Hay First or Grain First? You’re Asking the Wrong Question

Every horse owner has heard it: “Feed hay before grain,” or “Grain first, then hay.” It’s one of those barn aisle debates that never seems to die. Some swear by giving hay first to “take the edge off,” others dish out grain first because their horse demands it with door-banging theatrics. But here’s the reality check:

If you’re feeding your horse correctly — meaning forage is available around the clock — this debate becomes largely irrelevant. As Dr. Juliet Getty puts it bluntly:

“Which should be fed first – hay or grain?  If you’re feeding correctly, this issue is truly a moot point because the horse should have access to forage (hay and/or pasture) 24/7 with no gaps. Therefore, when fed concentrates, the horse’s digestive tract should already have hay flowing through it. ” – Juliet Getty

In other words, when your horse has constant access to grass or hay, their digestive system stays buffered, their stomach never empties, and the question of whether hay or grain comes first becomes background noise. The real problem? Most horses don’t have consistent forage access. And that’s where this conversation does matter.

So let’s clear the air. Feeding order is not a matter of tradition or habit — it’s about protecting your horse’s gut from ulcers, inflammation, insulin spikes, and starch overload. And the science? It’s got a lot to say about it — more than most people realize.

In this article, we’ll break down:

• What actually happens when you feed grain into an empty stomach
• Why “hay first” isn’t just rambling — it’s physiological logic
• And why a forage-first feeding strategy beats obsessing over order every time

Let’s start with the one thing every horse owner needs to understand: Your horse evolved to graze. Not to gulp.

Horses are designed to graze

Before we talk about hay vs. grain, we need to talk about the animal you’re feeding. Horses aren’t built like people, cows, or dogs, they cannot eat “meals”. Their entire digestive system — from teeth to tail — evolved to process one thing above all else: long-stem, fibrous forage. That’s it.

Dr. Nathalie Trottier, professor of animal science at Cornell University, breaks it down like this: horses are obligate grazers, meaning they’re biologically hardwired to consume small amounts of forage continuously. Millions of years of evolution in open grasslands shaped their physiology to chew, digest, and ferment fiber slowly and steadily, for up to 18 hours per day.

What Happens When You Feed Grain On An Empty Stomach

Imagine this: your horse has been standing around for a few hours with nothing to eat. No hay. No pasture. Just waiting. And now it’s feeding time — so in goes the grain. What’s the harm?

Plenty.

The horse’s stomach is never idle. It secretes hydrochloric acid 24/7, whether there’s food present or not. That’s fine when the stomach contains hay or grass to buffer the acid. But when it’s empty? The acid pools and splashes against the unprotected upper lining — setting the stage for gastric ulcers.

Now add grain. Starch-heavy feeds like oats, corn, or sweet feed don’t begin digestion in the stomach. They just sit and soak until they pass through — and without hay in the stomach to slow things down, they move out fast. Too fast. That’s a problem, because the small intestine only has a limited capacity to digest starch. When it gets overwhelmed, undigested grain slips into the hindgut.

And that’s where things get dangerous.

The large intestine is meant to ferment fiber — not starch. When undigested grain ends up there, it feeds the wrong bacteria, drops the pH, and throws off the microbial balance. This leads to gas, colic, hindgut acidosis, inflammation, and even laminitis. One study found that feeding hay before grain reduced the inflammatory response for up to eight hours.

Some people claim that feeding hay before grain causes a “flushing effect,” pushing the grain through the digestive tract too quickly and not letting it digest properly. But this idea has no scientific support. The so-called flushing theory isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous misinformation.

A 2020 study published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science found that feeding just 2 pounds of hay before a moderate-starch concentrate meal significantly reduced post-meal inflammation. Specifically, it lowered levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) — a pro-inflammatory marker linked to digestive stress and conditions like laminitis — for up to eight hours.

What To Focus On

Here’s the truth: it’s not about whether hay or grain comes first — it’s about how you’re feeding, and what you’re feeding.

And here’s the good news: the equine nutrition world is finally catching up.

More and more owners are moving away from high-starch concentrates and toward smarter, science-backed alternatives like ration balancers and loose mineral mixes. Why? Because the point isn’t to stuff calories into your horse — it’s to balance what’s missing from forage.

1. Continuous Forage is the Foundation

Tthe idea that horses should have hay “two or three times a day” is still common — and still wrong.

But here’s the pushback I hear all the time:

“I can’t afford to feed free-choice hay.”
“My horse will eat himself into laminitis.”
“They waste half of it.”

All valid concerns — if you’re feeding hay wrong.

Free-choice doesn’t mean throwing open the barn doors and dumping flakes until your wallet weeps. It means feeding in a way that mimics natural grazing patterns — small bites, taken frequently, without long gaps in between. And that’s absolutely doable on a budget.

Strategies to feed your horse:

• Slow-feed hay nets and boxes drastically reduce waste and regulate intake. Horses eat slower, stay busier, and chew more — all while consuming the same amount of hay over a longer time.
  • See our hay feeding systems comparison guide for slow feeder options and pros/cons.
• Use lower-calorie, lower-quality grass hay (like mature timothy, brome, or mixed-grass) to safely increase volume without packing on calories or blowing your hay bill.
• If your horse is overweight or insulin resistant, free-choice hay can still work — you just need to control the speed, not the quantity. (We explain how in our easy keeper guide) Also check out how to use haynets and maybe the track system would be amazing for you.

