half a teaspoon over 14 days
Stallions
Stallions need a daily dose at least 10% higher than the chart states to be fully covered. We recommend feeding stallions at Ekstra level relative to their workload.
Pregnant and lactating mares and their foals
When the mare is pregnant
Up to the 8th month, she is fed according to how much work she is in. From the 9th to the 11th month, she is fed as a horse in moderate work.
After the mare has foaled
For the first 3 months, she is fed as a horse in hard work, because she needs to produce milk for the foal. After that, she is fed as a horse in moderate work until the foal is weaned and no longer suckling.
If the mare is both pregnant and has a suckling foal
Then she is fed as a horse in hard work for the entire period she is producing milk. Once the foal is weaned, follow the recommendations for the pregnant mare again.
Feeding foals
Foals from approx. 2 to 5 months need approx. 1 gram of feed per day per kg of the foal's body weight. Foals from 6 months and youngstock are fed based on their expected adult weight, at the level for horses in light work or normal turnout.
Glossary and feeding questions
The feed glossary and the common questions about soaking, mash, dry and wet weight are gathered in one place: Feeding FAQ.
