Guide To Feeding Your Metabolic Horse

Formulating a healthy diet for a horse with a metabolic condition can feel challenging. What worked for your equine companion in the past might now be contributing to weight gain, laminitis, or other serious health issues.  

If your vet has mentioned that you have a metabolic horse, it’s time to rethink your approach to nutrition. In this guide, we’ll cover how to feed a metabolically compromised equine, which feeds to avoid, and how to create a sustainable nutrition program for long-term health. 

The combination of high-sugar diets, genetics, and limited exercise makes horses and ponies prone to developing obesity, insulin resistance (IR), and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). When a horse is described as “metabolic,” it usually means they have a condition that affects how their body responds to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar (glucose) levels.  

A metabolic horse may not process non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs), sugar, and starch efficiently. These horses often have: 

To avoid these complications, it’s essential to adjust your feeding strategy for horses with metabolic concerns. 

Metabolic conditions in horses also include pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, also known as Cushing’s disease), which affects both the metabolic and endocrine (hormonal) systems. 

• Body condition score (BCS): Your horse’s fat distribution is assessed on a 1–9 scale called the Henneke System. A cresty neck and fat pads over the rump or shoulders are commonly seen in metabolic horses. 

• Body weight: Use a livestock scale or a weight tape, like this one from QiK, to estimate your horse’s body weight. Most horses with EMS are overweight. 

Avoid high-calorie, sugary concentrates, and when possible opt instead for a forage-based diet supplemented with a fortified vitamin and mineral supplement called a ration balancer, like ProElite Grass Advantage. 

Provide Frequent, Small Meals

Large grain meals can lead to spikes in insulin and glucose, which contributes to insulin dysregulation and resistance.  

Split up your horse’s ration into multiple smaller grain meals throughout the day to keep blood sugar levels more stable.  

In between grain meals, use slow feeders or hay nets, like the Tough-1 Slow Feed Web Feeder, to extend eating time and mimic natural grazing behavior. 

Rely on Forage First

Forage—primarily hay—should make up the bulk of a metabolic horse’s diet. Forage supports gut health, provides fiber, and satisfies your horse’s chewing needs.  

Choose low-NSC hay and avoid legume hays like alfalfa, which are often richer in calories and sugars. 

Limit Pasture Access

Fresh grass in pastures can be dangerously high in sugars, particularly in spring and fall, or after a frost or other stressful event.  

Follow your veterinarian’s guidance to manage your horse’s pasture access. Their recommendations may include: 

​​​Choosing the right forage is crucial when feeding a metabolic horse. Not all hay is created equal—sugar and starch levels can vary widely even within the same grass or legume species.

You can have your hay tested and analyzed for NSC content. Just like with concentrates, aim for NSC levels below 10–12%. However, testing can be challenging because even bales within the same hay load can have vastly different NSCs. 

While NSC levels can vary based on geography and season, low-NSC hay options generally include timothy, teff, and mature grass mix hay.  

Additionally, soaking hay in cold water for 30–60 minutes can reduce sugar content by up to 30%. Always drain and feed the soaked hay promptly to prevent mold growth. 

• Sugary treats: Even “healthy” treats like apples and carrots, as well as many commercial horse treats and cookies, can be deceptively sugary. Choose low-sugar options, like Manna Pro NutriGood Low-Sugar Snax Horse Treats, for your metabolic equine companion and offer small amounts for special occasions rather than on a daily basis. 

As we’ve established, horses and ponies who only eat hay—and no grain—need to have their diets balanced with a ration balancer (vitamin/mineral supplement).  

Additional specific minerals that may specifically benefit metabolic horses include: 

Salt

Sodium chloride (salt) is said to be the only mineral that people and animals naturally crave.  

Horses need a healthy amount of salt for electrolyte balance and hydration, so offer salt free-choice or add it to the horse’s daily feed. Salt blocks or loose salt are solid options.  

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Besides minerals, omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed (such as Manna Pro Simply Flax Skin & Coat Horse Supplement) or chia seeds have anti-inflammatory benefits and may support insulin function. These are especially helpful in metabolic horses prone to systemic (bodywide) inflammation or chronic laminitis. 

Horses with PPID often benefit from daily lifelong medication such as pergolide (Prascend), which has to be prescribed by your veterinarian. These horses may be more prone to laminitis and may require closer monitoring of ACTH levels.  

PPID horses may experience muscle and weight loss or a poor topline and therefore require more protein. 

Senior Horses

Older horses with metabolic issues may also have dental problems or reduced digestive efficiency.  

Consider softer forage (like soaked hay cubes instead of long-stemmed hay) and ensure nutrient intake is still meeting their needs, even if they’re eating less.  

Special senior feeds like ProElite Ultra Premium Senior Low Sugar & Low Starch Horse Feed are formulated for metabolic horses and may be useful because they are easier to digest and have low NSC contents. 

Footing and Shelter

Provide an appropriate surface to avoid adding stress to laminitic hooves. For stalled horses, this means installing rubber mats covered in deep bedding, often in the form of wood shavings, wood pellets, or fluffy straw to keep your equine companion comfortable.