In 2004, Nia set out to buy a few headcollars and came home with a Section D mare who would go on to challenge everything she thought she knew about horses. Milly refused to tolerate Nia’s tried-and-tested approach to horse care, forcing a complete rethink and ultimately changing the direction of her career.

What began as curiosity became commitment. In 2011, Nia left her accountancy career to train as an Equine Podiatrist. As her practice developed, she recognised a consistent pattern: many of the hoof issues she was seeing were rooted not in the foot itself, but in the horse’s diet.

Driven to understand the deeper “why,” Nia completed her Professional Diploma in Equine Nutrition. Still frustrated by the lack of depth and the prevalence of generalised advice, she went on to earn a BSc (Hons) in Equine and Veterinary Bioscience from Aberystwyth University, followed by an MSc in Animal Nutrition from the University of Glasgow.

Alongside her studies, Nia worked as an independent nutritionist, supporting horse owners through tailored consultations—while also navigating life as a new mother. Recognising a gap in the market for genuinely appropriate feeding options, she entered the University of Glasgow’s Inventerprize competition, winning the prestigious award and funding that enabled her to launch Finer Forage, an all-natural feed company grounded in species-appropriate principles.

Today, Nia continues to run Finer Forage, alongside teaching and speaking on equine nutrition. Her work is driven by a clear mission: to improve horse health through a deeper, more accurate understanding of how horses are designed to be fed.