If you’ve ever been mixing a feed up from various different bags and feed bins and thinking, there must be a way to simplify this! You are not alone. Equine nutrition has really changed over the years, and today many horses thrive on a complete feed. A single, balanced ration designed to replace multiple separate products. They can simplify the multiple scoops of chaff, balancers, nuts, mixes and supplements while still supporting a forage‑first diet.
Where grazing quality varies through the seasons and hay or haylage can change batch to batch, complete feeds offer consistency, simplicity and balanced nutrition.
We formulate our complete feeds and balancers to give your horse everything they need in one bag or bin, while still keeping forage at the heart of your horses diet.
What Does “Complete Feed” Actually Mean?
For us, a complete feed is a fully balanced ration that already contains:
- Digestible fibre sources to support gut health and steady energy
- Full-spectrum vitamins and minerals
- Appropriate energy levels for your horse’s workload
- Quality protein and amino acids for muscle maintenance
- Supportive nutrients for hooves, coat and overall wellbeing
This means a complete feed is formulated to replace chaff, mixes, supplements and additional energy sources when fed at the recommended amount.
It’s not a shortcut or a basic feed. It’s a scientifically formulated, nutritionally complete ration that removes the guesswork from feeding.
Complete feeds can simplify feeding
No need to juggle multiple bags or worrying about whether your horse is getting the right micronutrients. A complete feed, fed at the recommended levels, deliver consistent nutrition, even when forage quality fluctuates.
Our complete feeds prioritise high fibre, low sugar and low starch formulations, with no cereals and no soya. This helps to support gut health and reduce the risk of issues linked to higher sugar and starch diets.
Because complete feeds already include balanced macro and micronutrients and quality, functional ingredients, many horses no longer need additional supplements.
As well as reducing the need for supplements, complete feeds are designed to fuel your horses workload without creating sugar spikes or fizzy behaviour which is ideal for leisure horses, good doers and sensitive types as well as performance horses.
Feeding to fit into a forage focussed diet
Even the best complete feed is not a replacement for forage. Horses are hindgut fermenters, and their digestive system relies on fibre from varied quality forage including grazing and hay and/or haylage
A complete feed works by filling the nutritional gaps that forage alone can’t cover, particularly the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and controlled energy.
The easiest way to think of this is the forage as the foundation and the complete feed, fed in the right quantity, provides the precision nutrition.
How to feed a complete feed
Complete feeds only deliver full nutrition when fed at the recommended quantity. Feeding half the amount means your horse won’t receive the right balance of vitamins and minerals.
You can increase or decrease within the recommended range depending on things like condition, workload, seasonal changes and forage quality and we are always on hand to provide advice on and a dedicated diet plan for your horses specific requirements.
Regardless of what you are feeding, we would always recommend damping down your feeds and it is important to remember that horses are trickle‑feeders and their digestive system is most effective when it has a steady supply of fibre to keep everything moving comfortably and promote the gut health.
With any feed changes, always make the transition slowly over a minimum or 7–10 days.
Is a complete feed right for my horse?
The short answer is yes, complete feeds are suitable for most horses from leisure horses and good doers through to high level performance horses and those at stud. Within the Chestnut Range we have something to suit most horses and can provide specific advice based on your horses requirements
Our complete feeds are built on three core principles:
1. Forage‑First Nutrition
High-quality fibre sources support digestion, calm energy and long-term wellbeing.
2. Simple Feeding
Every Chestnut complete feed includes the fibre, vitamins, minerals, energy and protein sources your horse needs. No extras required.
3. Honest, evidence backed formulations
We use science-backed nutrition to create feeds that support your horse from the inside out. Whether your horse needs a simple maintenance diet, support with condition or high energy levels while supporting gut health, our range makes feeding simple, balanced and forage focussed.
Feeding doesn't need to be complicated
A complete feed gives your horse everything they need in one bag or bin, while keeping forage at the centre of their diet. It’s evidence backed nutrition made simple.
If you’d like help choosing the right Chestnut Feed for your horse, just get in touch or complete our feed advice request form. We’re here to help give you complete confidence in every feed.