About Me

My name is Maddy Hayes and I am the independent nutrition consultant behind Equine Alchemy. I have been a horse owner for over 10 years and currently own a thoroughbred mare, Bella, who is the inspiration behind the business.

I completed my Bachelor of Agriculture at the University of Melbourne in 2020, where I studied a variety of subjects within the areas of plant and soil science, and animal health (livestock and companion animals). While studying my degree I had the opportunity to complete my Certificate III in Agriculture where I worked with livestock and machinery. Since then, I have completed more specialised short courses in equine nutrition from Dr Eleanor Kellon, and Rutgers Equine Science Centre (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.).

My deeper interest in the area of equine nutrition grew from my very basic knowledge I had from my years of horse ownership into something greater when I bought my thoroughbred mare, only a few months “off the track”, during my final year of university. Hundreds of hours of research went into learning more about how to support Bella’s needs, which included severe gastric ulcers, the “letting down” period after racing, poor hoof and skin health and behavioural problems.

My mission for Equine Alchemy is to demystify and simplify nutrition for horse owners, new and experienced, by providing clear and unbiased advice, as well as cutting through gimmicks and marketing for the abundance of hyped up feed and supplements available on the market. I am able to formulate diets for a variety of lifestyle factors including performance horses, EMS and laminitis horses, and horses prone to gastric ulcers and tying up.

Feeding your horse correctly can save you time, money (on both feed and vet bills!) and a lot of peace of mind for the wellbeing for our equine companions.