Energy: A horse that gets tired quickly or needs frequent resting periods may have a health/nutritional issue.
Immune health: A horse in good nutritional standing has an immune system that can defend against unwelcome sickness.
Digestion health: A healthy gut is a happy gut, therefore your horse should be using the food to produce energy. If indeed the horse is producing higher levels of waste, the digestive health of the horse may need a little boost.
Skin and hair: Another sign pointing to health-related issues, is the condition of the hair and skin of your horse.
Joint and Motion: A happy, healthy horse needs for all their muscles and joints to be working properly. Full range of motion is key here.
Hooves: Often overlooked, the hooves of your horse are equally important. Without healthy hooves, a horse won't be able to handle what is considered a normal workload.
Knowing when or if a horse needs supplements

Much like yourself, keeping your horse in good nutritional standing will depend on the feed you choose. It will also vary by the level of activity the horse performs on a regular basis. You can determine the level of nutrition by either consulting with a veterinarian or have a ration evaluation done on the feed you use. When choosing to get a blood test done on the horse, there is some speculation as to the accuracy of that type of testing. Some think that there are too many underlying factors that can sway the results of the blood test.

Having an evaluation done on the food you feed the horse is believed to be the more accurate option for testing. If the evaluation shows a deficiency in one or more areas of the diet, this is when you will need to add a supplement. Choosing a supplement at random is not considered to be beneficial, you will need to take a look at what the horse's diet is lacking. With so many supplements available now, it can be hard to decide which one will suit the deficiency in the diet.

In order to perform to the best of their abilities, a horse will need to keep their level of energy up. Without a high level of energy, horses won't have the stamina needed to work hard. In some cases, they have even been known to lose weight at lower energy levels. A beneficial supplement to increase energy levels is to add fat to the diet of the horse. Choosing the right source for fat is the key to being successful. You can add things like vegetable oil or rice bran to the food you are currently using. Another option, select a food that has a higher fat content. On contrary to popular belief, fat is a healthier alternative than carbohydrates as an energy source. Overloading the diet a horse with carbohydrates can cause more complex digestive issues further down the line.

Balancing the electrolytes of a horse is not far off from balancing your own electrolytes. Essentially you are looking to replenish the electrolytes lost through sweating. In order to do this, one must first know which ones are lost through sweat. There are three electrolytes that are typically lost during periods of sweat: potassium, sodium, and chloride. One can certainly help replenish these electrolytes with different types of food sources. Hay can help to boost the level of potassium, while a salt block will aid with both chloride and sodium levels.

In cases where your horse has a tough workload, you will need to choose a healthy supplement to balance the electrolytes. A good supplement for electrolyte balance should not contain a high level of sugar or added fillers. These types of ingredients interfere with balancing electrolytes of the horse. Be sure to choose a supplement that contains all three electrolytes listed above to ensure proper electrolyte balance.

Healthy bones are also an important part of maintaining the health of your horse. Two minerals come to mind for bone health calcium and phosphorus. These two minerals when balanced properly, promote strong and healthy bones in the skeletal structure of a horse. Research has shown that raising the consumption of one of these minerals, without the other can cause problems later in life for the horse. It is best to stick to the formula, one and a half units of calcium for every unit of phosphorus. Be sure, before using a supplement for either of these minerals, that you look at the results of your feed evaluation. Your horse may require a supplement that keeps these minerals in balance.

There are other minerals that play a beneficial role in the overall health of your horse. Although these minerals will not require as large of a dose. When searching for a good overall mineral supplement, one that has chelated minerals is said to be the best. Chelated minerals are simply minerals that are mixed with amino acids. It has been noted that these minerals are more easy for the horse to absorb. When giving a mineral supplement, more isn't always better. Be sure that you are not overdoing the minerals, as this can be harmful to the health of your horse. Follow the directions of the supplement for dosing, this will ensure you are administering them properly.

Vitamins play a vital role in the growth of a horse, as well as maintaining the overall well being of the horse. You can purchase a feed that has been fortified with vitamins, this is typically an efficient way to deliver vitamins to a horse doing normal levels of activity. When your horse has a more rigorous schedule, you might need to supplement some of their vitamins to keep the horse healthy. Check the food evaluation results to see if you need to be supplementing vitamins. Select a vitamin of higher quality, selecting the vitamin by lowest cost would not be the best option.

Protein and iron: Equine nutritionists have proven studies that show horses can obtain a sufficient amount of protein through food consumption. This is true as long as the horse is being fed a proper diet. Adding alfalfa hay or a good quality soybean meal will offer a good amount of protein.

Most horses will not need an iron supplement in their lifetime. Blood testing is the only way to determine for sure, but unless your horse has suffered a large loss of blood, they shouldn't need iron. Supplementing iron can be a slippery slope to travel, given in too high amounts can affect the metabolism of the horse. Therefore canceling out other vital minerals or vitamins.

Many horses will suffer from issues with their digestive tract, some will even suffer from problems with ulcers. These issues can decrease the appetite of a horse drastically. Which in turn can affect the energy and stamina of the horse. For example, a horse that eats well below the range it should be for caloric intake will suffer from having a lower amount of energy. With lower energy levels comes less endurance or stamina, making the horse appear to be lame. A horse that suffers from a lowered appetite will eventually begin to lose weight as well. This will drastically lower the level of activity a horse can tolerate as well. You can look for a supplement designed to combat these issues in the digestive tract. Some will even provide the horse with a probiotic or prebiotic. These two items, especially paired together can keep things within the horse flowing smoothly.

Never make assumptions about what your horse needs nutritionally. Feeding a horse a fortified form of food may provide the horse with an adequate amount of the essentials elements needed to maintain proper health. This can only be achieved by feeding according to the directions, cutting back or adding more will not be any good for the horse. In the event you need to feed your horse less than the recommended amount, you can use a balancing pellet. These are used to maintain the levels of protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Supplements come in many different forms, finding what the horse likes may need to be done by process of elimination. When storing your supplements be sure they are out of the reach of children and animals alike. Buying supplements in bulk form may not be effective for you. Purchasing them in quantities that are smaller allows you to use them before the date that they will expire.

Changes to the health of your horse will not happen rapidly, starting a regimen of supplements will only jump-start the health of your horse. It will take quite some time to notice any differences to the horse. So in other words, don't give up right away on giving the supplements to the horse just because you don't see any drastic changes right away.