Equine Nutritionist in Missoula and Western Montana

Pure Horse is based in Missoula, Montana, and a meaningful share of our consulting work happens within a couple of hours of here — Bitterroot, Flathead, the Mission Valley, and the corridors out toward the Rockies. The local context matters more than people sometimes realize. Horses in western Montana are working with a specific forage base, a specific climate, and a specific mix of feed stores and supplement options. A nutrition program that ignores any of those will quietly underperform.

What the regional forage actually looks like

Most of the hay produced and fed in western Montana is grass hay, with some alfalfa mixed into the higher-end programs. Quality varies enormously from cut to cut and field to field. The same barn can move through three meaningfully different bales in a single year. That variability is the single most underweighted factor in many local feeding programs — owners assume their forage is consistent, and it almost never is.

A simple change here is to insist on a hay analysis annually, ideally per cut. The cost is modest and the information is the most actionable thing you can have on hand.

The supplement landscape

Missoula and the Bitterroot have several feed stores with knowledgeable staff and decent supplement selection. The selection is good, but the advice you get is — by definition — coming from people whose job is to sell you product. That's not a knock on them. It's a structural reality. Independent guidance, particularly when you're trying to evaluate whether a stack is too big, is hard to find at the feed store.

This is part of what Pure Horse exists to fix.

Climate and electrolyte realities

Cold winters, hot summers, and meaningful day-to-night temperature swings make electrolyte management more nuanced than in milder climates. A summer pack horse working at altitude in 80-degree heat is dealing with something different than a horse standing in a Missoula pasture in February. Programs need to flex with the season — and most don't.

Working with us locally

If you're in Missoula, the Bitterroot, or anywhere within a reasonable drive, we offer in-person consultations alongside the remote ones. We also work directly with several barns in the area on a retainer basis. Professional Farms in Missoula, operated by Sheila Lowden, is the proving ground where we developed the Pure Horse method, and the local barn relationships have been the foundation of everything we do.

If you'd like to talk about your specific horse and your specific situation, we'd be glad to. No pitch, no pressure.