Equine Nutrition Specialist

If you’re an Equine Nutrition Specialist, you’re like a Dietitian creating healthy menus for your clients. But instead of humans, your clients are horses and ponies. And instead of a balanced diet of meat, potatoes, and vegetables, your regimen consists of a nutritious combination of feeds and supplements.

When formulating menus, an Equine Nutrition Specialist takes into account the specific needs of different breeds of horses and ponies, as well as what the animals are used for. You also analyze each horse’s current diet, its performance and breeding records, and its growth chart. If there’s a category that is lacking, or in some way needs bolstering, you create a dietary plan for that horse, and follow up to ensure its success.

Some Equine Nutrition Specialists also act as Representatives of specific feed products. In this role, you do double duty: helping the horses and trying to sell your feed products.

You’re hired by the Stable Manager, owner, or Horse Trainer, and you may be asked to look after one horse or a whole stable full. Either way, your aim is to enhance the horse’s quality of life, and consequently, its performance and output. You also work with the animal’s Veterinarian, taking into account special dietary restrictions or illnesses. You may check in regularly on your clients, or you may just create a dietary plan for the stable staff to follow.