A 1,000-pound horse needs roughly 20 pounds of forage per day, and hay cubes can replace some or all of that amount on a pound-for-pound basis. The standard guideline is at least 2% of your horse’s body weight in total forage daily to keep the digestive system healthy. So the math is straightforward: weigh your horse, multiply by 0.02, and that’s your daily forage target whether you’re feeding long-stem hay, cubes, or a mix of both.
Daily Amounts by Body Weight
The 2% rule from Penn State Extension gives you a reliable starting point. For a 900-pound horse, that’s 18 pounds of forage per day. For a 1,100-pound horse, 22 pounds. For a 1,200-pound horse, 24 pounds. These numbers represent the minimum for digestive health. Horses in heavy work, lactating mares, and hard keepers may need closer to 2.5% of body weight.
One important quirk with hay cubes: horses tend to eat them faster and consume more when given free access. Research from the University of Kentucky found that horses fed cubed alfalfa to appetite ate 17 to 25% more than they did with long-stem hay. That means if you’re free-feeding cubes rather than portioning them out, your horse will likely overeat. Weigh out daily portions rather than filling a feeder and walking away, especially for easy keepers or horses prone to weight gain.
Replacing Hay With Cubes
You can substitute hay cubes for baled hay at a 1:1 ratio by weight. If your horse currently eats 20 pounds of hay per day, you can feed 20 pounds of hay cubes. Some owners replace only part of the daily ration, feeding cubes at one meal and long-stem hay at another. That’s a perfectly fine approach and offers the digestive benefits of both forms.
If you’re switching entirely from baled hay to cubes, do it gradually. Start by replacing about 10 to 15% of the daily forage with cubes and increase the proportion over 7 to 10 days. This gives the gut microbiome time to adjust and helps you spot any digestive upset early.
Why Cubes Are Eaten Differently
Hay cubes are compressed, so horses chew them less and finish meals faster. A study published in Veterinary Medicine and Science compared horses eating 5 kilograms (about 11 pounds) of cubes versus the same weight of long-stem hay overnight. The cube-fed horses spent 24% less time eating, averaging 67 fewer minutes of chewing. They also took 26% fewer total chews. The main reason: horses take in more feed per bite with a compressed cube.
This matters because chewing stimulates saliva production, and saliva buffers stomach acid. Less chewing means less saliva, which can increase the risk of gastric ulcers over time. If cubes make up the majority of your horse’s forage, consider splitting the daily ration into three or four smaller meals rather than two large ones. This keeps forage moving through the gut more consistently and extends total chewing time across the day.
Soaking Cubes to Prevent Choke
The biggest safety concern with hay cubes is choke, a blockage in the esophagus that happens when a horse swallows a large piece before fully chewing it. Cubes are dense, and horses that bolt their food are especially at risk. Soaking cubes before feeding dramatically reduces this risk.
Kentucky Equine Research recommends soaking cubes in equal parts water for 20 to 30 minutes until they soften and break apart. The added water also helps with hydration, which is a real advantage in winter when horses tend to drink less. Soaked cubes double as an easy carrier for powdered supplements or medications that might otherwise sit at the bottom of a feed bucket.
Some horses do fine with dry cubes, particularly if they chew slowly and thoroughly. But if your horse is a fast eater, is new to cubes, or has any history of choke, soaking is worth the extra effort.
Hay Cubes for Senior Horses
Cubes and pellets are often the best forage option for older horses with worn or missing teeth. A horse that “quids” (drops wads of partially chewed hay from its mouth) is telling you it can’t process long-stem forage anymore. Soaked hay cubes solve this problem by breaking down into small, soft pieces the horse can swallow safely.
There’s actually a digestive upside here. The particle size of chopped, compressed hay is much smaller than what a horse with poor teeth can produce by chewing. This increased surface area often improves digestion and nutrient absorption, which can help a thin senior horse hold weight more effectively. If weight maintenance is still a struggle on cubes alone, a fortified complete senior feed designed to replace forage may be the better choice.
The tradeoff is gut stimulation. Cubes provide less physical bulk in the gut than long-stem hay, and horses finish them quickly, which can lead to boredom and longer periods with an empty stomach. For senior horses, feeding four smaller meals a day (rather than two) helps manage both issues. If your horse still has enough dental function to handle some long-stem hay safely, offering a portion as loose hay gives the gut lining more physical stimulation.
Alfalfa Cubes vs. Grass Hay Cubes
Not all hay cubes are nutritionally equal. Alfalfa cubes are higher in protein (typically 15 to 18%) and calcium than grass hay cubes, which run closer to 8 to 10% protein. For most adult horses at light to moderate work, grass hay cubes are nutritionally closer to what they’d get from a standard grass hay diet. Alfalfa cubes work well for horses with higher calorie or protein needs: growing youngsters, lactating mares, hard keepers, and horses in heavy training.
For an easy keeper or a horse prone to metabolic issues, alfalfa cubes as the sole forage source can provide excess calories and protein. A grass or timothy cube, or a blend, is usually a better fit. You can also mix alfalfa and grass cubes to land somewhere in between.
Storage and Shelf Life
Hay cubes keep well when stored in a dry, ventilated area. As a heat-processed product, they typically last three to six months. If moisture content climbs above 15%, which can happen in humid storage conditions or if cubes get wet, they can heat up and develop mold within days. Store cubes off the ground on pallets, keep them away from direct moisture, and check for a musty smell or visible mold before feeding. Once you soak cubes, feed them within a few hours, as wet forage spoils quickly in warm weather.