Compound feeds are safe!

I'm irked by the powerful and long-reaching messages on social media that compound feeds are harmful due to them containing undesirable ingredients. This is a classic case of nutribaloney. There is no good quality evidence that compound feeds are harmful to horses, when fed as part of a balanced diet i.e. the correct feed for the individual horse. There is evidence that such feeds are safe, from research trials where blood was being analysed for various investigations.

Most of the top performing equine athletes in sport - many of whom are competing well into their teens - are fed compound feeds and yet are fit, well and able to cope with quite stressful lifestyles.

In my nutrition practice I see plenty of healthy horses who are fed compounds, and many of them are in consistent, regular exercise, and are slim (many of my clients call on me for confirmation, not because they have an issue).

I also see many unhealthy horses and ponies who are not fed compounds but are overweight and under-exercised. Their owners are often struggling with factors like time/riding confidence/suitable environment. Chronic, excess body fat and lack of exercise is guaranteed to increase the risk of health problems in your horse, and yet sometimes the owners of such horses and ponies are worrying about ingredients in a balancer (a concentrated compound feed) more than the calorie (energy) balance of their horse - which is the factor that is causing the problem.

There are always exceptions. But it is unethical to circulate messages that regular compound feeds are harmful. It's just plain lies. If you choose not to feed regular compounds, that's fine but it's unreasonable, unkind, and plain wrong to tell others that if they feed regular compounds, they're harming their horse.

If you're worried about compound feeds for your horse, you can stop worrying, and relax. Compound feeds provide an easy way to balance your horse’s forage, and providing you are not overfeeding them, they are a safe and effective way to ensure your horse receives a balanced diet.