Fuel or Fantasy? Debunking the “Anti-Inflammatory” and “Forage-Only” Diet Trends

Photo by Becky Pearman. 
Article by Lara L. Worden, MSc. 

In recent years, the horse world has been swept up in a wave of nutritional fads. Buzzwords like “anti-inflammatory,” “natural,” and “forage-only” dominate Facebook groups and barn aisle banter. The movement is often driven by good intentions—avoiding metabolic disorders, laminitis, and “over-supplementing”—but when it comes to performance horses, the reality is that these stripped-down diets may be more fantasy than fuel.

Let’s get one thing straight: forage is the foundation of any equine diet. A horse’s digestive system is built to process a steady supply of forage, keeping their gut healthy and functioning as it should. Maximizing forage is essential, but when a horse is asked to perform beyond light work—whether in competition, training, or daily riding—relying solely on hay is often a fast track to underperformance, and in some cases, metabolic stress.

So, what does the science actually say?

Myth #1: "Forage-only diets are the most natural and healthiest for horses."

Sure, in theory. Horses evolved grazing on sparse pasture, not eating formulated feeds out of plastic tubs. But your performance horse isn’t a free-roaming mustang clocking a few miles a day. He’s a high-performance athlete—losing electrolytes, burning through glycogen stores, and experiencing levels of physiological stress that no wild horse would ever voluntarily take on.

According to NRC guidelines, horses in moderate to heavy work require significantly more digestible energy, protein, amino acids, and micronutrients than forage alone can typically provide. Most hays, even excellent ones, fall short of meeting the elevated demands for key nutrients such as vitamin E, selenium, sodium, lysine, sometimes protein, occasionally calcium and/or phosphorus, and omega-3 fatty acids. Even a ‘diverse forage diet’ won’t magically bridge that gap

Many commercial equine feeds were designed to compensate for these deficiencies in forage and are fortified by PhD equine nutritionists to meet the nutrient requirements of the horse. To think of it simply, when you are buying a bag of feed, you are paying the nutritionist and feed company to do all of the hard work for you. When these fortified feeds are removed from the diet (or replaced with only whole ingredients or supplements), key nutrients can easily become deficient, excessive, or unbalanced.

Not to mention, forage-only diets rarely meet caloric demands without feeding volumes that are simply impractical, especially during the competition season when appetite can dip or gut fill must be managed carefully.

Myth #2: "Anti-inflammatory diets prevent metabolic issues and improve horse health."

The idea of feeding an “anti-inflammatory” diet to horses has become popular, but there are some critical issues with the theory. Here’s a closer look at the challenges:

1. Lack of Scientific Basis
   Many claims about “anti-inflammatory” diets for horses are anecdotal or extrapolated from human or small-animal research. Equine nutrition is unique, and what works for people or other species may not translate to horses. While ingredients like omega-3 fatty acids (e.g., flax or fish oil) show promise, the idea of a complete “anti-inflammatory diet” for horses lacks robust, peer-reviewed evidence.
2. Inflammation is a Complex Process
   Inflammation isn’t inherently bad. Acute inflammation is essential for healing after injury, stress, or exertion. Chronic inflammation can be harmful, but a diet can’t directly “target” or selectively suppress inflammatory pathways. Genetics, environment, workload, and underlying health issues usually play a larger role in managing inflammation than any dietary change can address.
3. Dietary Imbalances
   Diets hyper-focused on only feeding anti-inflammatory ingredients can create imbalances. For example, supplementing high levels of omega-3s without regard to omega-6 ratios (as they are necessary in the equine diet) can skew the fatty acid profile. And eliminating grains, out of fear of “inflammation,” may deprive horses of energy sources they need to fuel their workload demands.
4. Misinterpretation of Feed Ingredients

Many “anti-inflammatory” ingredients, like flaxseed, chia seed, turmeric, or various herbs, have questionable bioavailability in horses. Their digestive systems are not human—compounds need to be fed in specific forms, at studied dosages, and with appropriate carriers to even be absorbed. Often, when people supplement these various ingredients at random, they just become expensive window dressing, or worse, expensive pee.

A few years ago, red wine was all the rage in human health headlines. The buzz came from resveratrol, a natural compound with promising therapeutic properties. Early advice suggested that drinking one or two glasses of red wine a day might unlock those benefits. It sounded great until further research revealed a catch: the amount of resveratrol in wine is so low that you’d have to drink far beyond healthy limits to reach the therapeutic dose.

