Horse Feed FAQs

Explore our comprehensive Horse Feed FAQs, where we provide answers to common questions and address important topics related to equine nutrition, feeding guidelines, dietary considerations, and more, empowering you with the knowledge to make informed decisions and provide optimal nutrition for your horses.

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• How do I classify the ‘activity’ my horse is involved in?

  Please note that these are approximate guidelines designed to provide a starting place when considering the work level of the horse. A horse’s individual needs in light of workload, and environmental conditions should be considered when choosing nutritional solutions.

  Stall rest: Horse is confined to a stall or comparable sized enclosure that severely limits free exercise.

  Maintenance: Nutrient requirements that support or maintain the current body weight and condition.

  Light work / pleasure: Horse is exercised for approximately 1 – 3 hours per week at low intensities, involving mostly walk, some trot, and limited cantering. Examples: recreational riding, horses in early stages of training or conditioning

  Medium work: Horse is exercised for approximately 3 – 5 hours per week with increases in the amount of time spent at the trot and canter compared to horses in light work. Medium work may also incorporate some skill work (e.g. lower level jumping, cutting cattle). Examples: school horses, show horses, recreational riding, lower to mid-level dressage, horses used for ranch work.

  Heavy work: Horse is exercised for approximately 4 – 5 hours per week with increases in the intensity of and/or amount of time spent at the trot, canter, gallop, and skill work compared to horses in medium work. Examples: school horses, show horses (frequent shows, strenuous events), polo horses, horses used for ranch work, low to medium level eventing, race training (middle stages of conditioning), upper level dressage.

  Very heavy work: Horse is exercised for approximately 6 – 12 hours per week at lower intensities, or for approximately 1 hour per week at high intensities (speed work). Examples: elite 3-day eventing, racing (sprint and endurance), grand prix level show jumping.

• What do you recommend for horses with Insulin Resistance or PPID (Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction; “Cushings Disease”)?

  For horses with Insulin Resistance or PPID (Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction; “Cushings Disease”) that are overweight, we recommend Empower Topline Balance as the proper nutritional solution.

  For horses with Insulin Resistance or PPID that are harder keepers, we recommend SafeChoice Senior or SafeChoice Special Care.

• Which feeds have the lowest levels of starch and sugar?

  Empower Topline Balance, SafeChoice Special Care, and SafeChoice Senior Molasses Free have the lowest levels of starch and sugar in the Nutrena product family, with Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSC) as low as 10%. Any of these products support the nutritional needs of horses with metabolic sensitivities such as Cushing’s, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) or Insulin Resistence (IR).

  SafeChoice All Life Stages and SafeChoice Senior are also options for horses who need controlled starch levels in their diet due to potential health conditions, but still need enough starch in their diet to maintain higher performance levels.

• What are your highest & lowest calorie products for horses?

  Nutrena ProForce products are our highest calorie horse feeds. Empower Boost is also available as a high-calorie supplement designed to be fed along with a traditional horse feed. Meanwhile, Empower Topline Balance is Nutrena’s lowest calorie product.