This story about the cloned horse says it weighs 220 pounds already. Granted, it is a large breed of horse, so not typical at that age, I am guessing. Anyway, the question is: how much grass and horse milk, assuming that is the only diet, must a horse or other ruminet (sp?) eat to gain that much weight that fast? Are the number of calories per pound for a horse the same as for humans? (I.e., roughly 3,500 calories per pound for humans…)
Just to clarify: the Haflinger is a draft pony, not a draft horse (meaning it rarely grows above 14.2 hands, which is just about 4’10" feet, at the shoulder) This is not an exceptionally large horse like a Clydesdale – it is just a stocky pony. And average weight for a full-grown stocky pony would be around 900 lbs.
Remember that baby horses are born fairly developed… they can stand and move within minutes of birth, and they are 60% of their mature height.
According to this article, foals can gain 3.5 pounds a day! They drink 10 to 15 quarts of milk a day
Foals are born at about 1/10 of their full grown weight, and double their birth weight in the first month. Let’s say 80 lbs at birth, 160 at one month… I would say this little guy is right on track! And fairly average, BTW.
Oh, and foals eat primarily milk in the first 3 months. They might nibble a little on grass, but they’re not getting much nutrition from it.
If a horse eats only grass hay, I think 30 pounds is a “guideline.” A lot of horses get by on less. Some need more. Remember, most horses kept for riding don’t just eat hay. They also get concentrated calories through grain. I think 15 lbs hay is more common for horses that are also getting grain.
Mind you, grass has a lot more water than hay, so its quite a bit heavier.
Some types of hay, like alfalfa, which is actually a legume, are more calorie dense than others.
Horse’s digestive systems are built to always have something in them… eating continuously is their norm. (this is why it is very important to secure your grain room. Horses have no instinct to stop eating… they’ll eat grain till it kills them.)