Now, picture that same principle applied to a 1,100-pound horse. If it takes an impractical amount of wine for a human to see benefits from resveratrol, imagine how much of an herb or natural ingredient a horse would need to consume for the same effect. The benefits may be real, but the sheer quantity required often makes it unrealistic.

Likewise, cereal grains have been unfairly demonized as inherently “inflammatory.” In reality, grains like oats, barley, corn, and wheat are excellent sources of digestible energy, protein, and essential minerals when fed in moderation and as part of a balanced diet. Problems arise when high-starch grains are fed in excess or without consideration for the horse’s workload, not from the grains themselves.

Owners often overlook the importance of the base diet—high-quality forage—and over-rely on supplements or trendy additives, when often what’s needed is a well-formulated ration that meets the actual demands of endurance work.

5. Over-Supplementation Risks
   More isn’t always better. Overfeeding trendy anti-inflammatory ingredients can lead to toxicity, GI upset, or unintended side effects. For instance, too much turmeric can result in GI distress. Furthermore, over-supplementation of the antioxidant, vitamin E, has been proven to lead to coagulopathy and impaired bone mineralization in other species.
6. Root Causes Often Overlooked
   In many horses, chronic inflammation stems from non-dietary causes—poor hoof balance, undiagnosed ulcers, environmental irritants, or inappropriate training. A supplement can’t correct poor saddle fit, overtraining, or a lack of proper hoof care or turnout.
7. One-Size-Fits-None
   Horses have highly individualized needs. Age, breed, metabolic rate, and training volume all factor into the dietary equation. A blanket “anti-inflammatory” diet pulled from a blog or Facebook post is unlikely to address these complexities in every horse.

So yes, we should feed with inflammation and metabolic health in mind—but not at the cost of balanced, complete nutrition grounded in equine physiology and individual workload.

Myth #3: "Processed feeds cause inflammation and gut issues."

Let’s be honest: “processed” has become the equine nutrition version of a bad four-letter word. But “processed” simply means the feed has undergone one or more manufacturing processes to enhance its nutritional value, digestibility, or storage capabilities, and has often been fortified to meet specific nutritional needs. It doesn’t mean it’s junk food for horses.

Yes, some commercial feeds can be loaded with unhelpful fillers or high NSC values—but many well-designed performance feeds and balancers offer consistent, bioavailable nutrition that supports metabolic balance, recovery, and sustained energy.

The key is choosing the right feed, not avoiding all processed feeds.

What the Research Says: Performance Needs Are Real

Work and training place stress on every system of the horse—muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune. Research has shown that:

• Horses in moderate to heavy work have increased requirements for sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, and magnesium due to sweat losses.
• They benefit from appropriate sources of starch/sugar and fermentable fiber to support glycogen replenishment, especially during consecutive days of exercise.
• Protein quality matters—not just quantity. Key amino acids such as lysine, threonine, and specific branched-chain amino acids are critical for muscle repair and recovery.
  
  

None of this is theoretical. It’s measurable. It’s repeatable. And it’s critical to sustain performance and prevent metabolic crashes.

But My Horse Did Great on a Forage-Only Diet…

Confirmation bias is powerful. Just because a horse performs well for a time on a forage-only diet doesn’t mean that approach is optimal—or sustainable. Horses are stoic. Some compensate better than others, while others struggle later. A shiny coat and good gut sounds may look reassuring until your horse ties up after a hard training session, fades midway through a competition, or can’t recover properly between workouts.

Also: correlation ≠ causation. Swapping to a “natural diet” might coincide with improvements, but what else changed? Rest time? Training load? New saddle? Better hoof care? Fewer competitions? Terrain changes? Environmental changes?

Bottom Line: Fuel the Athlete

Performance horses aren’t backyard pets. They are athletes. And athletes don’t train or compete on “minimalist” diets. You wouldn’t tell an Olympic marathoner to fuel on lettuce and feel-good vibes.

That also doesn’t mean stuffing your horse with grain, excess sugar, and synthetic additives. It means respecting science, knowing your horse’s workload, monitoring blood work when needed, and feeding to meet—not just survive—the demands of the intended workload.

Nutrition isn’t about trend-chasing. It’s about performance, recovery, and long-term health. So, before you ditch your feed for a “cleaner,” “simpler” diet, ask yourself: Is this fuel…or fantasy?