As with most things, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. However there is an optimal diet that can be tailored to suit the individual needs of each horse. So, what does an optimal equine diet look like?
Horses are designed to eat a primarily fibre based diet, with over 65% of their digestive system dedicated to fibre digestion. A horse’s diet should consist of between 1.5% and 2% of its bodyweight in high quality fibre per day. Apart from water, fibre is the most important nutrient in a horse’s diet. Additionally, the microbial digestion of fibre produces heat, which will help keep the horse warm.
Sources of fibre include grass, hay, haylage, lucerne and sugar beet.
Sugar and starch,(commonly found in cereals, grains and concentrated hard feeds) provide a quickly available energy source. However, many horses struggle to efficiently metabolise starch which can be especially harmful to those with metabolic conditions or those predisposed to them.
If additional energy is required, a high quality oil - such as rapeseed or linseed - can safely serve as a sugar- and starch-free alternative energy source.
Though required in small amounts, vitamins and minerals play a vital role in your horse’s overall health and wellbeing. Deficiencies can manifest in a variety of ways, including:
Unfortunately, these deficiencies are often subtle and take time to become apparent - and even longer to resolve.
To prevent this, all horses should be supplemented with essential vitamins and minerals. These can be provided through powdered minerals, pelleted balancers, complete balanced feeds, or mineral licks.
Gut health is crucial and impacts many aspects of a horse’s wellbeing – from behavior to immune function. Digestive disturbances can lead to ulcers, weight loss, colic and diarrhoea.
How and what you feed plays a major role in maintaining a healthy gut and supporting the microbiome. Fibre is key to this process. In addition, feeding prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics can help support gut health during periods of stress, such as:
Horses are trickle feeders – designed to graze for up to 20 hours a day. Their stomachs constantly produce gastric acid to aid this continuous digestion. However, a horse’s stomach is relatively small, making up only about 9% of the total digestive system (approximately 8 litres in volume) and is shaped like a rugby ball. Food may spend as little as 15 minutes in the stomach, with the majority of digestion occurring in the hindgut.
This makes it essential to keep digestive systems moving by feeding 1.5% to 2% of the horse’s body weight per day in good quality fibre. Over 65% of the equine digestive system is dedicated to fibre digestion, making it a cornerstone of optimal equine health. Additionally, fibre fermentation by gut microbes generates heat, which helps keep the horse warm – especially important in colder months.
Hay – feeding high quality hay at around 2% of the horse’s body weight typically meets the horse’s fibre requirements for maintenance.
Haylage – more digestible and nutritionally richer than hay. Contains less dry matter and produces less dust, making it ideal for horses with respiratory issues. However, due to its lower dry matter content, larger quantities are needed to meet fibre needs.
Alfalfa – a nutrient-dense forage, alfalfa (also known as Lucerne) is higher in energy and protein that hay or haylage. It’s commonly included in chaffs and complete feeds rather than fed as a primary fibre source. It is especially useful for performance horses or those needing extra condition.
Sugar Beet Pulp – a valuable source of fibre and also provides slow-release energy. When soaked, it becomes soft and easily digestible, making it well-suited for senior horses, fussy eaters, or those with dental issues.
Always ensure that forage is clean, dust-free and free from ragwort. When possible, choose low sugar forage, particularly for horses prone to laminitis or other sugar-sensitive metabolic conditions. Monitoring the quality of your fibre sources plays a major role in maintaining gut health, weight and overall wellbeing.
In a horse’s diet, energy primarily derives from carbohydrates and fats. Carbohydrates can be divided into three categories: sugars, starch and fibre.
Sugar and starches, typically found in cereals, grains and concentrated hard feeds, provide a quick energy source. However, horses often struggle to metabolise starch effectively, which can be harmful to those with – or predisposed to – metabolic conditions.
Oil is an excellent, slow-release energy source that can be highly beneficial for horses which need extra energy without the risks associated with sugar and starch. Oil contains up to 2.5 times more digestible energy than oats or carbohydrate sources. It also supports healthy weight gain, encourages a shiny coat and supple skin, and does so without increasing excitability.
