Nutrition
Here is the basic nutrition I recommend for horses in our Colorado area. I am not a nutritionist but this has worked for horses in my care and is based on recommendations from the ECIR and Dr. Eleanor Kellon, VMD and Carol Layton, nutritionist along with numerous other PHCP and hoof care practitioners. It just makes sense that if we are meeting our equine’s nutritional needs, they are going to be healthier. The NRC (National Research Council) Equine Requirement level are generally a minimum and of course, each animal is an individual. If you have healthy hooves you very likely have healthy nutrition. If there is not enough copper and zinc in the diet we generally see that first in hooves and hair coat, similar to humans seeing deficiencies in our nails and hair. Avoid processed feeds for more horses (seniors can be an exception). I am happy to help you with a hay test and to balance your minerals to your hay. If hay analysis is not in the cards, this is the base daily diet I recommend for a 1000lb equine:
Basic Recipe:
Grass Hay of good quality****
Good mineral supplement - (California Trace Plus or California Trace No Selenium or Mad Barn’s Omneity or Amino Trace Plus)
2 TBL plain white salt
Magnesium (10-20 grams)
Flax Seed ground or flaxseed oil (1/2 cup) - if equine not on fresh pasture
Vitamin E (added as needed, some supplements include) use natural D- d-alpha-tocopherol, NOT dl-alpha-toc - my horses and donkeys love these and VitaCost often has sales. Many equines on fresh pasture don’t need vitamin E, which is lost when the hay is cut/dried, but higher levels of exercise require more.
All fed in a base of soaked timothy or teff hay pellets or beet pulp (or some horses are fine with alfalfa pellets if not insulin resistant and well-tolerated or something like Wild Fed that they love or Triple Crown Balance Cubes… many good options).
*If horse tires from hard, extended work and needs more energy, add equal parts by weight steamed-rolled oats and beet pulp (I like SpeediBeet) soaked. If horse needs more weight, add more forage (hay, grazing). *
Hay Hay Hay Hay! Feed horses 20% of body weight in hay/forage daily or free choice if they maintain a good weight. Feed 1.5% of current body weight or 20% of ideal weight if a diet is needed. Obese horses are unhealthy horses. I like Teff for low sugar, mountain timothy, and brome. Sometimes Orchard/brome mixes. Generally first cut is higher in fiber and interest. Avoid soft leafy hays as they digest too quickly and can cause hind gut irritation. ESC (sugar) plus starch should be 10% or less in the “As fed” column. Horses should not go more than 4 hours without access to forage. This can be really hard! I am happy to help with ideas (slow feeders, grazing muzzles, free choice netted bales).
Some horses (especially as they age) benefit from a joint supplement. I have heard good things about Vet-Flex but your veterinarian may have other suggestions as well.
What horses need - discussed in more detail
Basic Mineral Supplement: The best supplement I have found is California Trace Plus (or Mad Barn Amino Trace Plus). This includes generally sufficient amounts of Vitamin E, Vitamin A, a small amount of Selenium (not necessary but generally not enough to be in excess), Essential Amino Acids, Probiotics, Balanced Zinc and Copper - and no added iron. Vitamin A and E and Omega 3s and 6s are lost immediately to quite quickly from hay - so if your horses are not on pasture, supplementing with flax (which mimics the omega 3: 6 balance in fresh grass, is highly encouraged). For horses in rehab or heavier work I add more vitamin E (natural human capsules, my favorite are here - add up to a total of 4000-5000 IU per day, Cal Trace has 2000 IU).
Magnesium: critical to muscle function as well as being calming, magnesium is chronically low in hays around here that I have tested. Buying bulk magnesium from California Trace or MyBestHorse.com is my go to. I give 10-20 grams daily for a 1000lb horse. Too much causes diarrhea but is not dangerous - just build up and see if they do well. My own mare’s entire muscle tone improved within a couple days of adding magnesium. Magnesium also helps with healthy hoof growth (and so much more). There isn’t any in the Cal Trace and Mg is generally deficient in our hays here.
Salt: in addition to providing a plain white block (avoid brown, red or Redmond or Himalayan salt blocks as they contain iron) - add 2 or so TBL of plain white salt (build up to their taste tolerance) to daily supplements. Horses need far more salt than they generally lick up and many don’t lick the blocks at all in my experience. They will urinate out excess.
Flaxseed: I have found my mustangs don’t seem to do well with ground flaxseed (about 1/2 cup daily) but do very well with flaxseed oil. The oil has the same benefit but without the allergens of the meal - that said, most horses seem to do great with the meal as long as it is kept fresh and cool. The oil must be kept cool as well (refrigerate some and keep some at the barn in a cooler area if you’re not going through it quickly). Triple Crown Naturals is a good pre-ground stabilized flaxseed meal (available widely) or you can buy and grind flaxseeds. Chia seeds are of similar benefit but more expensive and also need to be ground. I like this flaxseed oil a lot. Feel free to ask me if I have some in stock - I buy four gallons at a time and keep what I’m not using in a cool dark place in the house. Spring for the pump if ordering direct. Please note that Rice Bran, Canola Oil, Corn Oil etc. are very high in Omega 6s and low in Omega 3s. This is the reverse of the ratio that horses need to match fresh forage, so don’t feed those!
Patience! Sometimes you’ll see a coat change in a week, sometimes you won’t see improved hoof growth speed or hoof wall for a few months. If your dark or chestnut horse is “bleaching” in the sun, this is most likely a zinc/copper deficiency or balance issue. I saw the biggest changes in my herd after 6 months.
Please feel free to ask me any questions and I highly recommend joining (free) the ECIR or just reading up on their website especially if you have a chunky animal or one with metabolic issues or PPID.
Want to learn more?
This is a great webinar (with Wendy Murdoch) from Alicia Harlov of The Humble Hoof
Sally Hugg’s (California Trace) Humble Hoof Episode
If you really want to take a deep dive, Dr. Kellon’s NRC Plus Course is incredibly in depth. I have taken it once and likely will several more times.
