The horse is classified as a nonruminant herbivore - a roughage eater. A certain amount of skill and sound judgment must be employed in developing a feeding management program. There are a number of considerations in the husbandry of feeding horses. Most of these considerations are based on a knowledge of feeds (including their analyses and limitations and how to combine those feeds into a balanced ration), the knowledge of a horse’s nutrient requirements, eating behavior, and an understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the horse’s digestive tract.

Knowing how to feed horses and properly meet their needs is an art. Each horse has specific nutritional needs based on its performance and feed preferences, and close observation is needed to determine those individual variables. An efficient job of feeding horses depends on the judgment of the feeder, his/her attentions to details and the commitment to do a good job.

For the great majority of horse owners, the best way to feed horses is to put them on the best available forage, plus a complete, balanced commercial grain concentrate fed right out of the sack.