In our effort to ‘cover all the bases,’ many of us feel we have to supplement with fortified grains in an effort to feel secure that we are providing enough vitamins, minerals and protein in our horses diet. Grain may present an unnecessary amount of sugar and starch that may even be dangerous to those horses suffering from laminitis or other forms carbohydrate intolerance. Is the use of broad-spectrum supplements creating an expensive sense of false security? Are we still just guessing about the specific nutritional needs of our horses? Are you wasting money on supplements you may not need, or even making your mineral imbalances worse? Are you assuming that because you feed your foundered pony only grass hay that you have minimized the sugar in his diet? Does your hay provide enough protein for your horse’s stage of growth and activity level? If you are not having your hay analyzed, you cannot answer any of these questions. A hay test can.

As our knowledge of equine nutrition continues to advance, more attention is being focused on individual components of the diet. As pasture or hay is the cornerstone of the equine diet, knowing its composition is vital to assuring our horse’’s needs are being met. Nutrient deficiencies and imbalances in hay are common, even in hay that looks to be of high quality. Too many of us learned how important hay testing is after our horse’s health deteriorated. More informed horse owners are taking proactive measures in hopes of addressing the need for a balanced diet, and as a result the equine supplement industry is booming. Major mineral imbalances contribute to bone disorders such as Developmental Orthopedic Disease (OCD). Trace mineral deficiency is implicated in a broad spectrum of horse health issues including metabolic disorders, bone and muscle disease, hoof and hair quality, immune system dysfunction, poor athletic performance and infertility. Protein content of hay varies widely, and may be deficient or excessive in a ration based totally on forage.

Equine researchers are finding links to disease and excessive amounts of specific carbohydrate fractions in the diet. Orthopedic Developmental Disease, physitis (Glade, 1984), laminitis (Longland, 2006), insulin resistance (Treiber, 2006), exertional rhabdomyolysis, and equine polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) all require minimizing sugar and starch in the diet. With the advent of new testing methods we are finding that sometimes even some hay can be too high in sugar for horses with these carbohydrate intolerant conditions. The source of carbohydrate, rather than caloric estimates of digestible energy have a marked affect on glucose metabolism in ponies (Argenzio 1972). Yet the system of basing equine rations on digestible energy persists, because equine nutritionists haven’t come up with a better system. A more useful method is now available with direct testing for sugar and starch.

It is impossible to determine what is needed to balance a horse’s diet without a complete analysis of the forage being fed. If any ration balancing system, regardless of the level of sophistication, uses tables or averages for determining nutrient content of forage, its validity should be questioned. The nutrient content of forage is comprised of a complex interaction of factors, which include: soil fertility, texture and pH, environmental conditions during growth and hay curing, stage of growth when cut, species and variety of the forage. Mineral content of forage varies enormously from one geographic area to another. It can even vary widely on the same farm, particularly if soil types differ. A river bottom soil may have an entirely different mineral profile from a field on a sandy ridge a half mile away. The hay from the low spot in the field may be very different from the hay grown on the higher ground. One year’s crop may fall short in some nutrients if the farmer could not afford to lime or fertilize that year. Too much manure can cause toxic levels of nitrate in forage. Minerals that may be lacking in the desert Southwest of the U.S. may be found in very high levels on the east coast and vice versa. Equine nutritionists from supplement companies admit privately that their products are based on average needs nationwide, and may not adequately address needs in a specific geographic region. Custom blends of equine supplements directed at targeting mineral needs in a specific region are not as profitable, due to extra expense of duplicating processes, storage and packaging. While some horses may be fortunate enough to live in an area where average mineral supplements meet their needs, those living in areas where minerals vary widely from the average of the whole nation may still fall short, or may be getting additional minerals that are already too high in that region