With hundreds of equine nutritional supplements on the market, it’s hard to know exactly which one your horse might need, if any at all. While not every horse requires supplements, they can be beneficial in specific circumstances.

According to Paul Siciliano, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University, “A supplement is useful only when it provides nutrients that are lacking in the horse’s base diet.”

The Base Diet: Forage and Feed

Proper nutrition begins with quality forage and feed. Frederick Harper, PhD, extension horse specialist at the University of Tennessee, says, “If you aren’t feeding good hay, you might need to add a nutritional supplement to your horse’s diet.”

Harper emphasizes that the importance of forage shouldn’t be underestimated. “Some horse owners consider hay and pastures to be nothing more than fillers or pacifiers,” he says. “In reality, forages have a great deal of nutritional value, and play a major role in the horse’s diet