Equine Nutrition and Welfare: Getting the Basics Right

Correct nutrition is foundational to horse welfare, with both undernutrition and overnutrition causing significant health problems, and many horses suffering from preventable diet-related conditions.

Key Facts

Horses evolved as continuous grazers spending 12-16 hours per day consuming fibrous roughage
Gastric ulcers affect an estimated 60-90% of racehorses and up to 60% of performance horses due to restricted feeding
Equine metabolic syndrome and laminitis are strongly associated with excessive calorie intake relative to exercise level
Many horses and ponies are overweight — studies suggest 30-40% of UK horses are in overweight or obese body condition
Access to adequate forage is both a nutritional and psychological requirement, as horses need to chew for dental health and stress reduction
Stabling without access to forage for more than 4-6 hours can cause measurable stress and gastric acid damage
Micronutrient deficiencies — particularly selenium, vitamin E, and copper — cause specific health problems in grazing horses

Welfare Considerations

Nutritional welfare in horses encompasses both the provision of adequate nutrients and the manner in which food is delivered. Horses evolved for continuous low-level intake of fibrous plant material; management systems that restrict forage access to two or three feeding times per day leave horses without food for extended periods, causing gastric acid accumulation, stereotypic crib-biting and wind-sucking, and measurable psychological stress. Conversely, unrestricted access to high-energy grass — particularly for good-doer ponies and horses with insulin resistance — causes obesity, laminitis, and metabolic disease causing chronic pain. The welfare challenge is managing individual horses at their appropriate body condition while maintaining adequate forage provision. Slow-feeder hay nets, soaked hay, and track systems that allow constant movement between food sources represent practical tools for providing continuous forage without excessive calorie delivery. Regular body condition scoring — not relying on subjective impression — is the most reliable tool for identifying nutritional welfare problems before they become severe.

What You Can Do

Provide horses with continuous access to forage to prevent gastric ulcer development and psychological stress
Assess body condition score regularly using validated numeric scales rather than subjective impression
Use slow-feeder systems to prolong forage access without delivering excessive calories in good-doer horses
Work with an equine nutritionist to balance diet and supplementation to individual requirements and workload