My horse needs to gain weight but gets very fizzy. What should I feed?

Look for a high-calorie feed that’s low in starch and sugar, and high in fibre and oil (such as SPILLERS Digest+ Conditioning Cubes or SPILLERS Ulca Fibre). Oil and fibre provide "slow-release" energy, helping your horse gain condition without the unwanted excitability associated with high-starch cereal grains.

Is forage enough to supply all my horse's daily nutrients?

While forage can easily supply enough calories (and often too many!) sadly UK pastures are often naturally lacking in key minerals and vitamins like copper, zinc, and selenium. To balance their diet without adding unnecessary calories, we recommend adding a low-calorie balancer like SPILLERS Daily Balancer to make up the shortfall.

How do I know how many calories are in my horse’s forage?

Without testing your horse’s forage, it really is a guessing game. UK forage nutrient levels vary depending on numerous factors such as weather, soil, land management and harvesting time. If you would like to know exactly what your horse’s forage levels are, we suggest getting their forage tested by the gold standard lab method known as the “wet chemistry method” for most accurate results.

The truth about calories

Written by Vanessa Allen

At SPILLERS, we know that every horse is an individual with their own unique quirks and behaviours - that’s why we love them and ‘put up’ with every challenge they throw at us after all. For many, maintaining them at a healthy body weight is a huge part the daily stress.

Understanding the role calories play in your horse’s diet can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming, but we are here to help make things clearer. Let’s dive into the truth about calories in equine nutrition, where they come from and how you can make feed choices with complete confidence.

What are calories, anyway?

Put simply, calories are just a measurement of energy. Just like electrical energy is measured in kilowatts, or distance is measured in metres, the energy we get from food is measured in calories.

While we don't strictly use the word "calories" in official equine nutrition, we use it because it’s a term we all recognise when we think about managing body weight. In the UK, horse feed energy is expressed as Megajoules of Digestible Energy, which you’ll see abbreviated as MJ DE on the back of feed bags.

Are energy and calories the same thing?

Yes, they are! Energy and calories are just two different words for the same thing.

This means there’s no such thing as a feed which is "high in energy but low in calories", you can’t have one without the other.

The secret lies in adjusting the level of calories based on your horse's current body condition score. By understanding where those calories come from you can make the right choice for your individual, which is particularly important if your horse is under or overweight, particularly excitable or lazy, or prone to gastric ulcers or laminitis. By adjusting the calories cleverly, you won’t have to compromise their behaviour or digestive health.

woman walking to stabled with a white horse

Where Do Calories Come From?

When you check the nutrient table on your feed bag, you’ll notice that the digestible energy (calories) is listed on a per kilogram basis. But remember, the actual number of calories your horse digests depends entirely on how much they eat!

To help you calculate what your horse is eating, let’s look at where calories may come from in common feeding portions:

Feed:	Weight of the portion	Calories / Energy per portion (MJ DE)	Digestible Energy per Kilo (MJ DE)	Weight per Stubbs Scoop (kg)
1 balancer cup of SPILLERS Lite & Lean Balancer	250g	2.4	9.5	n/a
A double handful of SPILLERS Fibre Lite Molasses Free	200g	1.6	8.0	400g
Half a Stubbs scoop SPILLERS High Fibre Cubes	900g	4.2	8.4	1.8
Half a Stubbs scoop of SPILLERS HAPPY HOOF	300g	2.6	8.8	0.6
A heaped Stubbs scoop of SPILLERS Digest+ Conditioning Cubes	2kgs	24.0	12.0	1.8
1 Stubbs scoop of SPILLERS Shine+ Conditioning Mix	1.6kg	19.2	12.0	1.6
A stubbs scoop of soaked SPILLERS Perform & Restore Mash	600g	6.9	11.5	1.8
A Stubbs scoop of SPILLERS Alfalfa-Pro Fibre	600g	7.5	12.5	0.6
A typical haynet	6kgs	36 - 51	7-10	Approx. 2kgs for one small bale slice

As you can see, portion size matters! Even though the hay may have the lowest amount of calories per kilo, we feed the most of it, so it far exceeds the other feeds in terms of total calorie supply. Balancers are fed in small amounts, so they contribute very little to a horse’s total daily calorie intake.

How Does Management Influence Daily Calorie Intake?

Here are three examples so you can see how different management strategies change calorie intakes. All options maintain a sufficient level of fibre to help look after digestive health and mental wellbeing.

