Equine Nutrition, Simplified
Proper equine nutrition is inextricably linked to hoof health. If you want a healthy horse with strong, healthy hooves, proper nutrition is a must. The good news is that it isn’t that complicated, and that many folks actually over-supplement their horses. Once you study and understand the equine digestive system, the following guidelines make perfect ‘common’ sense and are easy to implement.
For those of you who like to cut straight to the chase, here is my general equine diet recommendation:
Forage First (Grass or grass hay, fed to 1.5-2% of bodyweight in lbs.)
Minerals Balanced to that Hay (or one of these supplements formulated based on averages in forage analysis data)
Salt (2 TB/day)
In absence of fresh grass in diet, also feed:
Vitamin E (2 IU/lb of bodyweight per day)
Ground Flax Seed Meal (3/4 cup per day)
*please keep in mind these general guidelines do not take into consideration ‘special needs’ such a performance, growing, elderly, pregnant, or lactating horses.
If you’d like to know why I recommend the above diet, read on, and if you’d like to go even deeper into the science of equine nutrition, you will find links to more in-depth courses at the bottom.
The horse's digestive system is designed to constantly browse on a wide variety of plants and grasses (shrubs, bark, leaves, grasses). Considering this one simple fact, we can begin to think critically about common feeding practices, and what we would need to do to design a diet that strives to resemble what millions of years of evolution created. So 1- we need to consider that they are foragers, and need to constantly eat (vs. the common practice of feeding 2 times per day), and 2- we need to consider that without access to a wide variety of plants and grasses they will have some holes in their nutrient intake. Let’s explore further….
Equine stomachs are quite small relative to their size, and unlike humans who produce stomach acid in response to eating, horses constantly produce stomach acid. All day, every day. (A mature horse can produce about 16 gallons of stomach acid per day!) Their stomach is ‘divided’ into two parts; the upper (or non-glandular/squamous) portion, and the bottom (glandular) portion. The glandular portion of their stomach produces the acid, but also is protected from the acid by mucus and bicarbonate. The upper portion, however, is more delicate and not designed to deal with these acids, and is therefore where most equine ulcers are found. Since their stomachs empty about every 20 minutes, or when 2/3 full, the squamous region of the stomach becomes quickly vulnerable to the acid, particularly during exercise when the stomach contracts and the acid is pushed upwards. These facts make it easy to understand why constant grazing is both a natural and necessary behavior and feeding practice. Specifically, long stemmed grass or hay is most ideal since it increases chewing time and thus saliva production, which further protects the stomach from acid, and also because it creates a ‘nest’ in the bottom of the the stomach and keeps the acid where it belongs. Feeding hay before exercise is of particular importance in light of the above facts.
Thankfully, slow feed hay nets are now widely available and are a simple way to slow the intake of hay and prevent horses from going long periods of time without ‘grazing.’ Most experts agree that 6 hours is the maximum time a horse should go without food, preferably at night when horse’s tend to naturally eat less. Of course there are other creative solutions to create this ‘trickle’ feeding effect, such as feeding 3-4 small meals a day, or scattering the hay throughout the paddock. I’ve found slow feed hay nets to be the best solution for most folks and horses!
Now that we’ve reviewed the equine stomach, let’s move on to the hindgut, which also thrives on a low sugar, high fiber, forage based diet. The majority of digestion and energy absorption takes place in the hind gut (the cecum and large intestine) through microbial fermentation. This microbiome thrives on a low sugar, high fiber diet, and diets high in fat and sugars, or sudden dietary increases in sugar and fat can greatly upset the PH balance of the horse's digestive system and can result in colic, laminitis, and founder. Rich grain feeds, high sugar hay, and pasture grasses (especially during seasonal /weather-induced sugar peaks in the Spring and Fall) often need to be restricted or eliminated, depending on the individual horse. Easy keepers and horses with equine metabolic syndrome are at an even greater risk on high sugar diets. Even hard keepers should be carefully monitored, as subclinical laminitis is present but undetected in many horses. Grazing on fresh grass is highly beneficial for horses, but also needs to be monitored, as many cultivated pastures bear little resemblance to the sparse native grasses that horses evolved to eat. Furthermore, grains and bagged ‘complete’ feeds, though cleverly marketed, are often high in fats, sugars, and processed ingredients, and would need to be fed in large amounts for horses to obtain the necessary amounts and ratios of the vitamins and minerals they contain. This brings us to the final and most confusing topic: Supplementation!!!!!
Now that we’ve established that a forage based, slow fed diet is most ideal to mimic their foraging behavior, the next natural line of thought is to ensure that the forage is providing them with adequate nutrients. Short story: It’s not. Horses simply do not have access to a wide enough range of plants to provide them with the correct ratios and amounts of nutrients, namely the trace minerals copper, zinc, and selenium. Forage testing has consistently shown deficiencies in these trace minerals, and the mineral supplements I recommend on my link page are based upon these findings. No need for a ‘complete’ feed with highly processed ingredients, fat and sugar, and not enough minerals to boot. Just a supplement containing the nutrients needed. I highly recommend testing the forage that makes up the foundation of your horse’s diet, and supplementing based on that test. It’s relatively inexpensive, easy to do, and will actually save you money in the end.
Last but certainly not least: if your horse is not eating fresh, green grass and plants, we know without a doubt that they need to be supplemented with Vitamin E and Omega-3s, as these nutrients are lost during the hay curing process. See my link page for recommended sources for these.
How do you feed the above supplements to your horse, you may ask? Again, no need to use a ‘complete’ feed; instead simply use alfalfa or grass hay pellets mixed with some soaked beet pulp (for the added fiber), and mix the mineral supplement, vit e, flax, and 2 TB of loose white salt in.
This blog post was a short introduction to equine nutrition, and I certainly did not extensively cover this vast subject. There are many nuances to the subject of equine nutrition, and every horse is an individual just like you and I. Again, let me emphasize that the above guidelines may not apply to special needs horses.
At the very least, I hope this information gives you a good place to start. I will update this post as I learn new information, since the best science is constantly changing and evolving.
If you would like to take more in-depth courses on equine nutrition from my teachers, check out the webinars offered through the Progressive Hoof Care Practitioners website. The following webinars are periodically offered and I highly recommend them all. The Smart Way to Feed Horses, Feeding Performance Horses, Feeding for Special Needs, Feeding Pregnant and Growing Horses, and Hyperinsulinemia, Laminitis, and PPID: Diagnosis and Management.
Mad Barn also offers a Free Introduction to Equine Nutrition Course, or if you’d like to really dig deep into the science of the equine digestive system, check out Dr. Eleanor Kellon’s courses here.
To read more about equine ulcers, search your favorite podcast platform for interviews with Ben Sykes, or check out his Facebook page Equine Ulcer Research. You can also read Mad Barn’s Article on the subject.
I also offer a PDF download in Equine Nutrition and Lifestyle in a succinct and informative slideshow format.