Natural Feeding: Rethinking the Modern Equine Diet

With emerging science and a growing shift in equine management, is it time we reconsidered how – and what – we feed our horses? I explore whether going back to basics could be the way forward.  

Having owned horses for over 16 years, I’ve seen a big shift in how we’re “supposed” to manage them. When I loaned my first pony back in 2009, the standard routine looked very different: stables were the default, feed buckets brimmed with a cocktail of supplements – even Guinness made the cut at one point (for the iron, apparently) – and options were, frankly, limited.

Fast forward to now, and the landscape has exploded. We’re bombarded with brands, supplements that all claim to do the same thing and conflicting advice from every corner of the internet. It’s overwhelming – and easy to feel like you’re always falling short.

But progress isn’t a bad thing – quite the opposite. The idea of creating a more natural environment for our domesticated horses has been bubbling under the surface for years. Only recently, though, has it started to enter the mainstream. Trying something different is no longer seen as ‘culty’ or ‘quirky’ – it’s often grounded in solid science.

Thanks to ongoing research, we now know that constant access to fibre is essential, that stables might not be doing our horses any favours and that movement plays a key role in keeping the digestive system healthy – just as it would in the wild.

These days, my horse lives out 24/7 – for his gut, his joints and his mind. And with that shift, I’ve found myself rethinking everything he eats on a daily basis. Here’s why.

The importance of forage

Horses are natural trickle feeders – in the wild, they’d graze for most of the day. So, they need access to enough forage (like hay or grass) in a form that lets them eat slowly and steadily for at least 8 hours a day, and ideally closer to 10. This helps keep their digestive system healthy and their minds content.

So, the solution is constant turnout, right? Free access to grass and movement – perfect! Well… not quite.

When Harris refers to forage in his study, it specifically highlights that it needs to be at least 2.5 cm in length. That short, overgrazed laminitic paddock you think is keeping your horse healthy? It might not be doing him any favours.

Longer-stemmed forage – like hay, haylage, or long grass – has been proven to not only increase chewing time (which boosts saliva production and helps break down food more effectively), but it also ensures the molars are properly engaged and grinding as they’re meant to. Unlike us, horses’ teeth grow continuously. If they’re only nibbling short grass or eating finely chopped chaff that practically dissolves in the mouth, they might not get the dental wear they need – which could lead to problems further down the line.

Track living

No stable and no sugary, short grass… so what is the solution? I remember thinking it all sounded impossible as I started digging deeper into this stuff.

Until I discovered track systems.

Track systems are one of the most horse-friendly ways to keep a domestic equine – think ad-lib hay, a surfaced track instead of lush pasture, access to shelter, companionship and enrichment. Really, what more could your horse want?

The more I looked into it, the more I realised that a well-designed track setup is probably the closest we can get to meeting all of a horse’s physical and behavioural needs in a domestic environment. But if you’re on a traditional livery yard or don’t have the option to build a track, it can feel like a dead end.

But don’t lose hope yet. Even if a fully surfaced track isn’t realistic right now – and for many owners, it’s not – there are still plenty of ways to make improvements. From tweaking forage choices to managing turnout more carefully, small changes can make a big difference to your horse’s nutrition and overall wellbeing, even if he’s still on grass for now.

Freedom of choice

One thing we can all aim to offer our horses more of is choice. Simple options – like providing both ad-lib, good-quality hay and access to grass, or offering a few different water buckets (one plain, one with a pinch of salt, another with a splash of apple juice) – can make a big difference, as shown in a recent study in 2023.

Horses are surprisingly good at knowing what their bodies need. By giving them the freedom to choose, we take some of the guesswork out of feeding while encouraging natural foraging behaviours.

Building a safe herb garden for them to browse is another easy win. Not only does it add variety, but it also lets them interact with their environment in a more instinctive way.

Ad-lib hay in a slow-feed net or box keeps them occupied for longer, reduces time spent on short, sugary grass, and ensures a steady intake of long-stem fibre. Combine that with the increased movement of year-round turnout, and you’re laying the groundwork for a healthier, more natural lifestyle – just like that.

Not to mention the enrichment benefits that come from getting a little creative with your fibre routine. Nets inside logs, haynets hung from trees at different heights, even hay balls – all of these simple ideas can help keep your horse’s mind active as well as support his digestive health.

Know what you’re working with

Whether your horse is grass-kept or not, it’s important that their bucket feed complements their forage-based diet, supplying the key vitamins and minerals that might be missing.

The best place to start? A forage analysis. It’s something I’ve recently done myself, and honestly, I think every equestrian establishment should be doing it. By testing your grass and hay, you get a much clearer picture of what your horse is really consuming. For example, I found that my grazing was sky-high in iron and manganese – both of which can block the absorption of vital nutrients like copper and zinc. These trace minerals are essential for overall health, and without knowing the imbalances, I’d have had no idea why things weren’t quite right.

With that information, I was able to choose a balancer specifically designed to address those deficiencies. There are even options to spray the grazing itself to adjust the mineral profile over time.

You can do the same for hay or haylage – and even look at starch and sugar levels, which is a game changer if you’re managing a horse prone to laminitis, EMS, or other metabolic conditions. But that’s a topic for another day.

The point is, we now have the tools to feed based on facts, not fads – and to treat horses as individuals, not as one-size-fits-all cases.

Supplements absolutely have their place, but they should be used with intention. For instance, my horse was already getting too much iodine from the grass – so why was I feeding seaweed? I didn’t know. I thought I was doing the right thing.

True health starts from the inside out. So, if your horse is dealing with persistent abscesses, thrush, skin issues or more, it might be worth looking at what’s going in before reaching for another topical solution off the shelf.

Keep it simple

At the end of the day, feeding really can be simple: if your horse doesn’t need it, don’t feed it. In a world full of noise – marketing claims, social media advice and shelves of supplements – it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But if there’s one thing I hope you take away from this blog, it’s this: the more you understand your individual horse’s diet, the better choices you can make.

We all want the best for our horses, and that starts with being informed. You know your horse better than anyone else, so trust your instincts, back them up with knowledge and don’t be afraid to question what’s in the bucket.

References

Carvalho Seabra, Jéssica, Tanja Hess, Marcos Martinez do Vale, Katherinne Maria Spercoski, Ryan Brooks, and João Ricardo Dittrich. 2023. "Effects of Different Hay Feeders, Availability of Roughage on Abnormal Behaviors and Cortisol Circadian Rhythm in Horses Kept in Dry Lots." Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 130: 104911. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104911.

Ermers, C., N. McGilchrist, K. Fenner, B. Wilson, and P. McGreevy. 2023. "The Fibre Requirements of Horses and the Consequences and Causes of Failure to Meet Them." Animals (Basel) 13 (8): 1414. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13081414.

Harris, P.A., A.D. Ellis, M.J. Fradinho, A. Jansson, V. Julliand, N. Luthersson, A.S. Santos, I. Vervuert. 2017. "Review: Feeding Conserved Forage to Horses: Recent Advances and Recommendations." Animal 11 (6): 958–967. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731116002469.

Petz, M., A. Bartmann, A. Wilkens, and I. Vervuert. 2023. "Changes in Eating Time, Chewing Activity and Dust Concentration in Horses Fed Either Alfalfa Cubes or Long‐Stem Hay." Veterinary Medicine and Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/vms3.1124.

World Horse Welfare. 2019. “‘Who Is Responsible?’ Asks World Horse Welfare at Annual Conference 2019.” November 11, 2019. https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/news/who-is-responsible-asks-world-horse-welfare-at-annual-conference-2019.