Scenario	Daily diet	Rough calorie intake (MJ DE)
500kgs chunky native - a very good doer and prone to laminitis. Not allowed any grass so kept on a bare paddock/wood chip area. Ridden twice a week. Needs calorie restriction but fibre intake should be maintained at minimum of 1.5% bodyweight in dry matter.	9kgs dry hay split into 3 hay nets each day 500g SPILLERS Lite & Lean Balancer 2 small handfuls of SPILLERS Fibre Lite Molasses Free	70
500kg WB, 10 hours access to good grass, ad lib forage overnight maintains body weight well, competes in eventing and riding club activities 2x per month. (in this situation we guesstimate the horses eats 1-1.5% of their bodyweight of grass during this time)	8kgs dry hay overnight 500g SPILLERS Original Balancer 1kg SPILLERS Alfalfa-Pro Fibre	112 – 142
500kg TB, struggles to maintain weight, has plenty of ridden energy and is prone to gastric ulcers. Ridden 5 days a week, competes in at a low level monthly. Good appetite - won’t eat huge amounts of hay but has access to grazing for 10 hours per day. (in this situation we guesstimate the horses eats 1-1.5% of their bodyweight of grass during this time)	5kgs dry hay overnight 2kgs SPILLERS Digest+ Conditioning Cubes 2kgs per day SPILLERS Ulca Fibre	139 - 167

Where do calories come from?

Your horse’s body converts key dietary nutrients into usable energy. The primary sources of this energy/ calories come from fibre, oil, starch, and sugar. Contrary to popular belief, protein isn’t a primary source of calories and only used as a ‘last resort’. Here’s where you’ll find those calorie sources:

Fibre: Horses slowly breakdown the fibre (in grass/ forages and feeds) in their hindgut into a valuable source of calories. Occasionally people refer to hay as ‘just bulk’ and while it does fill them up and keep them occupied, it’s easy to forget these calories add up. Not all hay is equal, and some will supply far more calories than others. We’ve seen hay vary between 3 and 10 MJ DE per kg!
Oil: Gram for gram, oil is approximately 2.5 times higher in calories than cereal grains. Starch and sugar free, this makes it a fantastic tool for safe weight gain. It is naturally found in low levels in hay and grass and in varying levels in bucket feeds.
Starch: Cereal grains are high in starch which horses (should) digest in their small intestine. Feeding overly large meals of cereals can lead to it ending up in the large intestine which can cause digestive upset. Oats, barley and maize contain between 40-70% starch! Forage and grass contain negligible levels so by choosing fibre-based feeds, rather than cereals, we can easily control our horse’s starch intake.
Sugar: Pasture and hay are by far the largest sources of sugar. Even feeds with added molasses can be far lower than typical forages. Watch out for heavily molassed sticky chaffs if you’re looking to restrict sugar intake from bucket feeds – always read individual labels.

Mind their mind: Calories and excitability

We know what it’s like sitting on a "sharp" fit horse on a cold, windy day after they’ve spent a few days in the stable! Behaviour is influenced by many factors, including temperament, fitness, routine, and weather. When it comes to feed-related "fizz" or excitability, cereal starch is often the culprit, although an excess of any sources of energy means they have an excess of energy to burn and can lead to unwanted exuberance!

A low-calorie, high-starch feed can result in a horse far more hot or reactive than a higher-calorie, lower-starch feed which supplies energy from fibre and oil. Some laid back personalities show no response to high starch feeds, they are who they are. Each horse is individual so it can take while to figure out what works best for yours.

Feeding for long-term health:

Forage should be the foundation of your horse's digestive health so the best choice where possible. Not all horses and ponies can maintain a healthy weight on grass and hay alone. When they need extra calories, choosing feeds high in fibre and low in sugar and starch is generally best policy. For those who are prone to gastric ulcers or laminitis it’s non-negotiable, even for the lazy ones who need more oomph.

At SPILLERS, we firmly believe choosing fibre-based, low-starch, and low-sugar options is a sensible, proactive strategy for every horse as first choice. But for more laid-back athletes adding more starch into their diet might be crucial for their success on the track or in the ring.

Need a helping hand? We're here for you.

Choosing the right feed for your unique horse or pony can be complex but you don’t have to do it alone. For free, expert, and friendly advice tailored to your horse’s unique needs, reach out to the SPILLERS Care-Line on 01908 226626 or complete our online consultation form to chat with our friendly team.

Frequently Asked Questions

All Questions truth about calories

My horse needs to gain weight but gets very fizzy. What should I feed?

Look for a high-calorie feed that’s low in starch and sugar, and high in fibre and oil (such as SPILLERS Digest+ Conditioning Cubes or SPILLERS Ulca Fibre). Oil and fibre provide "slow-release" energy, helping your horse gain condition without the unwanted excitability associated with high-starch cereal grains.
Is forage enough to supply all my horse's daily nutrients?

While forage can easily supply enough calories (and often too many!) sadly UK pastures are often naturally lacking in key minerals and vitamins like copper, zinc, and selenium. To balance their diet without adding unnecessary calories, we recommend adding a low-calorie balancer like SPILLERS Daily Balancer to make up the shortfall.
How do I know how many calories are in my horse’s forage?

Without testing your horse’s forage, it really is a guessing game. UK forage nutrient levels vary depending on numerous factors such as weather, soil, land management and harvesting time. If you would like to know exactly what your horse’s forage levels are, we suggest getting their forage tested by the gold standard lab method known as the “wet chemistry method” for most accurate results.