Beyond digestive benefits, 24/7 hay access:

• Reduces ulcer risk
• Supports hindgut bacteria
• Encourages calmer behavior
• Reduces colic risk

2. Don’t Feed Grain Out of Habit

Walk into most barns and you’ll find grain being dumped into buckets like clockwork. Why? Habit. Marketing. The belief that grain equals energy, strength, or good condition. But for most horses — especially those not in heavy work — feeding grain “just because” or in smaller quantities than recommended does more harm than good.

Feeding concentrates without a clear need often leads to:

• Digestive upset
• Behavior issues from sugar and starch surges
• Metabolic stress in easy keepers
• Ulcer flare-ups from feeding on an empty stomach

Grain isn’t evil. It’s just overused. If your horse is maintaining weight on hay alone — or could be with a little help from fat or fiber — you don’t need the starch.

If Your Horse Needs More Calories:

Skip the sweet feed and reach for high-fat, low-starch alternatives. Fat provides cool energy (no sugar highs), and takes pressure off the gut.

In our gain weight guide, we walk through the best options:

• Stabilized rice bran
• Vegetable oils (canola, flaxseed, camelina)
• Powdered fat supplements
• Ground flaxseed or chia (bonus: omega-3s)
• Alfalfa

These options deliver calories and do it without spiking insulin or overwhelming the hindgut.

If your horse needs more weight, give them fat and forage — not corn and molasses.

Feeding with purpose means knowing why you’re adding a feed — not just repeating what someone else is doing at the barn. If your goal is topline, coat condition, calm energy, or safe weight gain, there’s a smarter way to get there.

Split Meals to Make it Safer

If you feed grain or concentrates, how much and how often you feed is just as important as what you’re feeding.

The horse’s small intestine can only handle a limited amount of starch at one time — roughly 0.3–0.5% of body weight per meal. If you feed more than that, starch starts slipping through undigested into the hindgut, where it triggers acidosis, colic, inflammation, and dysbiosis.

That’s why meal size matters.

Instead of dumping 5–6 lbs of feed at once, split it into 2–3 smaller meals per day. Better yet, use forage-based options that reduce starch load altogether.

3. Use Ration Balancers and Mineral Mixes

Here’s something most feed companies won’t tell you:
If you’re not feeding the full recommended amount of their commercial feed (usually 5–6 lbs/day for an average horse), your horse probably isn’t getting the nutrients listed on the bag, therefore not getting the nutrition he needs.

That means a lot of horses being fed “just a scoop” of textured or pelleted feed are running nutritionally deficient, especially in key minerals like copper, zinc, and selenium. And your hay isn’t covering it. Even good hay tends to be low in those trace minerals — and sometimes completely devoid of vitamin E after weeks in storage.

That’s where ration balancers come in.

What Is a Ration Balancer?

It’s a concentrated pellet (usually fed at 1–2 lbs/day) that provides essential amino acids, vitamins, and trace minerals — without excess calories or starch. It fills the nutritional gaps in a hay-based diet without dumping in sugar, grain, or bulk.

You can also use a loose mineral mix tailored to your region or hay type (check out our ration balancer guide for comparison tables and feeding options).

Why It Matters:

• Correct mineral balance (especially Cu:Zn:Se ratios) supports hoof quality, immune function, skin and coat health, and metabolic resilience.
• Amino acids like lysine are often limiting in forage and critical for building topline.
• Horses fed only hay often get enough energy but not enough nutrients — leading to the classic “overweight but undernourished” easy keeper.

Ration balancers and loose minerals are the most efficient way to feed modern horses.

4. Forage-Based Feeds

If your horse needs more calories — whether for weight gain, performance, or maintenance during cold weather — you first thought should be more fiber.

Why? Because horses evolved to extract energy from fiber, not from starch.

Fermentable fiber sources — often called “superfibers” — are calorie-dense but gentler on the digestive system than grains. They feed the hindgut microbes, which supports better overall health, more stable energy, and fewer inflammatory problems.

Best Forage-Based Feed Options:

• Beet pulp: A high-calorie, low-NSC feed that’s safe, digestible, and versatile. Can be soaked or fed dry. See our complete beet pulp guide for prep tips, pros/cons, and product comparisons.
• Hay pellets or cubes: Great for senior horses, those with poor teeth, or anyone who needs to add more forage in a compact form.
• Stabilized rice bran: High in fat and fiber, often fortified with vitamin E, and ideal for hard keepers.

5. Mix Chaff or Hay Pellets into Meals

Here’s one of the simplest, most effective ways to protect your horse’s gut — and it works whether you’re feeding grain, beet pulp, or a balancer:

Add chopped hay (chaff) or soaked hay pellets to every meal.

Why? Because concentrates are typically consumed too fast. Horses can inhale a grain meal in minutes — especially when hungry — which means less chewing, less saliva, faster gastric emptying, and more risk of starch hitting the hindgut. That will only make the horse prone to ulcers, colic, and microbial disruption.

Adding long or soaked fiber slows it all down.

Benefits of Adding Chaff or Pellets:

• Forces more chewing, which produces more saliva — your horse’s natural stomach buffer.
• Adds bulk to the meal, helping mix and slow digestion of any starch present.
• Improves meal texture and helps prevent choke, especially in dry pelleted feeds.
• Increases fiber intake, even in small meals or picky eaters.

You can use:

• Commercial chopped hay products
• Home-chopped hay (if you’re willing to shred it yourself)
• Hay pellets or cubes, soaked and mixed in

Conclusion

Still wondering if hay should come before grain?

If your horse has access to forage 24/7, the question barely matters. But if your horse is standing around for hours without hay or grass, then yes — feeding order suddenly matters a lot.

But let’s be honest — this debate isn’t about hay vs. grain. It’s about good horse management vs. convenience.

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