Let’s talk about... diet

This month we asked our Facebook followers if you consult an equine nutritionist before changing something in your horse’s diet. If the answer is no, where does your feeding advice come from?

My nutritionist, Judy Maxwell, is amazing and has always steered me right on many different feeding issues. I’ll ask my nutritionist more to confirm if I’m heading in the right direction with my horse’s diet and how best to incorporate new changes, as well as what sort of feeds and supplements they’d recommend. Sara McComb I have consulted a nutritionist and would do again; however, it’s hard to find an independent one. I’ve found that nutritionists from feed companies are often biased towards that particular brand, so if you want to go down that route you’ll need to sift through product bias. Otherwise, try to find a nutritionist who isn’t tied to a feeding company, which can be tricky. Janette Carter I’ve never consulted a nutritionist and generally I do my own research before switching feeds. I always check that feeds are low in sugar and starch (less than 12%), and provide my horse with all the nutrients he requires for his size (17.1hh) and the level of work he’s doing. At the moment I school him three times a week and hack twice, with the odd competition thrown in. I’m very happy with our feeding plan and he’s stayed in tip-top condition so far. Carla Manning I tend to do my own research when it comes to feeding. I also use PC-Horse programme to make sure my horse has a balanced diet. This is a multinational horse diet calculation programme developed by a vet and can be found at pc-horse.com. Eileen Quale