Anti-Inflammatory Feeding for Horses: What Does Forage-Based Really Mean
Forage-based diets are not a new fad or a trendy term. They are simply how the horse was designed to eat.
Yet there is still a lot of confusion around what “forage-based” actually means, especially when it is used as a marketing term across grain products and ration balancers. Many feeds are labeled this way, but when you look closer, the reality often tells a different story.
What People Think Is Forage… Isn’t Always
Feeds marketed as “forage-based” often give the impression that they are built around hay or grass as the primary component. However, when you review the ingredient list, many of these products still rely heavily on inflammatory processed inputs.
Common ingredients found in these feeds include:
- Beet pulp
- Corn
- Soy
- Molasses
- Rice bran
- Oats
- Vegetable oil
While widely accepted in the industry, these ingredients move the diet away from what a horse is naturally designed to consume. So while the label may suggest forage-first, the foundation is often still rooted in processed feed that causes inflammation and imbalances.
What Those Ingredients Do in the Body
From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, ingredients are not just nutrients, they have energetic properties and physiological effects.
Many of these commonly used feed ingredients contribute to internal heat within the body. At the same time, processed feeds require more energy from the digestive system to break down, particularly from the stomach and spleen. Over time, this increased demand can weaken those systems.
When digestion weakens, the body’s ability to properly manage fluids is affected. This can lead to the accumulation of what TCM refers to as dampness. When dampness combines with internal heat, it creates a pattern known as damp-heat.
This is often where we begin to see issues develop, not as isolated symptoms, but as part of a larger pattern within the body:
- Loose stools
- Mucus
- Fluid retention or puffiness
- Unhealthy weight gain
- Leaky gut
These are signs that the digestive system is struggling to process and distribute nutrients effectively.
When the Digestive System Gets Overloaded
There is also a mechanical aspect to consider. When feed is not properly broken down in the upper digestive tract, it moves through the system too quickly. Instead of being fully processed and absorbed, it ends up in the hindgut.
The hindgut is not designed to break down sugars, starches, and processed feed components in this way. When these nutrients arrive there, it disrupts the natural balance of the gut environment. At the same time, because digestion was incomplete, and the body missed the opportunity to absorb what it actually needed.
Over time, this creates a cycle of poor digestion, poor absorption, and increasing stress on the gastrointestinal system.
The Western Perspective Isn’t That Different
Even outside of TCM, there are growing concerns around many of these same ingredients. Western nutrition often focuses on chemical exposure, including substances like glyphosate, as well as the impact of sugar and starch levels within the diet.
There is also increasing awareness around where these sugars and starches end up in the digestive process, again pointing to the hindgut, where the horse is not designed to handle them. While the language may differ, the underlying concern remains the same: these diets are not aligned with the horse’s biology.
What We Recommend
At this point, we have not found a commercial feed that truly reflects a forage-based, anti-inflammatory approach in the way we define it.
What we recommend instead is returning to the foundation of the horse’s diet. Quality, tested hay should be available at all times and selected based on your horse’s workload and nutritional needs.
Feeding becomes much simpler and more intentional, rather than relying on large amounts of grain or processed feed, we focus on small supportive additions that complement a forage-based diet.
A typical approach may look like:
- 1–2 pounds of timothy or alfalfa pellets
- A quality loose mineral
- Ground flax
This creates a clean and supportive base while also providing an easy way to incorporate supplements using a small amount of water to mix everything together.
How to Transition
When moving to a more forage-based approach, it’s important to allow your horse time to adjust. A gradual transition over 1–2 weeks helps the digestive system adapt while also improving palatability.
During this time, we recommend temporarily supporting the gastrointestinal system with Redemption as the diet shifts.
Once the transition is complete and the digestive system is stronger, it can be beneficial to consider a deeper reset. Supporting the body with Remove, our heavy metal cleanse, can help eliminate toxic buildup, clear blocked pathways, and support overall organ function once the body is ready.
Bringing It Back to the Foundation
Feeding horses does not need to be complicated, but it does need to be aligned with how their bodies function.
Forage is not a trend or a marketing term. It is the foundation of how the horse was designed to eat. When you build from that foundation, instead of working around it, the body often responds in a way that feels more natural and sustainable.
Sometimes the most effective approach is not adding more, but returning to what was there all along.
