Horse Nutrition: Which Feed for Which Horse?

Feeding your horse properly is an essential concern for every rider and horse owner. While horses are not particularly complicated animals, their diet does require a few key adjustments. Not all horses can be fed in the same way. Elytholab, a laboratory specializing in equine care products, offers this guide to horse nutrition to help you choose the right type of feed for each horse.

The Horse: A Herbivore with a Delicate Digestive System

Before exploring the different types of feed and selection criteria, it’s worth recalling the horse’s natural eating habits. Horses are herbivores, meaning they feed primarily on grass and various plants. However, domestication has led humans to supplement their diet with grains and forage.

A horse’s diet must always take into account two critical factors: its teeth and its digestive system.

The Horse’s Teeth

Horses are hypsodont, which means their teeth grow continuously. They must therefore have constant access to grass or hay to chew, helping to wear down their teeth naturally. Without this, painful overgrowths known as “hooks” or “sharp points” can form on the molars, causing discomfort and feeding problems.

A Fragile Digestive System

The horse’s small stomach means it needs to eat small amounts frequently. Its long, slightly curved esophagus makes it prone to blockages. This risk is made worse by the horse’s inability to vomit: at the entrance to the stomach is the cardia, a one-way muscular valve that lets food in but not back out.

As a result, horses cannot expel excess food or relieve blockages, making digestive care particularly important.

To support healthy digestion, Elytholab has developed ElythoDigest, a nutritional supplement designed to aid and regulate your horse’s digestive system.

Age and Physical Condition

A horse’s age is a key factor in determining its diet. A growing foal cannot be fed the same way as a 30-year-old senior horse — their nutritional needs are entirely different.

An adult horse in good health should consume 2–3% of its body weight in dry matter each day. This includes grains (fed to most horses today) and forage, which should make up at least 50% of the total daily intake. Forage consists of grass and leguminous plants such as alfalfa, and healthy horses should always have free access to hay, which also helps wear down their teeth naturally.

Foals and young horses require higher nutrient intake for growth, while nursing mares need extra energy until weaning — and sometimes beyond if they lose condition. Supplements such as ElythoCalcium (available in powder or granules) can be a valuable addition to support bone development and general health.

By contrast, older horses should be fed smaller, more easily digestible portions, as their digestive efficiency decreases with age.

Lifestyle and Workload

A horse’s lifestyle and workload play major roles in determining its diet. You must first distinguish between horses that live outdoors year-round and those kept in stalls — as well as those with mixed routines, spending summers at pasture and winters indoors.

• Pasture Horses:Horses living on pasture typically have access to fresh, nutrient-rich grass. They only need constant access to clean water, and perhaps a hay supplement if the pasture is poor. Their grain ration can be adjusted according to their body condition and workload.

• Stabled Horses:Horses kept in stalls cannot graze and must be given hay at will, both day and night, along with one or two grain meals daily. Since they can’t move freely, they are more prone to colic, so they must always have a functional water supply available.

• Working Horses:Horses in regular training or competition should receive increased grain rations, adjusted to the intensity of their activity.

• Resting or Retired Horses:These horses do well on ad libitum hay and water, with a small daily grain portion if needed to maintain weight.

  
  

The Consequences of Poor Nutrition

Just like humans, horses can suffer serious health issues from poor nutrition.

The most common and feared condition among horse owners is colic — severe abdominal pain often linked to digestive disturbances. Colic can result from many causes, including improper feeding or esophageal obstruction caused by large or poorly chewed food pieces. To help prevent such issues, Elytholab offers supplements specifically formulated to support digestive health.

Another frequent consequence of poor diet is laminitis, an inflammatory condition affecting the horse’s hooves. It often arises from an overly rich diet, and ponies, being more prone to weight gain, are particularly at risk. Even horses turned out to pasture can develop laminitis if they consume too much rich grass without adequate exercise.

In Summary

A horse’s diet must always be tailored to its age, physical condition, and activity level. Most modern horses benefit from a balanced mixed diet of forage and grains, which meets their needs for both energy and digestion. To help you care for your horse every day, visit Elytholab’s online store, where you’ll find a complete range of natural supplements designed to support equine health and performance.