Balancing Your Horse’s Diet With Supplements

 amounts of essential nutrients. Determining which product is best for your horse will depend primarily on the results of the hay analysis, but for horses that are predominantly forage fed, it is essential to provide some form of vitamin and mineral supplementation in their daily rations. 

Conditioning Supplements 

On the other end of the spectrum are high-fat supplements designed to be finishers for horses going to sale or in low-energy competition, such as halter horses. They need to look the best they can while not adding a whole lot of extra energy that would normally be expended during physical competition. Fat supplements can act as both — a top dress fed along with a base grain — to add some finishing weight while being a source of cool energy. The omega-3 fatty acid content in high fat supplements also promotes fertility for stallions and mares during breeding season, so if you have broodmares whose diets are primarily forage-based, adding a high-fat supplement prior to breeding can enhance pregnancy success rates. For the performance horse, high-fat supplements provide a source of “cool” calories; and for the exuberant horse they provide elevated vitamin and mineral support for bodily functions as well as coat shine and condition all-in-one. They can be top-dressed for horses that are fed oats or other grains for improved coat condition and overall balancing of the ration. Another example of those needing fat supplements is heavy horse halter breeds. Draft breeds can reach upwards of 900-1000 kg and need a lot of feed compared to sport horse breeds. Due to the quantity of feed required, many draft owners opt to feed oats or base grains along with a forage diet, and then add a conditioning supplement to achieve that pre-show weight and shine, ensuring a balanced diet as well as success in the ring.