I know there is at least one maybe a few more members here who are equine nutritionist. I have a few questions for you! I am interested in becoming a nutritionist and have no clue where to start or any idea about what the job might entail: I just have found myself drawn to all things related to nutrition and find myself researching nutrition all day and night so I figured I should put that knowledge to work! If anyone can help point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it!
MI would expect that salaried jobs in the field would be with a feed company and you would need a relevant university degree probably through a school with a department of Agriculture or whatever they are called these days. Food systems management? 
this would be a program that would need strong science and math skills.
Anyone however can start up on the internet with their pet theories and self taught ideas and market supplements and bunkum to whoever will buy, but there’s no salary there though maybe an income.
I don’t think a barn would need to hire an actual degreed nutritionist. They might consult with one to set up a program but then the regular help would feed. And no barn could pay a salary comesurate with a degree.
If you are just interested for your own development you might want to check out online continuing education courses from the University of Guelph in Canada or see what’s coming up in coursera. You can find more than enough to be an adequate manager of horses via these kinds of courses.
If you want to know how to develop new extruded feeds that are cheap and effective, and experiment with tolerance levels for micronutrients, go for the degree.
If you are just wondering if it’s OK to feed alfalfa and what supplement to buy, do a continuing education course.
And seriously if you have the science and math and general exploratory technical intellectual approach to really be good at the science of nutrition consider enrolling in a program on human nutrition as the jobs and pay are always better than for animals.
If you do go into animals be prepared to shift over to a bigger industry such as dairy cattle. Or dogs.
And also keep in mind the huge jump between personal interest in a field and what it means to do it professionally. Lots of fields are interesting and important to know about as an amateur or generalist but have a whole other set of requirements to do them professionally. What you see the professional do in relation to the public discharge of duties is just a small part of what the training for a job and it’s actual requirements behind the scenes. Just being fascinated by internet research on nutrition is no indication if you’ll enjoy the chemistry and math and technical parameters of the field itself.
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I am not a nutritionist
I’d first ask - what would your goal be? Work for a feed company? Be an independent nutritionist available for consults and online services, like Claire at Summit Equine Nutrition? Go into research?
The answer to that will drive what you do. They all do entail school/course work, obviously, if you want to be taken seriously, even if you are an independent. IMHO, you will need and want courses on how to do your case studies for your personal clients, so even if you aren’t in research, with all the biology of things I would imagine that entails, you will have some reliable and credible way of determining whether your recommended changes are working, why they worked, so you have them to show others as proof of concept.
I do think this country needs more independent nutritionists who know their stuff. There are a LOT out there who do not. You’re not going to make a fortune in that line of work, but you can do it from anywhere if you’re independent.
I was thinking to work for a company - although I’m not sure which as I only want to work for a place where I actually believe in their products so maybe buckeye, triple crown or Tribute. After working for a corporate company I would like to do so independently, or I could start independently although I feel like that would be way more difficult. As of right now it is something I would merely like to do on the side! I am pursuing a degree in business administration and a masters in the same after finishing undergrad (which should be anytime now). I would certainly be interested in a certificate or other program for equine nutrition. I understand I won’t be making a ton of money but who does in the horse world?
I have an M.S. in Animal Science; my research/training was focused on equine nutrition and exercise physiology. Despite what some websites might like you to believe, there is no such thing as a certified equine nutritionist. 
My career path (thus far) has taken me into academia/teaching (with some Extension work occasionally), although my intention when I went to grad school was to work in the feed industry.
For most research/development and product formulation jobs with major feed companies, a Ph.D. will be required. Sales positions may require a B.S. or M.S., depending on the company. There are certainly jobs available in the field, although a willingness to relocate and/or travel is essential (not unlike most other industries).
Although I’ve toyed with starting a consulting business, I’m not sure that there is a high enough demand for that to be a viable career plan, at least not at this time. Maybe one day…
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask here or PM me. I’m always happy to help and to share my experiences.
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