Nutrition That Makes Great Sense for Horses

Nutrition That Makes Great Sense for Horses

By Andrea Weyer Donaghy

Animal nutrition research over the last 150 years has allowed scientists to develop feeding systems, also known as Ration Balancing Systems, for providing optimal levels and balances of minerals, vitamins and amino acids for “money-making animals” that produce milk, pork, beef and eggs.

Ration balancing for horses didn’t exist until 1984. About that time, Karl Donaghy, my late husband and a retired Thoroughbred racehorse owner, breeder, trainer and farrier, met Dr. M. L. Jones at a church coffee-hour in North Carolina.

Andrea Weyer Donaghy at Horsesense.

Dr. Jones as one of the world’s pre-eminent animal nutritionists, owner of a highly successful and sophisticated nutrition formulating company and Professor Emeritus at Clemson and North Carolina State.

Karl had always wondered why sophisticated nutrition systems had never been developed for horses. He was told that as non-production animals, there wasn’t enough money in it to interest major feed manufacturers.

Karl had studied animal nutrition for many years himself and was particularly enamored with a book, Feeds and Feeding, written by Dr. Frank Morrison, a professor at Cornell and the University of Oklahoma. Morrison was considered “the father of animal nutrition” and Dr. Jones had earned his doctorate studying under his guidance.

Karl teamed up with Dr. Jones to produce the first ever ration-balancing system for horses. They also enlisted Dr. Jones’ best friend, veterinarian Ed Harris, one of Dr. Morrison’s classmates with a doctorate in organic chemistry and a consultant to Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

Their mission was to calculate the ideal amount, balanced inter-relationship, of the full spectrum of minerals, vitamins and amino acids for all equines, regardless of cost.

Their first product was called OPTIMA and was affordable and highly effective. Crooked-legged foals became correct within a week; “culls” became conformation show horses; hard-to-handle rogues became placid lambs; arthritic sport horses came sound. There were many other internal and external health benefits.

On a personal note, I had a barn full of horses and knew I did not want to return to commercial feeds. I encouraged Karl to reformulate and try to improve the entire system. Before long, we began sharing the product with like-minded horsemen and women. One of our boarders, after seeing the dramatic results on her own horse, suggested the name HorseSense. As she said, “Because good nutrition just makes good Horse Sense!”

Because large, commercial feed mills are equipped with high-speed mixers, they were incapable of producing a consistent mix of our product due to its density, and it was evident we would have to build our own mill.

That unique mill, designed specifically for horse nutrition, began production in 2003. HorseSense products were manufactured there until July, 2011, when a lightning-sparked fire burned the mill to the ground. Fortunately, we found a competent mill in Pennsylvania willing to install the independent equipment needed to manufacture our products. They’re sold at our little store on Belvoir Road in Marshall – a David among Goliaths.

On my own 22-year equine nutrition journey, and the success of our small, drug-free “homebred” operation at the racetrack, I’ve learned that good, balanced nutrition is science and not “voodoo.” And it definitely works like magic when you feed it to a horse.

Andrea Weyer Donaghy, is president and co-founder of HorseSense at 4292 Belvoir Road in Marshall. For more information, go to www.horsesensenutrition.com.