Hurricane Hay and Feed Prep for Florida Horse Owners

Delmar Ropp is a fifth-generation farmer and co-owner of Farmers Direct Hay and Feed in Williston, Florida. The family grows and ships premium Western hay and delivers across North Central Florida, including Ocala and Gainesville.

Before a storm, keep at least a week of hay and feed on hand for each horse, store it up off the ground on pallets and under waterproof tarps, and plan for about 12 gallons of water per horse per day during outages. After the storm, do not feed hay that is wet, moldy, or full of sand. If you need to stock up quickly, call ahead so you are not short when weather is in the forecast.

Every June through November, we field the same call at the Williston store: a storm is a few days out, and someone realizes they are almost out of hay. In North Central Florida that is a stressful place to be, because when a hurricane is coming, hay is the one thing you cannot improvise. This guide covers how much hay and feed to keep on hand, how to store it so wind and rain do not ruin it, and what is safe to feed after the storm passes.

If you are still working out which forage your horse should be on, start with our guide on how to choose the right hay. This one is about keeping enough of it, safely, when the weather turns.

Why Hay Comes First in a Storm Plan

Feed stores close, roads flood, and deliveries stop when a storm moves through, so whatever is in your barn is what your horses eat until things reopen. Equine disaster guidance from the University of Florida and UF/IFAS is blunt about it: hay is the most critical feed to have stored for a disaster. A horse can go without grain far more easily than without forage, and a sudden empty hay net is its own health risk.

That is why the hay plan comes before the generator and the flashlights. Get the forage sorted first.

How Much Hay and Feed to Keep on Hand

The University of Florida Large Animal Hospital recommends storing at least 72 hours of hay and feed, and ideally a full week, for every animal. A week is the number to aim for, because power and road access can stay down longer than three days after a major storm.

Most horses eat about 1.5 to 2 percent of their body weight in forage a day (Kentucky Equine Research), so a 1,000-pound horse eats somewhere around 15 to 20 pounds of hay daily. A week of that is roughly 100 to 140 pounds per horse, which is several bales. If you want to size it more exactly for your own horses, our hay calculator guide walks through the math.

A few practical notes:

• Buy the storm supply as extra, on top of what you normally keep, not by stretching your current stock thin.
• Keep grain and any supplements in sealed, watertight containers.
• If your horse is on a specific forage for a metabolic or health reason, stock that same hay. A storm is the worst time to be forced into a sudden feed change.

Keep It Dry: Storing Hay Through Wind and Rain

Stored hay is only useful if it stays dry, and Florida storms test that hard. The University of Florida and UF/IFAS guidance is consistent: get hay up off the floor on pallets and cover it with waterproof tarps, so groundwater and blowing rain cannot reach it.

The same rules that keep hay good in our normal humidity matter double before a storm: keep it off the ground, keep air moving around it, and keep it out of standing water. Wet bales do not just spoil, they can heat internally and become a barn-fire risk, so never close a barn up on hay that got soaked. Our guide on storing hay in Florida's heat and humidity covers the everyday version of this in more detail.

Water: The Part People Forget

Hay and water go together, especially in a Florida summer. The University of Florida recommends planning for about 12 gallons of water per horse per day, and not relying on automatic waterers, since power outages are likely. Fill troughs, barrels, and clean trash cans ahead of the storm. A horse eating dry hay with no water is a colic risk, so the water plan is part of the hay plan.

After the Storm: What Not to Feed

When the weather clears, check your hay before you feed it. Do not feed hay that is wet, moldy, or contaminated with sand or floodwater, because any of those can make a horse seriously sick. If a stack got rained on, pull it apart and inspect it rather than assuming the inside is fine. When in doubt, our guide on what bad hay looks like shows what to watch for.

If you come out of a storm short on safe hay, that is the moment to reach out early rather than wait until you are down to the last flake.

A Few Days Ahead Beats the Day Before

The horse owners who ride out a storm calmly are the ones who stocked up before it was in the cone, not the day before landfall when everyone else is calling. If you keep several horses or a boarding barn, buying in bulk ahead of the season, including a full container of hay, means you are never scrambling.

We keep lab-tested hay in stock at our Williston yard and deliver across North Central Florida, including Ocala and Gainesville. If a storm is in the forecast and you need to top off, call us at (352) 528-1255 and we will get you set before the weather moves in. You can also read our Ocala hay delivery guide or request delivery directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much hay should I store before a hurricane? Aim for at least a week of hay per horse, which the University of Florida Large Animal Hospital lists as the ideal storm supply (72 hours is the bare minimum). For a 1,000-pound horse eating 15 to 20 pounds a day, a week is roughly 100 to 140 pounds, or several bales. Buy that as extra on top of your normal stock.

How do I keep hay dry during a storm? Get it up off the ground on pallets and cover it with waterproof tarps, following the University of Florida and UF/IFAS storm guidance. Keep it out of any area that can take on groundwater or blowing rain, and never seal a barn up on hay that got wet, since wet bales can heat and pose a fire risk.

How much water should I store for my horse? Plan for about 12 gallons per horse per day, and do not rely on automatic waterers, since outages are likely. Fill troughs and clean containers before the storm. Water is part of the hay plan, because a horse eating dry hay without enough water is at risk of colic.

Is it safe to feed hay that got rained on during a storm? No, not if it is wet, moldy, or contaminated with sand or floodwater. Any of those can make a horse sick. Inspect a stack that got rained on rather than assuming the inside is dry, and when in doubt, do not feed it.

Can I still get hay delivered if a storm is coming? Call ahead. Deliveries stop once a storm is close and roads flood, so the safe move is to stock up several days before landfall. We deliver across North Central Florida from our Williston yard, and bulk options like a full container of hay help larger barns avoid last-minute scrambling.

The Bottom Line

In Florida, buying good hay and having enough of it on hand are two halves of the same job, and storm season is when the second half counts most. Keep about a week of hay and feed per horse, store it up off the ground under tarps, plan your water, and never feed hay that came through a storm wet or moldy. Get it handled a few days early, and a hurricane becomes a lot less stressful for you and your horses.