Feeding our Horses Healthy

"If a body is undernourished – and by that I don’t mean starved; I mean lack of actual healthy nutrient ‘nourishment’ – it doesn't matter how many herbs and tinctures we throw at them. If the body isn’t being nourished with the basics of a healthy, whole foods diet, appropriate to the species, then those herbs can only go so far in helping to resolve their conditions."

Dr Tieraona Low Dog, Herbalist

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering “How on earth did feeding horses get so tricky?” - you’re not alone.

To answer that, we need to step back a little and look at what’s happened to our soils, our crops, and ultimately the food our horses eat. It’s a bigger story than most people realise, and once you see the backdrop, everything about modern feeding suddenly makes sense.

Did you know?

Modern farming practices over the last half-century have significantly reduced soil quality ...

- and with it, the nutrient value of the plants and crops we feed our horses. That loss of nourishment flows directly into the feed bowl.

Everything starts with the gut, and how we feed our horses. Ultra-processed feeds, degraded soils, environmental toxins, and chronic stress have collectively created an epidemic of nutrient deficiencies - often hidden behind shiny bags and clever marketing.

That’s why we’ve devoted an entire section of our site to helping you understand what’s really going on, so you can make informed, confident feeding choices for your horse.

• Many crops used in commercial feeds are sprayed with multiple chemical cocktails during growth - including some known carcinogens.
• After harvesting, feeds are often treated with chemical mould inhibitors.
• To maximise profit, mixes are frequently bulked out with low-value fillers rather than meaningful nutrition.
• Molasses, sweeteners, and high-sugar ryegrass (sometimes exceeding 30% sugar) are added to increase palatability - so you think your horse likes the feed you've chosen so you keep buying it. Yet it's actually encouraging craving rather than nourishment.
• Added vitamins and minerals are typically synthetic, not food-based.

Meanwhile, your horse’s delicate gut system is quietly paying the price.

This section brings together everything we’ve learned over two decades - so you can learn how to dump the junk, feed your horse in a way that supports their natural biology, and close the nutrient gap.

As Dr Tom O’Brien of Big Bold Health puts it:

“Anything that’s going on in the digestive tract is influenced by what you put in the digestive tract. You put the wrong petrol in a Ferrari, and we know what’s going to happen.”

Our recommendations here are simply that - our opinion. We’re not affiliated with any feed company - no perks, no deals, no incentives. Just 20 years of dedicated research, guided by one clear priority: the wellbeing of the horse.

So why such a large focus on feed? Because it matters — a lot. Much of what goes wrong with our horses begins in the gut and the feed bowl, and navigating the modern feed world can feel like crossing a minefield.

There’s a great deal of spin out there, much of it driven by profit - and it’s making our horses sick.

While there are things you can’t control - stress, sleep, herd dynamics - how you feed your horse is within your power. Your feed room is one of the most powerful places to support your horse’s health - you can fill it with ultra-processed feeds, bulk fillers, and synthetic additives - or with clean, species-appropriate forage-based nutrition the equine gut evolved to digest.

Feed your horse as nature intended, and they’ll thank you for it.

Health starts here.