Frequently Asked Questions

I suspect that my horse has some food allergies. Is this common? What can I do about it?

Food allergies seem to be quite common in horses. Horses can develop allergies to most feed ingredients. Thus, to control the reaction in your horse, it will be necessary to identify the feeds that cause the reaction. This can be done by trial and error, or an allergy test series can be conducted by some veterinarians. If you elect to test by trial and error, put your horse on local hay or pasture and feed oats and a mineral supplement. If the problem goes away, you can gradually add back other common ingredients until you get a reaction from your animal. If the horse has difficulty from the initial diet, substitute corn or barley for the oats, or try a different forage. Remember: corn has considerably more energy than oats, so feed less. Once you have identified the ingredients that your horse will tolerate, an appropriate formulation can be prepared for your animal. Sometimes a commercial product will be available that does not contain the offending ingredient. (Ask your feed company if it guarantees a fixed formulation on the products you feed your horse.) Other times you will have to formulate an appropriate feed on the farm. Remember that nutrient balance is important to your animal so get help if you need assistance.