In-person & virtual consultations available across Canada
hayyou.ca — Equine Nutrition with Kathryn Ballantyne
A balanced diet for your best friend
Your horse gives you everything. Hay You makes sure you can give them what they need — a science-led, forage-first nutrition plan built around your horse, your barn, and your life.
Forage FirstScience LedBuilt for You
Why Hay You
Your horse deserves more than guesswork in the feed room.
Most horses are fed on habit, hearsay, and hope. Hay You exists to change that — with independent, science-backed nutrition advice that starts with forage and ends with a plan that actually fits your horse's life.
The Noise Is Real
Supplement catalogues, online forums, and feed-brand advisors each pull in a different direction. Without an independent voice applying actual nutritional science to your horse's specific situation, you're left hoping something works.
More Is Not Better
Over-supplementation is one of the most common — and most preventable — issues we see. When the forage baseline isn't established first, you end up stacking products that duplicate, compete with, or actively undermine each other.
A Plan Changes Everything
There's a significant difference between feeding a horse and nourishing one. A structured, individually designed plan — with built-in checkpoints — creates the accountability that turns good intentions into real, trackable improvement.
The Hay You Method
Start with hay. Everything else follows.
A horse's gut evolved around forage. That's where every Hay You plan begins — not with a supplement catalogue. From there, Kathryn builds a plan that fits your horse's life, your barn's realities, and your vet's goals.
01
Start with Forage
Every plan begins with an honest look at what your horse is actually eating — hay quality, pasture access, and the forage-to-concentrate ratio. This is the foundation everything else is built on.
02
Build Around the Individual
Age, workload, metabolic status, breed tendencies, and management environment all shape the plan. There is no generic template — every recommendation is specific to your horse.
03
Stay Connected to the Vet Team
When it matters, we loop in your veterinarian. Nutrition plans are shared, and we're available to discuss complex cases directly.
Programs
A program for every horse. At every stage.
Each program is time-bounded with clear follow-up checkpoints — so you always know where you stand and what comes next.
30 Days
Grounding
A focused starting point — evaluate, set the baseline, and build a clear nutrition plan from the ground up.
60 Days
Building
For horses who need time to transition carefully, or where the picture is more complex than it first appears.
90 Days
Performing
Three months of guided nutritional support — tracking, adjusting, and refining toward a clearly defined goal.
Ongoing
Partnering
For horses and owners who want a long-term nutrition consultant embedded in their care team year-round.
Why Hay You
What makes Hay You different
We Begin with Hay
A horse's gut evolved around continuous, high-fibre forage intake. That's where we start — not with a supplement catalogue. When a forage analysis is available, it becomes the cornerstone of everything we recommend.
No Industry Ties
Hay You has no commercial relationships with feed or supplement manufacturers. Kathryn's only obligation is to your horse. Recommendations are driven entirely by nutritional need, not product familiarity.
Part of the Broader Care Team
We don't operate in isolation. On complex cases, we communicate directly with your veterinarian — sharing plans, flagging observations, and ensuring nutritional strategy and medical care work in the same direction.
Science and Saddle Time
Kathryn brings formal training in equine nutrition alongside decades of hands-on riding and barn experience. Advice that holds up under scientific scrutiny and still makes practical sense at 6am in the barn.
Ready to give your best friend a better diet?
Start with a free 15-minute call with Kathryn — no commitment, just an honest conversation about your horse.
Programs — hayyou.ca
A plan for your horse. Not someone else's.
Every Hay You program is built around your horse specifically — their forage, their workload, their health history. Each one has a defined scope, built-in follow-up milestones, and a written plan you leave with after your first session.
30Day Program
Grounding
The right starting point for horses who've never had a structured nutrition assessment, or who've had a recent change in management, forage, or health status.
Comprehensive intake and dietary history review
Forage and feeding program evaluation
60-minute session to walk through findings and recommendations
Written plan delivered after the session
Check-in at 30 days to assess progress and answer questions
From $350CAD
60Day Program
Building
For horses who need a slower, more deliberate approach — digestive sensitivities, significant diet changes, post-illness recovery, or a complicated history that warrants more careful tracking.
Everything in the Grounding program
Hay analysis interpretation (if available)
Supplement rationalization — keeping only what earns its place
Second check-in at 60 days with plan refinements
From $650CAD
90Day Program
Performing
For horses in active work, managing a chronic condition, or owners who want the full picture. Three months gives us enough runway to see real change, track it honestly, and adjust as new information emerges.
