The following article is based on Danvers Child and Jessica Normand's presentation at the 2018 International Hoof-Care Summit. To watch the presentation, click here.

The modern horse’s diet is often lacking in core nutritional factors. Jessica Normand, senior director of product research and development at SmartPak, shared those concerns — and how to help address them through supplements — at the 15th annual International Hoof-Care Summit in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dietary Considerations

“A lot of horse owners rely on fortified commercial feeds, which certainly play an important role in many horses’ diets,” Normand explains.

“‘Fortified’ means that the feed company has formulated a product with added vitamins, minerals and sources of protein.”

These products are intended to meet all the horse’s nutritional needs — but the whole serving size must be fed for that feed product to provide adequate levels of vitamins and minerals. However, many horses — especially those in little to no work — don’t need the calories a full serving of fortified grain provides.

“Many horses, including my own, are easy keepers. With horses like this it is…