If you love science and horses, equine nutritionist might be the career for you.
When you go to feed to your horse, have you ever taken a hard look in his bucket and wondered why his feed is shaped the way it is? Or what exactly is IN his feed? Who figured out what to put in that feed or how much he needs?
Though many people had a hand in creating your horse’s feed, from the farmer who grew the grains to the workers in the mill, one of the key roles in creating feeds to keep your horse healthy is the equine nutritionist. Equine nutritionists are often involved with feed in two different ways: on the research and development (R&D) side of determining what materials should go into feed creation, and on the owner-interface side, helping owners and caretakers determine the best type and amount of feed for their particular horse.
In the field, an equine nutritionist can help you understand feed tags as well as accurate measurements of feed (not all feed scoops are the same!). If your horse has a metabolic issue, an equine nutritionist can also assist with ensuring the feed you’re offering won’t harm him.
In the Lab
One of the foremost equine nutrition researchers and teachers in the world, Laurie Lawrence, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at the University of Kentucky.
She grew up caring for and feeding the horses on her father’s farm. Though they used different hays and feeds at different times of year, she never questioned why until a feed company representative visited one of her college lectures.
“A whole new world opened up,” she says. “Math was generally easy for me, so when I took nutrition courses that involved ration formulation, it was just like solving a puzzle.”
Dr. Lawrence teaches and studies equine nutrition, so there is no “typical” day in her world.
“Some days I’m busy teaching or getting ready to teach, some days I’m working on results from a study and organizing them for a paper to publish, some days I am working with graduate students to design studies and develop new research methods, and some days I’m working with horse owners or visiting farms for nutrition consulting.”
Dr. Lawrence’s innate curiosity has allowed her to study a wide range of nutrition-related topics, including things like what elite competitive horses need to be perform at their best, the digestive physiology of the growing horse, and the feeding of broodmares. Another of her interests is forage evaluation, and what factors affect forage selection and digestion by horses.
In the Field
Amy Parker is the manager of technical services and an equine nutritionist for McCauley’s Feeds in Versailles, Ky. Amy grew up as a horseless yet horse-crazy kid who was really interested in science, particularly biology. She knew she wanted to combine her love of horses with her interest in science, and she assumed that she would pursue a career in veterinary medicine.
Amy attended the University of Kentucky, where she majored in animal science, still with an eye on vet school. She was required to take classes in reproduction, genetics, physiology and nutrition. It was while enrolled in the nutrition class she discovered that she not only enjoyed it, but that she could make a viable career out of becoming an equine nutritionist.
Amy went on to get her Master of Science degree in equine nutrition from the University of Kentucky. Amy’s graduate classes included digestion and physiology; nutrient requirements; ration evaluation and balancing; and feed management, among others.
Amy is not involved on the research side of equine nutrition like Dr. Lawrence; she’s the boots-on-the-ground nutritionist who spends a lot of time on farms, talking with equine owners and caretakers.
Amy is tasked with analyzing whole-horse scenarios including diet, life stage (are they pregnant, retired, lightly ridden or competition mounts?), turnout, and more to help owners and caretakers ensure that each horse is getting exactly what they need nutritionally to thrive.
Like Dr. Lawrence, there is no “typical” day for Amy—and that’s just how she likes it! She often spends part of her day in the office, but she also visits farms daily and monitors growth rates of foals, weanlings and yearlings; she evaluates body conditions of horses of all ages; tests hay; evaluates pastures, and more. She routinely fields emails and phone calls from around the globe from horse owners seeking nutritional advice.
If you’re a horse-crazy kid who also loves science, a career in equine nutrition may be for you! An equine nutritionist is an integral part of a horse’s health-care team. Both research-related and on-farm nutrition roles work to ensure the health and well-being of our four-legged friends.
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This article about a career as an equine nutritionist appeared in the May/June 2024 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!