Everything in the Building program
Third check-in at 90 days with a full progress review
Coordination letter for your veterinarian (where relevant)
Seasonal transition guidance
From $950CAD
Long-TermPartnership
Partnering
For horses and owners who want nutrition expertise woven into their ongoing care routine. We build the full 90-day foundation, then stay involved month to month. New hay batch? Change in workload? We're already in the loop.
Complete 90-day Performing program as the foundation
Monthly check-ins and plan adjustments over 6–12+ months
Priority response for acute nutrition concerns between sessions
Ongoing vet coordination as needed
Annual nutrition review and full plan reset
Custompricing available
Not sure where to start?
A 15-minute call is all it takes to figure out which program makes sense for your horse right now.
The Process
Transparent at every step. No black boxes.
You'll always know where we are in the process, what we found, what we're changing, and what we're watching for.
01
The Intake Conversation
Before any recommendations are made, we want to understand the full picture — diet history, forage type and quality, current supplements, health records, workload, management environment, and what's prompted you to seek help now.
02
Establishing Goals
We get specific about what success looks like for your horse. Weight stabilization, improved topline, digestive health, metabolic management, or performance prep — the goal shapes the plan, and the goal needs to be yours.
03
Nutritional Analysis
We evaluate what your horse is currently receiving against what they actually need — working from forage as the baseline, identifying where the current program has gaps, excesses, or internal contradictions.
04
The Written Plan
A full written nutrition plan is delivered and presented in a 60-minute session. We walk through every recommendation together — what's staying, what's changing, and the reasoning behind each decision.
05
Getting It Implemented
Changing a horse's diet requires care and timing. We guide you through the transition — how quickly to make changes, what to communicate to your barn, and what early signals to watch for.
06
Check-Ins and Course Corrections
Scheduled check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days give us the chance to look at actual outcomes and adjust accordingly. The plan is a living document, not a one-time handout.
Ready to start the process?
Book a free 15-minute call — we'll figure out together whether Hay You is the right fit.
For Veterinary Professionals
Nutrition support that extends your capacity
Hay You is built to work alongside veterinary care — not around it. Kathryn handles the depth of nutritional planning that most practices don't have the bandwidth to deliver, and keeps you in the loop throughout.
The Clinical Case for Referring
Better nutrition support means better outcomes
Reclaim Appointment Time
Detailed dietary counselling consumes significant consultation time. Referring nutrition cases to Hay You lets your team stay focused on diagnosis and treatment.
Clients Who Follow Through
A horse owner with a written, personalized nutrition plan and a dedicated point of contact is far more likely to make the changes their horse needs.
Aligned Goals
For horses managing EMS, PPID, gastric ulceration, or tying-up syndromes, nutritional management is most effective when coordinated with — not layered on top of — the medical plan.
All written plans are shared with your practice at the client's consent. Kathryn is available for direct conversation on complex cases and welcomes being included in telehealth appointments.
Making a Referral
It takes about two minutes.
1
Send a Referral
A quick email or phone call is all that's needed. We handle the intake from there.
2
We Conduct the Assessment
Full dietary history, current program review, and goal-setting with the client.
3
Your Practice Receives the Plan
A written summary of findings and recommendations sent directly to your clinic.
4
We Stay Connected
Clinically relevant updates are shared as the program progresses.
Want to discuss a case or make a referral?
Reach out directly — Kathryn is happy to speak with your practice team.
Meet Kathryn Ballantyne
The science matters. So does the barn.
Kathryn Ballantyne is the founder of Hay You Equine Nutrition and the person behind hayyou.ca. She came to equine nutrition the way most horse people come to their expertise — through years of showing up, paying attention, and asking questions that didn't have satisfying answers yet.
What Kathryn noticed, working across barns and disciplines, was a persistent gap between what research showed and what horses were actually being fed. She created Hay You to close that gap — to offer horse owners something genuinely independent, genuinely science-based, and genuinely practical.
She works closely with veterinarians across British Columbia and is based on Vancouver Island. Her approach is direct, her recommendations are written and explained, and she doesn't believe in making horse nutrition more complicated than it needs to be — or simpler than it actually is.
Training & Background
Certified Equine Nutritionist
Formal study in equine physiology and applied biology
Competitive riding experience across multiple disciplines
Established referral relationships with BC equine veterinarians
Want to work with Kathryn?
A free 15-minute call is the best place to start.
Say hay — let's talk about your horse.
Whether you're looking to start a program, have a specific question, or are a veterinarian hoping to refer a client — Kathryn would be glad to hear from you.
Free Discovery Call
15 minutes via Calendly — no charge, no obligation
Email
kathryn@hayyou.ca
Location
Vancouver Island, BC — virtual consultations available Canada-wide
