Understanding nutrition. Supporting the whole horse.
Nutrition influences every aspect of a horse’s health.
From hoof quality and metabolic health to behaviour, body condition, performance and long-term wellbeing, what we feed our horses has far-reaching consequences. Yet nutrition is often one of the most misunderstood areas of horse care, with conflicting advice, clever marketing and oversimplified advice making it difficult to know what truly matters.
The Essential Equine Nutrition course has been designed to cut through the confusion.
Led by equine nutritionist Nia Cooke MSc, BSc (Hons), DEP ProDipEqNut, this comprehensive online course helps you understand the horse first, so you can make informed, evidence-led feeding decisions with confidence.
Across more than 7.5 hours of expert-led learning, you’ll explore digestive anatomy, nutrient types, vitamins and minerals, common dietary issues and the practicalities of feeding horses. You’ll also learn how to critically assess feed labels and ingredient lists, giving you the confidence to look beyond marketing and make decisions based on understanding rather than advertising.
Whether you’re a horse owner or an equine professional, this course will challenge assumptions, deepen your understanding and give you practical knowledge that you can apply immediately.
Because good nutrition isn’t about finding the perfect feed, it’s about understanding the horse.
What You’ll Learn
Throughout the course you’ll develop a practical understanding of:
- The equine digestive system and how it has evolved to function.
- Nutrient types and their role within the diet.
- Vitamins, minerals and balancing nutrition.
- How to critically assess feed labels and ingredient lists.
- Common dietary and metabolic challenges.
- Practical approaches to feeding horses in the real world.
- The relationship between nutrition, hoof health and whole-horse wellbeing.
By the end of the course, you’ll have the confidence to critically assess diets, ask better questions and make informed feeding decisions that support the individual horse.
“The best feeding decisions aren’t driven by marketing. They’re driven by understanding.”
Who Is This Course For?
Essential Equine Nutrition has been designed for:
- Horse owners who want to make informed feeding decisions.
- Equine professionals looking to deepen their understanding of nutrition.
- Integrated Equine Podiatry students wanting to strengthen their whole-horse knowledge.
- Anyone who wants to cut through marketing and understand the science behind feeding horses.
Whether you’re completely new to equine nutrition or looking to build on existing knowledge, this course provides practical, evidence-led education that you can return to again and again.
Meet Your Tutor
Nia Cooke’s journey into equine nutrition began, as many great stories do, with one horse.
In 2004, she set off to buy a few headcollars and came home instead with a Section D mare called Milly. That decision changed everything.
Milly challenged every assumption Nia held about horse care. Traditional approaches that had always worked suddenly didn’t, forcing Nia to question, explore and rethink what she believed she knew.
That curiosity eventually led Nia to leave a successful career in accountancy and qualify as an Equine Podiatrist in 2011.
As her clinical experience grew, she noticed a recurring pattern: many of the hoof issues she encountered had their roots not in the hoof itself, but in the horse’s diet.
Determined to understand why, Nia completed a Professional Diploma in Equine Nutrition before going on to achieve a BSc (Hons) in Equine and Veterinary BioScience at Aberystwyth University, followed by an MSc in Animal Nutrition at the University of Glasgow.
Alongside her academic studies, Nia worked as an independent equine nutritionist, supporting horse owners while continuing to question accepted thinking.
Recognising the need for genuinely natural feeding options, she entered the University of Glasgow’s InventorPrize business competition, winning the prestigious award and funding that enabled her to establish Finer Forage, a company dedicated to producing natural forage-based feeds.
Today, alongside running Finer Forage, Nia continues to teach, lecture and consult, driven by a passion for helping horse owners and professionals better understand how nutrition can support lifelong equine health.
As with everything we teach at Areion, her approach is rooted in curiosity, critical thinking and a commitment to understanding the horse before searching for solutions.
Why Nutrition Matters
At Areion, we believe the hoof cannot be separated from the horse.
Nutrition is one of the foundations upon which healthy hoof growth, metabolic health and overall wellbeing depend. While no feed or supplement can replace good management and thoughtful hoof care, understanding nutrition allows you to make better decisions for every horse you care for.
Because every horse deserves decisions guided by knowledge, not marketing.
Start Your Learning Journey
Whether you’re caring for your own horse or supporting clients professionally, Essential Equine Nutrition will give you the knowledge to make feeding decisions with greater confidence and understanding.
If you’re ready to look beyond marketing, question assumptions and understand nutrition through the lens of how the horse is designed to function, we’d love to welcome you.
Think Deeper. See More.