Our cold-pressed rapeseed oil, NEOflo, is manufactured to human food standards at our oil seed crushing plant near Oldmeldrum. It provides a balanced source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, along with natural antioxidants including vitamin E and polyphenols (complex plant-derived antioxidants)
Oil is a flexible and fully adjustable energy source that can be tailored to meet the daily needs of individual horses. Horses can be fed at up to 1ml per kg of bodyweight – for example, a 500kg horse can safely receive up to 500ml of oil per day.
For best results, high-oil diets should always be fed in combination with:
When feeding oil, it is essential to choose a cold-pressed product – such as rapeseed or linseed oil – to preserve its full nutritional value. Oils which are chemically extracted and/or subjected to heat lose important nutrients and health benefits during processing.
Although required in only small amounts, vitamins and minerals play a vital role in a horse’s health, wellbeing, and performance.
Deficiencies, while often hard to detect, can lead to a wide range of issues including:
Unfortunately, deficiencies can often take time to become noticeable and even longer to correct. While we all hope for instant results from supplements, the benefits – especially visual ones – take time to appear.
Take hooves, for example: a mature horse’s hoof grows on average 6-10mm per month from the coronet band downwards. This means it can take at least 6-9 months for new, healthy growth to make up the majority of the hoof. It’s one of the few places where you can visually track progress, unlike many internal issues caused by deficiencies.
The form of the supplement is just as important as the ingredients themselves. Most trace minerals are available in different forms or “salts”. For example, Zinc may appear as:
Each has varying concentrations and bioavailability – that is, how well the horse can absorb and utilise the mineral. Chelated minerals are considered the gold standard for equine nutrition as they bind to proteins or amino acids, making them easier for the digestive tract to absorb.
Research shows that horses in work have increased requirement for certain minerals, so a diet containing chelated minerals provide several advantages:
For these reasons, chelates are often preferred in high quality equine supplements, especially for horses in training, competition, or growth phases.
Amino acids are organic compounds that serve as building blocks of proteins which are essential for almost every function in the horse’s body – from muscle development to immune response.
There are 21 amino acids, 9 of which are considered essential, meaning the horse must obtain them through its diet.
Two of the most limiting essential amino acids in equine nutrition are:
These must be present in sufficient quantities for the horse to effectively utilise other amino acids and form complete proteins.
Inadequate protein or amino acid intake can result in a range of health and performance issues, including:
Because horses cannot store excess amino acids, they must be supplied consistently through the diet by using high-quality protein sources and/or supplementation.
Grass and forage, while important, are typically low in key amino acids like lysine and methionine. Therefore, it’s important to achieve the correct balance - meeting the horse’s needs without over-supplementing total protein, which can burden the kidneys or lead to unnecessary nitrogen excretion.
Norvite Equine Nutrition’s Advanced vitamin and mineral supplement delivers a high level of essential nutrients including Lysine and Methionine to support:
The saying, “No hoof, no horse”, always rings true.
Hoof health is influenced by a range of factors, including:
Healthy hooves don't happen in isolation. Hoof health requires a whole horse approach, with gut health, a balanced diet and good farriery all playing key roles. Fortunately, these are areas where horse owners can make a real difference.
An imbalanced diet can affect every aspect of equine health, including keratin formation and horn condition.However, it's important to manage expectations as hoof improvements take time. A mature horse’s hoof grows only 6–10mm per month from the coronet band downwards. This means it can take 6 to 9 months for healthier growth to fully replace older, damaged hoof.
The hoof wall is primarily made of keratin, a structural protein. The following nutrients are essential for its production and maintenance:
A high-quality supplement providing these elements can support long-term hoof strength, structure and resilience.
A healthy digestive system is vital to your horse’s overall health and performance. However, the equine digestive tract is delicate and sensitive to common stressors such as:
Even minor disturbances can lead to loose droppings, reduced appetite, or in more serious cases to colic. Since many of these stressors are unavoidable, digestive supplements and gut balancers play a crucial role in supporting your horse’s digestive health.
Digestive supplements often contain a blend of prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics - each offering unique support for gut function:
Probiotics
Live beneficial microbes (such as bacteria, yeast and fungi) which:
Prebiotics
Non-digestible fibres that serve as food for the good microbes already living in the gut. Common prebiotics in equine nutrition include:
Postbiotics
These are beneficial by-products produced after prebiotics and probiotics are digested. They may include enzymes, peptides and short-chain fatty acids which help to:
