RUDIX Nutrition

Equine Nutrition 101: Fueling Your Horse for Health & Performance 🐎

Proper nutrition is the foundation of a healthy, happy horse. Whether your horse is a companion, athlete, or working partner, a balanced diet plays a key role in overall well-being.

🌿Forage Comes First
High-quality hay or pasture should make up the majority of your horse's diet. Horses are natural grazers, and consistent forage supports digestion and gut health.

🥣Balance is Everything
Grains and concentrates can provide additional energy-but they should only be fed based on your horse's workload, age, and condition. Overfeeding can lead to serious health issues.

💧Hydration Matters
Fresh, clean water should always be available.
Horses can drink 5-10+ gallons a day depending on activity and weather.

🧂Don't Forget Minerals & Salt
Salt blocks or loose minerals help maintain electrolyte balance and support essential body functions.

⚖️Monitor Body Condition
Regularly assess your horse's weight and condition.
Small changes in diet can make a big difference over time.

👩🏼‍⚕️Work With Professionals
Consulting with a veterinarian or equine nutritionist ensures your horse's diet is tailored to their specific needs.

✨A well-fed horse isn't just about appearance-it's about long-term health, performance, and quality of life.

Six Steps to Feeding a Pregnant Mare

Choosing to breed a mare involves a multitude of decisions, some that require protracted thought (“What stallion should I choose?”) and others that can be made almost instantly (“Who will foal out the mare? Me, of course!”). Providing adequate nutrition for the mare as she transitions from one trimester to the next need not be difficult. Use the following six guidelines to stay on track, helping to ensure the delivery of a healthy, nutritionally robust foal.

1. Familiarize yourself with body condition scoring. If you’re not proficient at body scoring yet, having a pregnant mare in your care is an opportune time to start. As pregnancy advances, the mare will inevitably gain weight, mostly in her abdomen. Key points of fat deposition, however, should remain similar throughout the duration of her gestation. A pregnant mare should be kept in moderate to moderately fleshy body condition throughout pregnancy.

Body condition above a score of 6 only adds unnecessary weight to the mare’s limbs, and this could be difficult for a mare that has soundness issues, including arthritic changes from past performance careers. One exception to this point: if a mare is known to drop weight exceedingly fast at the onset of lactation, she might be kept at a slightly higher body condition score to help cope with the energy drain of milk production.

2. Provide vitamins and minerals. For the first seven or eight months of pregnancy, the mare requires no special upgrade in calories. She does, however, need sufficient intake of high-quality feedstuffs to maintain moderate body condition. The primary feedstuff should be good-quality forage in the form of pasture or hay, and a source of essential vitamins and minerals. These nutrients can come from a well-fortified textured or pelleted feed formulated especially for pregnant mares, or from a balancer pellet, which is a concentrated source of protein, vitamins, and minerals. If the mare needs the calories from feed to maintain her weight, be sure she consumes the recommended amount as provided by the feeding instructions. This way, her vitamin and mineral needs will be satisfied, as will those of her developing fetus.

3. Resist the temptation to overfeed. A common management mistake among well-meaning mare owners is overfeeding during the first seven to eight months of pregnancy. The fetus does not grow at an even rate during pregnancy; in fact, most fetal growth occurs in the final three months of gestation. Because of this, energy needs of the pregnant mare do not increase greatly until then. Keeping the mare in moderate to moderately fleshy body condition and supplying appropriate vitamin and mineral nutrition are the most important management tips during early pregnancy and midpregnancy. Mares should never be obese, as this can make delivery more difficult.

4. Reconsider energy levels in late pregnancy. During the last three to fourth months of pregnancy, the mare’s requirement for energy increases as the fetus grows. Providing the mare with high-quality forage on a free-choice basis can add calories to the diet. The mare should continue to be fed a feed designed for pregnant mares or a balancer pellet at the manufacturer’s recommended amount.

Gauge the diet through regular, preferably weekly, body condition scoring. As the weight of the fetus and associated fluids increases, the abdomen drops, and gravity will sometimes cause the flesh to pull tightly against the ribs of the mare, allowing a hint of rib to show. This is normal, especially among aged mares with relaxed toplines that have had many foals, so it is essential that all regions of the body are inspected for fat deposition, such as the crest of the neck, along the shoulder bed, over the croup, and near the top of the tail.

In addition to high-quality hay and well-fortified feeds, mares can be given extra calories through the provision of stabilized rice bran or vegetable oil (ideally soybean or canola oil).

5. Salt, water, and fescue. As with all horses, provide a pregnant mare with free-choice access to a fresh, clean water source and a salt block or loose salt. One type of hay or pasture to avoid is fescue, which is often infected with an endophyte that causes problems in pregnant mares, including prolonged gestation, difficult delivery, and lack of milk. Make sure all bedding is free of fescue, too.

6. Rely on an equine nutritionist. The fundamentals of feeding a pregnant mare are straightforward, though occasionally a scenario pops up that requires the help of a professional. When in doubt, recruit a nutritionist for assistance.

Kentucky Equine Research

🚨 Colitis in Horses: What Every Owner Should Know 🚨

Colitis is a serious condition that causes inflammation of the large intestine and can quickly become life-threatening if not addressed promptly.

🔎 Common Signs of Colitis:
• Sudden diarrhea (often severe)
• Fever
• Depression or lethargy
• Loss of appetite
• Signs of colic
• Dehydration
• Increased heart rate

⚠️ Possible Causes:
Colitis can develop for several reasons, including:
• Stress (transport, illness, hospitalization)
• Sudden feed changes
• Certain medications, especially antibiotics
• Bacterial infections
• Sand ingestion or toxins
• In older horses, poor digestion of forage — aging horses may lose dental efficiency or digestive function, which can prevent them from properly breaking down hay. Undigested forage reaching the hindgut can disrupt normal gut bacteria and contribute to inflammation that may lead to colitis.

💧 Management & Supportive Care:
Colitis is considered a veterinary emergency and treatment should always involve your veterinarian. Care often focuses on:
• Aggressive fluid therapy to prevent dehydration
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Gastrointestinal protectants
• Probiotics or hindgut support products
• Careful monitoring of vital signs and hydration

🌾 Prevention Tips:
• Make feed changes gradually
• Maintain regular dental care, especially in senior horses
• Consider easier-to-digest forage options for older horses (soaked hay, chopped forage, or senior feeds when appropriate)
• Reduce stress during travel or management changes
• Maintain good biosecurity practices
• Work closely with your veterinarian when using antibiotics

💡 Key Takeaway:
Early recognition and rapid veterinary care can significantly improve outcomes. If your horse develops sudden diarrhea or signs of illness, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Education and proactive management are key to protecting your horse’s health.

Did you know that feeding your horse a small amount of hay before riding is very beneficial?

Here are a few reason reasons why:

1. Protects the stomach from ulcers

Horses produce stomach acid continuously, even when they aren’t eating. Because of this, exercising on an empty stomach can allow acid to splash onto the upper part of the stomach lining. This can contribute to Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome.

Eating hay before work creates a fibrous “mat” in the stomach that helps absorb and block some of that acid during movement.

2. Mimics a horse’s natural eating pattern

In the wild, horses graze most of the day. Giving them a little hay before riding helps mimic this natural behavior and keeps their digestive system functioning the way it was designed to.

3. Provides safe, slow-release energy

Hay provides fiber-based energy, which is slow and steady. A small amount won’t make a horse overly full or sluggish, but it can help prevent them from feeling depleted during work.

4. Keeps horses calmer and more focused

A slightly hungry horse can sometimes be more anxious or distracted. Allowing them to nibble hay first can help them feel more settled before training.

5. Supports overall digestive health

Fiber keeps the gut moving and supports the microbes in the horse’s hindgut that are responsible for digestion.

Feeding the Foot: Nutrition for Equine Hoof Health

Nutrition impacts everything from performance and temperament to growth and metabolic rate. Hoof quality is no exception. It can take up to a year for a full new hoof to grow, so what your horse eats today could impact his soundness much further down the road. In this article two equine nutritionists—Lynn Taylor, PhD, and Ashley Wagner, PhD—shed light on the do’s and don’ts of feeding for optimal hoof health.

The Recipe for Healthy Hooves
Your horse’s diet plays a crucial role in the quality and durability of the horn that makes up his hooves. Horses require certain nutrients in specific amounts and ratios to grow and maintain strong hooves. However, even the perfect diet is not enough by itself to grow good feet—­several other factors come into play. Management, exercise, metabolic rate, hoof care including trimming and shoeing, overall health, genetics, and climate (moisture levels, in particular) can all affect the appearance and strength of horses’ feet—and not always for the better. The bottom line is hoof health requires a very holistic (whole horse) approach.

The Hoof Is a Living, Breathing Organ
You’ve probably noticed those well-defined horizontal ridges that encircle some horses’ feet, but do you know what they are or how they came to be? Growth rings, as they’re known, show how the hooves have responded to the horse’s diet and health over time. They can appear following a period of systemic illness or reflect changes in nutrition—for example, when a horse consumes rich grass in the spring or suffers a bout of starvation. Monitoring the appearance of your horses’ hooves regularly will help you track progress and identify potential nutrition-related problems.

Keep in mind that the hoof grows slowly (about one-third of an inch per month), from the coronary band down and from the inside out. This slow growth rate means months will pass before your horse’s current health and dietary status starts to manifest in his feet. Taylor, a professor of equine science at Centenary University, in Hackettstown, New Jersey, and the owner of a private equine nutrition consulting business, says that in some cases she’s had to wait more than 18 months to see real changes. This extended interval is, in her experience as a consultant, the No. 1 issue horse owners face when adjusting diet to improve hoof quality. For example, they might add a new supplement but give up before the product has had time to produce visible results. Patience and persistence are key.

Feeding the Feet: Ingredients That Build Strong Hooves
Energy
Starting on a very basic and fundamental level, horses grow strong and healthy hooves by consuming enough energy. Here’s why this is so important: A horse that burns more calories than he consumes will save these precious energy-packed calories for vital organs and bodily functions, while external structures such as hooves and hair get the short end of the stick. Balance, however, is key. A horse that consumes an energy-rich diet that is too high in the nonstructural carbohydrates starch and sugar is at an increased risk of developing laminitis (a debilitating hoof disease that occurs when the laminae suspending the coffin bone within the hoof capsule fail). The same can be said of a severely overweight horse; obesity increases the chance of developing metabolic disturbances similar to diabetes in humans, which can also lead to laminitis.

Protein
The healthiest horses have balanced diets, meaning they receive all the necessary nutrients in correct amounts and ratios, with no imbalances, excesses, or deficiencies. Certain ingredients affect hoof health specifically, and protein is high on that list. This is primarily because the hoof horn is composed of an insoluble protein called keratin.

“Keratin provides the unique combination of strength, hardness, and flexibility of the hoof capsule,” says Wagner, who also runs an equine nutritional consulting business from her home base in Cheriton, Virginia.

Like all proteins, keratin is made up of amino acids, which the horse digests and uses to build and maintain various body tissues. Specific amino acids exist naturally in the hoof and help ensure its proper structure and function. These include cystine, arginine, leucine, lysine, proline, serine, glycine, and valine, as well as lower amounts of methionine, phenylalanine, and histidine. That’s a lot of ingredients to remember, so a good recommendation is simply to feed a diet containing all 10 essential amino acids, because adding only certain ones to the diet has the potential to throw it off balance. What makes certain amino acids “essential” is the body’s inability to produce enough of them naturally. The horse must, therefore, ingest them in his diet in the form of protein. While protein is essential for hoof health, beware of excesses. Overfeeding protein is a waste of an expensive ingredient and can be detrimental in hot weather because digesting it generates extra body heat and increases water requirements. This can be problematic for high-performance horses that travel and exercise in hot, humid conditions, because these athletes are already predisposed to dehydration and heat stress.

Fat
This nutrient by itself doesn’t improve hoof quality. However, it contributes greatly to energy intake, indirectly supporting hoof health. Feeding fat also helps maintain a barrier in the hoof, keeping bacteria and fungi out. Fat is a safe and effective energy source for most horses and benefits many structures beyond the hoof.

Biotin
Nutritionists consider vitamin B7, better known as biotin, to be the single most important vitamin for hoof health. Biotin contains sulfur, an element that contributes to the strength of the bonds between collagen strands in connective tissues, including in the hoof wall. Several studies going back decades have shown biotin to be effective at restoring the strength and elasticity of a hoof wall with structural defects (Kempson 1987; Wintzer 1986). The good news is biotin exists naturally in grass, concentrates, bran, and yeast, so your horse is probably already getting the recommended dosage of 15-20 milligrams/day (that’s for the average 1,100-pound horse). Because biotin is a water-soluble vitamin (as opposed to a fat-soluble one), the body simply excretes any excess, eliminating the risk of toxicity and making it very safe to feed. Some horses, however, respond better to biotin supplementation than others.

“It is not a silver bullet,” Wagner explains. “Biotin seems to be beneficial specifically for horses with brittleness of the hoof due to deterioration of the stratum externum (the outermost layer of the hoof wall).”

Gut health
Another ingredient in the healthy hoof recipe that you might not immediately consider is the beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. “Supporting a healthy gut microbiome is critical because the microbes in the hindgut produce B-complex vitamins, which may assist with blood flow to the hoof,” Taylor says.

