Owners managing a poor-doer have more than likely adjusted what goes in their horse’s bucket. But because the largest portion of what your horse consumes and the majority of his daily calorie intake comes from his forage ration, changing your horse’s hard feed may not be enough to help a horse maintain or gain weight.
To further complicate the picture, we have seen poorer hay yield and hay quality this year due to the impact of low rainfall this spring and summer on grass growth. This means that winter 2026 could pose heightened challenges to poor-doers.
Dr Marga Mas, D&H’s head of veterinary, equine health and performance says some owners may have started using this year’s preserved forage earlier, which might not be as nutritious as other crops.
“As a result of drought stress, this year’s crop has a poorer nutritional value,” she says. “We have seen a drop in crude protein values in forage, and higher lignin – an organic polymer – values as the plants are stalkier at the time of cutting.”
We spoke to feeding experts about what to consider when managing a poor-doer this winter.
Less summer weight gain
Vanessa Allen, Spillers’ nutritional content manager, says some seniors and poor-doers may not have gained the weight they usually would over the summer months: “It’s important they don’t enter the worst of winter already lean; try to use the autumn to help them gain weight early.”
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Opting for the most energy-rich forage typeAs a rule, haylage doesn’t necessarily contain more calories, or digestible energy (measured in megajoules per kilo, or MJ/kg) than hay. However, it might be worth re-examining the forage you feed, depending on availability. You can send samples away for analysis, switch to feeding forage that is softer, leafier and earlier cut or look for haylage that contains high digestible energy levels (early cut ryegrass haylage can contain up to 12 MJ/kg). Always introduce a new forage gradually.
Feed ad-lib forage if you aren’t already. Use large-holed haynets and feed from the floor or a hay bar to make consuming large quantities of forage easier for your horse.
Add oil to your horse’s feed for a calorie boost. Human-quality vegetable, linseed or corn oils are suitable for horses, or one formulated specifically for horses. Spillers recommends feeding up to 100ml per 100kg of a horse’s bodyweight per day, but this must be built up to gradually over up to 12 weeks.
Appropriate rugging to ensure your horse doesn’t have to use calories to keep warm – see our rugging temperature guide for tips
What if my forage still isn’t enough?
Herd politics: monitor your horse’s access to hay and grazing and ensure he’s getting his fair share.
(Image credit: Alamy)
If you feel your hay or haylage isn’t providing your poor-doer with sufficient calories – even when fed ad lib – or your forage stocks are depleting fast, another option is to introduce feeds that can be used as forage replacers. These can also be easier to chew for horses with poor dentition.
“Not all fibre feeds are suitable for this purpose, so it is important to choose products designed to replace some or all of the forage ration,” says Dengie nutritionist Katie Reeve. “Using those with an energy level most suited to how well your horse maintains weight is also important to avoid excessive weight gain or loss.”
How much forage is your poor-doer actually eating?
An important part of managing a poor-doer is knowing how much forage they are eating.
“Fibre and forage should form the basis of every diet,” says Sarah Day, animal and equine nutritionist at Allen & Page.
“Weighing hay or haylage before you give it, then weighing whatever is left, shows you exactly how much your horse is eating.”
For horses turned out in a group, Sarah advises watch how they behave in the field.
“Are they being pushed off the hay or the best grazing? Are they dropping food or taking longer to chew than before? All of these affect how much your horse is really getting, and changes in chewing are worth discussing with your vet or equine dental technician.”
Vanessa adds that cutting waste is pertinent in the current hay climate.
“Up to 30% of hay ends up on the muck heap!” she says. “Imagine if all that forage was actually eaten by your horse rather than thrown away – your forage stores would last longer and you’d save money on hay.”
Monitor closely, plan ahead
Baileys’ equine nutritionist Lucy Baskeyfield’s advice for owners of poor-doers is to plan ahead, with gradual changes to the feeding regime introduced in autumn to prevent weight loss.
“Don’t get to the middle of winter and find that rugs have been hiding weight loss,” she says.
When making alterations to your poor-doer’s management, Sarah advises that you change one thing at a time.
“When a horse is losing weight it's tempting to make several changes at once to help them, but it then becomes difficult to tell which one has made the difference. Likewise, if your horse ends up with more energy than you'd like, it's much harder to pinpoint the cause.”
A horse owner and rider with more than 20 years experience, Bethany has been writing for equestrian publications since 2017. Over the course of her career, she has reported from major British Riding Clubs and British Dressage championships, covered Badminton Horse Trials and interviewed equestrian sport’s best athletes. Her work can also be found in Country Life, The Field and Breathe magazine.
