Signs a horse's diet is not effective include weight loss, a dull hair coat, and a lack of energy. | Photo: iStock

Signs your horse’s feed isn’t doing its job and how to fix it

That handsome gray gelding greets you enthusiastically with nickers at every mealtime. He licks his feed bin clean daily. Yet, he sports a poor-quality coat. Maybe he lacks energy during lessons. Or, he can’t seem to put on weight. Something with his feed just isn’t working.

Signs like these often alert savvy owners that their feed’s at fault. “Probably the most common reason clients call our clinic is weight loss,” says Dana Reeder, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (equine), clinical assistant professor of equine field services at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, in Blacksburg, Virginia. Second to weight loss, lackluster hair coat or lack of topline muscling can also be why owners seek veterinary advice about their horses’ diets.

Sound familiar? Let’s get to the bottom of why your feeding program might not be working for your horse