Wagner even recommends considering a general gut health supplement. “If there are gastrointestinal issues in digestion and absorption or with microbial dysbiosis (imbalance), then the utilization of the nutrients fed is also reduced,” she says.

Minerals
Of the key minerals, zinc plays an important role in keratinizing and maintaining hoof strength. Research has shown that weak hooves are sometimes associated with low zinc levels in the blood (Harrington et al., 1973). Horses also need calcium to bind cells to each other in the horn. Feeding the correct calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is a tenet in equine nutrition, because excess phosphorus can interfere with calcium absorption and cause an array of health problems. It’s important when considering hoof health, because a lack of calcium can weaken the hooves.

Indeed, just like amino acids, “minerals function in groups,” Taylor says, “and changing the amount fed of one or two can disrupt the absorption and utilization of other minerals.”

Feeding too much zinc, for example, will compromise copper and iron metabolism. Selenium helps build strong hooves, but excessive amounts actually compromise the horn’s quality, as can too much of the amino acid methionine. It’s all about finding an equilibrium in the nutrients.

“Always make sure the horse’s diet is balanced,” Wagner urges. “An unbalanced diet can negatively impact many areas of health and condition, including hoof health.”

When to Turn to Supplements
Owners, veterinarians, and farriers have reported anecdotally that many nutritional supplements help with brittle feet and hoof cracks, but independent scientific research only supports those containing biotin and methionine. In 1990 a research team from the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland, added a biotin/methionine product (Farrier’s Formula) to the diets of 18 horses with either hoof cracks or flat, bruised feet. All the study horses had improved hoof horn structure (as assessed on a microscopic level) six weeks after supplementation began. These changes were visible to the naked eye, as well. Once they’d grown quality horn, none of the horses relapsed during the two-year experimental period.

Taylor and other nutritionists usually find that horses with good feet don’t tend to show much improvement with supplements, most likely indicating that their basic diet is already meeting all the hooves’ needs. This suggests that your money is best spent making sure your horses’ diets are complete and balanced and feeding nutritional hoof supplements only to those with weak or cracked hooves. And, as always, consult your veterinarian or equine nutritionist to discuss adding any supplement to your horse’s diet.

Take-Home Message
“Horses are individuals and, whether they are shod or barefoot, all have individual hoof health needs,” Taylor says. “There is no ‘ideal’ diet that should be applied to every horse, but every owner should look carefully at the hoof in the context of overall health, environment, exercise, and diet.”

And keep in mind that today’s diet is tomorrow’s hoof—so give your horse the best chance at long-lasting health and soundness.

The Horse

🐴 Managing an Overweight Horse: Why It Matters & What To Do

We all love a “cute and fluffy” horse… but extra weight isn’t just cosmetic — it can be a serious health risk.

Obesity in horses increases the likelihood of:
• Laminitis
• Insulin resistance / Equine Metabolic Syndrome
• Joint strain
• Decreased performance
• Heat intolerance

🔎 First: Know What You’re Looking At
Use the Body Condition Score (BCS) system (1–9 scale). Most horses should fall between a 4–6 depending on discipline. Cresty necks, fat pads behind the shoulder, over the tailhead, and along the ribs are common warning signs.

🥕 Nutrition Adjustments
• Test hay if possible — not all hay is created equal.
• Weigh hay (don’t guess!)
• Limit or eliminate high-sugar concentrates.
• Consider a slow feeder to extend eating time.
• Avoid unrestricted pasture, especially in spring/fall.

🏃‍♀️ Increase Controlled Exercise
Gradual, consistent work is key. Even hand walking is better than nothing. Always consider soundness and fitness level before increasing intensity.

📋 Work With Professionals
Your veterinarian and an experienced equine professional can help design a safe weight-loss plan. Crash dieting can do more harm than good.

Rudix Prime Balancer formula is a great additive for these “easy keepers”

Healthy isn’t always “round” — it’s balanced, fit, and functional.

If you have questions about evaluating overall condition and value in relation to health and management, I’m always happy to talk horses.

Did you know?? ⬇️
Why Roughage Matters in a Horse’s Diet ? 🌾

Roughage (hay and pasture) is the primary source of nutrition for horses. Their digestive system is designed to process fiber continuously throughout the day.

• Supports proper digestion and gut health
• Helps prevent colic and gastric ulcers
• Promotes healthy teeth through natural chewing
• Reduces stress and boredom
• Maintains a balanced hindgut microbiome

Forage should make up the majority of a horse’s daily intake for optimal health and well-being!