This article has not yet been professionally approved. The information is based on the sources listed below.
Feeding advice or ration calculation – what do you need when?
A ration calculation checks a whole ration against reference values – but it does not examine a horse. When that is enough, when detailed feeding advice is needed, and how to recognise good advice.
The short answer
A ration calculation checks the ration against reference values 12. Feeding advice additionally looks at the horse itself, how it is kept and its history. Without special circumstances, the calculation is a good first step. For metabolic disorders, recurrent colic, during growth, for sport horses in intensive training and for older horses, feeding advice is considered particularly worthwhile 3.
Ration calculation and feeding advice are often lumped together. Both start with the same question – what does the horse eat, and what does it need? – but they answer it in different depth. The calculation is a tool. Advice is a person who gets to know the horse, its yard and its history.
We offer the calculation, not advice. That is precisely why we want to be open about where the calculation stops.
What a ration calculation does
A ration calculation compares two sides: the requirement, derived from weight, work and life stage, and the intake from hay, pasture, concentrates and complementary feed. The requirement side is based on established reference values and calculation methods 142. The intake side is only as good as the information about it. Because hay varies greatly depending on location and growth, a hay analysis is more accurate here than any table average 56.
The result shows where the ration is mathematically above or below requirements. That is exactly the basis of our mix: a nutrient module is only included if the calculation shows a gap – and selenium and iodine additionally only with a lab value.
- It shows what several products supply together and helps to identify double supplementation.
- It shows which gaps only a hay analysis can clarify.
- It is transparent and repeatable – a new batch of hay can simply be recalculated.
Where the calculation stops
A calculation does not see your horse. It does not assess body condition by touch, does not know any blood values and does not make a diagnosis. It works with what you enter and with reference values for a healthy average horse of the selected group. Our values are therefore reference model estimates and are to be professionally validated.
For certain situations, our calculation therefore deliberately does not create a mix: laminitis or EMS, PPID/Cushing's, gastric ulcers, ongoing medication, liver or kidney problems, pregnant or lactating mares and young horses under two years of age. This is not a judgement about these horses but a limit of the tool.
When detailed feeding advice is needed
Situations in which feeding advice is considered particularly worthwhile include metabolic disorders such as EMS or Cushing's, recurrent colic, the growth of young horses, sport horses in intensive training and older horses 3. Nutrition-related diseases such as colic or laminitis are explicitly part of German veterinary further training in equine nutrition counselling 7.
- There is a diagnosis, a suspicion or ongoing treatment.
- The horse is losing or gaining weight without any change in feed or work.
- The mare is pregnant or lactating, or the horse is still growing.
- The ration has already been changed several times and the problem persists.
Who gives advice – and with what qualification
Good advice without a veterinary title is possible. But because the title guarantees nothing, it is worth asking about the specific training.
| Title | What it means |
|---|---|
| Fachtierärztin/Fachtierarzt für Tierernährung und Diätetik (veterinary specialist in animal nutrition and dietetics) | Four years of veterinary further training at recognised institutions, with an examination before the regional veterinary chamber 8. |
| Zusatzbezeichnung Ernährungsberatung Pferd (additional qualification in equine nutrition counselling) | Only for vets; two years of further training, plus continuing education hours and 100 documented nutrition consultations 7. |
| ECVCN Diplomate | European specialisation in animal nutrition for vets: four years of specialisation and a final examination. Can be contacted directly or via referral from your own veterinary practice 9. |
| Feeding adviser (Futterberaterin/Futterberater) | Not a protected professional title – it may be backed by sound training or by none at all 3. |
Qualifications you may come across in feeding advice. Veterinary information is based on the model further training regulations of the German Federal Chamber of Veterinarians; the details are set by the regional veterinary chambers.
How to recognise good advice
- It asks about the whole ration and ideally about a hay analysis before recommending anything.
- You receive a transparent ration plan, not just a list of products.
- It states its qualification openly and says when it refers you to a veterinary practice.
- It is product-neutral or discloses how it earns its money.
Using both together
Calculation and advice are not mutually exclusive. A hay analysis and a fully calculated ration plan save time in a consultation because the figures are already on the table. Conversely, advice can clarify what no calculation knows – such as how the horse eats, what it looks like and what its history reveals.
Sources & studies
The content is based on the references listed below. It does not replace individual veterinary or feeding advice.
Show list of sources (9)
- GfE (2014) – Empfehlungen zur Energie- und Nährstoffversorgung von PferdenSpecialist reference in German-speaking countries (GfE, German Society of Nutrition Physiology), Committee for Requirement Standards
- Kienzle, Pankratz & Zeyner (2023) – Kompendium zur Rationsberechnung für PferdeAuthor group Pferdewissen (Kienzle/Pankratz, LMU Munich; Zeyner, University of Halle-Wittenberg); self-published, Oberschleißheim, ISBN 978-3-00-075668-9. No link – self-published, not freely accessible.
- Go4Vet: Futterberatung fürs Pferd – Ablauf, Kosten & NutzenGuide from a veterinary platform: “Futterberater” (feed adviser) is not a protected professional title in Germany and Austria; advice is particularly useful for metabolic disorders (EMS, Cushing's), recurrent colic, during growth, for sport horses in intensive training and for older horses; a warning sign is free advice that only recommends a particular product range
- NRC – Nutrient Requirements of Horses, 6th ed.International reference for the nutrient requirements of horses (National Research Council)
- Möllmann F (2007): Analysen und Abschätzung des Mineralstoffgehaltes in Heuproben aus oberbayerischen Pferdehaltungsbetrieben. Diss. med. vet., LMU MünchenGrass hay samples from horse yards in Upper Bavaria; empirical database for the mineral contents (Ca, P, Mg etc.) of German grass hay, with wide variation by location, soil and cut. Open access.
- LUFA Nord-West, Institut für Futtermittel (2025): Statistik Heu 2025Laboratory statistics for German hay samples: copper on average around 4.5–5.3 mg/kg DM, zinc on average around 24–33 mg/kg DM, with considerable variation per evaluation period. Analysis statistics, not a peer-reviewed study – mean and range apply only to the evaluation period stated
- Bundestierärztekammer: Zusatzbezeichnung Ernährungsberatung PferdCan only be obtained by licensed vets; two-year further training with at least 80 hours of continuing education and 100 documented nutrition consultations; content includes nutritional and performance physiology, feed science, ration formulation and nutrition-related diseases such as colic or laminitis
- Bundestierärztekammer: Fachtierarzt/-tierärztin für Tierernährung und DiätetikModel further training regulations: four years of further training at recognised institutions in feed science, nutritional physiology, ration formulation for individual animals and herds, and dietetics; the title is awarded by the responsible state veterinary chamber after passing an examination
- European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN): Information for animal ownersEuropean specialist college: Diplomates are vets with four years of specialisation in animal nutrition who have passed the College's final examination; contact directly or by referral from your own veterinary practice