Balancing a Forage Based Equine Diet
- Positive Roots Equine
- Jul 18
- 4 min read
Why Do We Need to Balance?
It might not be obvious,especially if your horse is out on pasture, why balancing their diet is necessary. After all, wild horses don’t get supplements or carefully curated feeding plans! However, wild horses have access to a much broader range of plants than domestic horses. While grass is their primary staple, they also consume bushes, trees, berries, and fruits-potentially over 100 plant species throughout the year.
Though their diet isn’t balanced on a daily basis, the long-term variety ensures they receive a broad spectrum of nutrients. Wild horses also have the ability to self-select plants and herbs. Additionally, as they roam large areas, the plant life they consume grows in soils with varying nutrient profiles.
In contrast, domestic horses usually live on monoculture pastures with limited plant diversity. Soil quality may also be poor, depending on land management practices, which further reduces the nutritional value of available forage.
And unlike fresh pasture, key nutrients degrade when grass and legumes are harvested and turned into hay. Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin E are two crucial examples. Most hay is also low in zinc, copper, and sodium-minerals essential to your horse’s health.
Symptoms of an Unbalanced Diet
Although some horses seem to do “fine” on hay or pasture alone, nutritional deficiencies often show up in subtle, but significant, ways.
If you recognize more than one of these symptoms, it’s worth reevaluating the base of your horse’s nutrition plan.
How to Balance?
The most accurate method is to test your hay or pasture through a forage analysis (I recommend Equi-Analytical). You can then compare those results to the National Research Council (NRC) Nutrient Requirements for Horses. Since hay nutrient levels can vary from batch to batch, testing each load is ideal, but if that’s not feasible, using regional forage averages is the next best option. Many well-formulated regional vitamin and mineral supplements are also available, and they often work well outside their specific region too.
Based on average hay analyses and common forage deficiencies, some key nutrient targets for a 1,000 lb horse include at least 450 mg of zinc and 150 mg of copper-though these amounts should be doubled if iron is high, which is common and can interfere with absorption. It’s best to avoid any supplement that includes added iron for this reason. Magnesium should be provided at a minimum of 3.5 grams, and iodine in the range of 1 to 4 mg per day. Sodium is also typically low in forage; about 4 grams per day, which equals roughly 1 ounce or 2 tablespoons of table salt, helps meet baseline needs.
Lastly, Pete Ramey’s “Poor Folk’s Cheater Diet” is a budget friendly option that will still make a notable difference.
Per 1,000 lbs bodyweight:
450 mg Zinc & 150 mg Copper (Double these if iron is high in your area)
2 Tbsp white salt
📖 See: Pete Ramey's Diet Article
If your horse doesn’t have access to at least 12 hours of lush pasture, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E will need to be supplemented. These nutrients support anti-inflammatory responses and overall health. A good starting point for vitamin E is 2,000 IU per day, using a natural form like d-alpha-tocopherol. Some horses, such as seniors or those with chronic health concerns, may benefit from even higher levels-up to 10,000 IU per day is considered safe for a full-sized horse. Chia and flax are great sources of omega-3s, or you can use a combination product like Custom Equine Nutrition’s Omega-E to simplify things.
Salt and iodine are also worth paying attention to. If they’re not included in your mineral balancer, you may need to add 1–2 ounces of plain salt daily and around 4 mg of iodine.
Selenium/chromium may require supplementation depending on regional soil content.
📍 Want to know if your area is selenium-deficient?
Check out this Selenium Soil Map of the USA by Dr. Kellon.
Summary: A Simple Forage-Based Diet Plan
Forage 1.5–2% of body weight per day (ideally hay or pasture)
Forage-Based Carrier Soaked hay pellets or beet pulp
Salt 1–2 oz white salt (iodized or not) daily and/or offer free-choice loose salt
Natural Vitamin E
Start at 2,000 IU/day
Emcelle, Black Horse Products Vitamin E, BioStar SunnE 1000, etc.
Omega-3s
Chia or flax are effective
Custom Equine Nutrition’s Omega-E covers both omega-3 and vitamin E
Trace Mineral Balancer
Good options include: California Trace Plus, Vermont Blend, KIS Trace, Mad Barn Amino Trace+, HorseTech custom blends, etc.
Grains and Ration Balancers
Grains, complete feeds, ration balancers, and other concentrates are typically balanced within themselves, but only if fed at the full recommended amount based on your horse’s weight. However, they are not always balanced in relation to your horse’s forage. While they may cover absolute deficiencies, they can create nutrient excesses or relative deficiencies due to mineral imbalances.
While concentrates may address absolute deficiencies, they can also cause mineral excesses which when present may compete with others for absorption. Iron is a common culprit-often present in high levels-and can contribute to relative deficiencies in zinc and copper.
📌 Custom Equine Nutrition’s graphic offers a great visual summary of this concept.
Final Thoughts
Concentrates offer a convenient “shotgun” approach to nutrition. But targeted mineral balancing based on forage content provides what your horse actually needs, addressing both absolute and relative deficiencies for optimal health and performance.
🎁 Need a Clear Starting Point?
Grab your free cheat sheet: “The Forage-First Horse” -it includes a concise front-and-back summary plus a supplement comparison chart to guide your decision-making. It’s the perfect resource to print out or save on your phone for quick reference at feed time.
Need more personalized help? I offer 1:1 consultations to support you in creating a balanced diet tailored to your horse’s specific needs.
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