Racehorses eat oats from our northern states and Canada, blended commercially and sold by a local supplier, also known as the feed man. A daily ration of 12 to 14 quarts a day is typical, and a few horses here and there will need as much as 16 quarts a day.

What are racehorses fed?

Therefore, diets high in fat, protein, fibre and starch are appropriate for high-performance racehorses and they can obtain most of these nutritional elements from a combination of forage (grass and hay) and grains, such as oats, corn and barley.

How much does a thoroughbred horse eat?

Since most hays and commercial feeds are around 90% DM – one could estimate that daily intake is between 24 and 30 pounds of hay and grain per day. Your ex-racehorse could easily have been getting as much as 15 pounds of grain per day. If you can, find out how much and what type of grain your racehorse was being fed.