Horses are hindgut fermenters that need a forage-first diet — primarily hay and pasture grass. Concentrates supplement when energy demands are high. Electrolytes are critical during work and heat. The calcium-to-phosphorus ratio matters more than in most species.
Daily nutritional needs for adult horses — hover any bar to explore. Log scale.
Fiber is the single most important nutrient in your horse's entire diet — it is quite literally what their digestive system was built for. Horses …
Electrolytes — primarily sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, and magnesium — are critical minerals that regulate fluid balance, nerve impulses, and muscle contractions throughout your horse's …
Selenium is a trace mineral that plays an outsized role in your horse's health, primarily as a partner to vitamin E in the antioxidant defense …
Vitamin E is the primary fat-soluble antioxidant in your horse's body, working at the cell membrane level to protect tissues from oxidative damage during exercise, …
Protein provides the amino acid building blocks your horse needs for muscle development and repair, hoof growth, coat quality, immune function, and the production of …
Omega-3 fatty acids — primarily alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) from plant sources and EPA and DHA from marine sources — are powerful anti-inflammatory compounds that support …
Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin that has become one of the most widely supplemented nutrients in equine nutrition, primarily because of its well-documented role …
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your horse's body, with roughly 99 percent stored in bones and teeth. It is essential for skeletal strength, …
Phosphorus is the second most abundant mineral in your horse's body, working alongside calcium to build and maintain the skeleton. About 80 percent of phosphorus …
Magnesium supports muscle relaxation, nerve signaling, bone structure, and activates over 300 enzyme systems in your horse's body. It has gained particular attention in the …
Potassium is the most abundant intracellular electrolyte in your horse's body, critical for muscle contraction, heart rhythm, nerve signaling, and maintaining proper fluid balance. It …
Sodium is the primary electrolyte in extracellular fluid, responsible for maintaining blood volume, regulating fluid balance, transmitting nerve impulses, and driving the thirst mechanism. Horses …
Chloride is the major extracellular anion, working alongside sodium to maintain fluid balance, blood volume, and proper pH throughout your horse's body. It is also …
Iron is essential for producing hemoglobin in red blood cells, which carries oxygen from the lungs to every working muscle and organ. It also supports …
Zinc is involved in over 300 enzyme reactions and is particularly important for hoof quality, skin integrity, coat health, wound healing, and immune function in …
Copper is essential for connective tissue formation, cartilage development, iron metabolism, coat pigmentation, and bone integrity in horses. It is a critical nutrient for growing …
Vitamin A supports vision (especially night vision and adaptation to changing light), immune defense, skin and coat integrity, reproductive function, and proper growth in young …
Vitamin D regulates calcium and phosphorus absorption and directs these minerals into bones and teeth. Horses synthesize vitamin D3 through their skin when exposed to …
Fat is the most energy-dense nutrient available, providing roughly 2.25 times more calories per gram than carbohydrates or protein. For horses in hard work, fat …
Water is arguably the most important nutrient for your horse's survival. Horses can survive weeks without food but only days without water. Water is essential …
Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting and plays a role in bone metabolism. Horses obtain vitamin K from two sources: green forages (vitamin K1/phylloquinone) …
Unlike guinea pigs and humans, horses synthesize their own vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in the liver, so it is not a dietary essential. However, endogenous …
Thiamine is essential for nerve function and energy metabolism, particularly the processing of carbohydrates into usable energy. Horses obtain thiamine from both dietary sources (grains, …
Riboflavin supports cellular energy production, healthy skin, eye function, and red blood cell formation. Horses receive riboflavin from forage, grains, and hindgut bacterial synthesis. Good-quality …
Niacin supports energy metabolism, skin integrity, digestive tract health, and nervous system function. Horses are efficient at synthesizing niacin from the amino acid tryptophan and …
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) is a key component of coenzyme A, which sits at the center of energy metabolism in every cell of your horse's …
Vitamin B6 plays a central role in amino acid metabolism — it helps your horse's body process and rearrange the amino acids from dietary protein …
Folate (vitamin B9) is essential for cell division and DNA synthesis, making it critically important during periods of rapid growth, tissue repair, and pregnancy. In …
Vitamin B12 is essential for red blood cell production, nervous system maintenance, and the activation of folate for DNA synthesis. Unlike many other vitamins, B12 …
Iodine is a trace mineral that your horse's body uses almost exclusively for one purpose: making thyroid hormones (T3 and T4). These hormones regulate metabolic …
Omega-6 fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid, are essential fats that your horse's body cannot manufacture and must obtain from the diet. They form a critical …
Glucosamine is a naturally occurring amino sugar that serves as a building block for cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and the synovial fluid that lubricates joints. Your …
Chondroitin sulfate is a major structural component of cartilage, responsible for its remarkable ability to resist compression and absorb shock. It works by attracting and …
Probiotics are live beneficial microorganisms — primarily bacteria and yeasts — that support the health and balance of your horse's enormous hindgut microbial ecosystem. The …
Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers and oligosaccharides that selectively feed the beneficial bacteria in your horse's hindgut. While probiotics add live organisms, prebiotics nourish the microbes …
Carbohydrates are the primary energy source in your horse's diet, but the type of carbohydrate matters enormously. Structural carbohydrates (fiber from hay and pasture) are …
Sugar in the equine context includes simple sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose) and fructans (a storage carbohydrate in cool-season grasses). While sugar provides quick-release energy, horses …
Chromium is a trace mineral that enhances the action of insulin, helping cells respond more effectively to insulin's signal to take up glucose from the …
Molybdenum is an ultra-trace mineral that serves as a cofactor for several enzymes involved in sulfite detoxification and purine metabolism. For horse owners, molybdenum is …
Cobalt is a trace mineral whose primary importance in your horse's body is indirect: hindgut bacteria require cobalt to synthesize vitamin B12. Without adequate cobalt, …
Fluoride is a trace element that incorporates into tooth enamel and bone, making them harder and more resistant to decay. However, horses have no established …
Oxalates are naturally occurring compounds in certain plants that bind tightly to calcium in the gut, forming insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that the body cannot …
Phytate (phytic acid) is the primary storage form of phosphorus in grains, seeds, and legumes. While it contributes phosphorus to your horse's diet, phytate also …
Goitrogens are naturally occurring compounds found in cruciferous vegetables (kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips) and some other plants that interfere with the thyroid gland's ability …
Flavonoids are a diverse group of plant-based antioxidant compounds found in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and some forages. They include quercetin, rutin, hesperidin, and catechins, among …
