fiber
A better understanding of how the horse’s digestion system works has revealed that balancing forage intake with concentrate intake is necessary when feeding horses, and even more critical when feeding starch/sugar sensitive horses. Concentrates are the portions of the diet we typically think of as “grain.” A concentrate can consist of a plain grain, such as oats, or it can be a mixture of ingredients referred to as textured feeds (sweet feed) or... Read More »
Category : Fat & Fiber | Health & Management | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
What does the guaranteed analysis really tell you? If you have looked at a feed tag you have seen a guaranteed analysis (GA) of nutrients. It is full of minimums and maximums, crude this and that, and lots of numbers. But what does the GA really tell you about the feed you are considering for your horse? A lot! The GA gives you a tremendous amount of information about the nutrients in the feed. Once you understand how to decipher the GA, it will be... Read More »
Category : Other Topics of Interest | Tips and Topics
The minerals calcium (Ca) and phosphorous (P) play a major role in proper growth and development of the skeletal system in horses. Calcium and phosphorus must be provided by a horse’s diet in the correct levels and ratio. If more phosphorous than calcium is consumed by a horse then calcium absorption can be impaired and skeletal malformations, poor growth, and muscle disorders can occur. Even if a diet contains adequate calcium, excessive phosphorus... Read More »
Category : Fat & Fiber | Tips and Topics | Valuable Nutrients
One of the most prevalent myths in the realm of horse nutrition today is that bran mashes are good for horses. Horse folks have long fed bran mashes for a variety of reasons: to act as a laxative and prevent constipation, to increase water intake, to add fiber to the diet, and everyone’s favorite, to warm their horse up on a cold night. Unfortunately, the negative effects of an irregular bran mash greatly outweigh the perceived positive ones. Wheat... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Fat & Fiber | Tips and Topics
Careful management of your horse year-round will help ensure that he remains healthy during drought conditions. In the short-term future, the first and perhaps most elementary and immediate point to consider is nutrition. As the drought in Kentucky and surrounding states rages on, pastures may be brown and their bounty less than nutritious. If you rely heavily on pastures to provide calories for your horse, he may not be receiving sufficient energy... Read More »
Category : Essential Vitamins | Fat & Fiber | Health & Management | Tips and Topics | Valuable Nutrients
All horses need fiber in their diet and some of it must be the form of long hay. Horses challenged by metabolic syndrome should be offered hays that are low in non-structural carbohydrates or NSC. This class of carbohydrates includes starch, water-soluble sugar, and fructan. Normal horses can tolerate NSC levels of 20% or higher. It is recommended that horses with metabolic syndrome consume hay with NSC levels of around 10% to 12%. In order to know... Read More »
Category : Fat & Fiber | Tips and Topics
Horses 18 years of age and older are considered geriatric or senior horses. Some horses, like some humans, age more gracefully than others. Frequently, older horses struggle to maintain a healthy body weight. The reduced ability to absorb nutrients from the diet As horses age, the wear and tear of a lifetime of exposure to parasites and other damaging events negatively affect the efficiency of their gastrointestinal tract. Even horses on stringent... Read More »
Category : Health & Management | Tips and Topics
Hot and dry temps got your pasture down? The record heat and lack of rain has turned many pastures brown and weedy as grasses go dormant and weeds continue to grow. This can spell trouble for your horses and your pasture. Understanding how extreme temperatures affect your pasture and using a few common sense management tools can help keep your horse safe and your pasture alive. How grasses and weeds react to stress: As a defense mechanism to stress,... Read More »
Category : Fat & Fiber | Health & Management | Tips and Topics
Bugs? What bugs? Horses are hindgut fermenters. In other words, the hindgut portion of your horse’s digestive tract contains millions of beneficial bacteria and yeast, often referred to as microbes or “bugs.” These bugs have the ability to break down otherwise indigestible fiber into digestible compounds through a process called symbiotic microbial fermentation. Both the horse and the bugs benefit from this process. By joining forces, the bugs and... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
What is laminitis? Laminitis occurs when the tissues that connect the coffin bone to the hoof wall, called the laminae, become inflamed and the blood supply is compromised. Laminitis varies in severity depending on the amount of damage inflicted on the laminae. Mild cases usually result in very little permanent damage to the laminae, while the more severe cases can result in founder, or the sinking of the coffin bone. There are several factors that can... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
Is Fiber a Carbohydrate? In Clarifying Carbohydrates Part I, we reviewed simple carbohydrates and in Clarifying Carbohydtrates Part II we looked at rapidly fermentable carbohydrates. This Nutritional Minute describes slowly fermentable carbohydrates (fiber) and discusses the concerns associated with all carbohydrates in the equine diet. Slowly Fermentable Carbohydrates Slowly fermentable carbohydrates, or fiber as they are commonly called, are... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
Clarifying Carbohydrates Part II There are many types of carbohydrates in equine diets, including simple carbohydrates, rapidly fermentable carbohydrates, and complex, slowly fermentable carbohydrates. Your horse digests each type of carbohydrate differently. Some types of carbs are better for your horse than others. Click here for Clarifying Carbohydrates Part I for information on simple carbs. This time we will reviewing rapidly fermentable... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
Clarifying Carbohydrates Part I There are three different types of carbohydrates utilized by horses: simple sugars and starches, rapidly fermentable carbohydrates, and structural carbohydrates. This part of our series will deal with simple sugars and starches. What are carbohydrates and why are they important? Carbohydrates are substances made up of the elements carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O). Various forms of carbohydrates are made through... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
Your horse is a home The digestive tract of your horse is home to millions of microorganisms that aid in the digestion of feedstuffs. The sheer size of the microbial population shows their importance to your horse’s health. Leading equine nutritionist David Frape once wrote “…the bacteria cells in the digestive tract of the horse number more than ten times all the tissues cells in the body.” Think about it: There are more microbes in the gut... Read More »
Category : Digestive Health | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
Love takes many forms Approaching the barn you slide the heavy, hanging door back and the deep rumble sets off a chorus of whinnies, nickers, and lip-smacking. You think to yourself, what a nice greeting! The horses are so happy to see you because they love you, right? After all, you’re the one who feeds them. And no horse is happier to see you than the stout, vocal pony at the end of the shed row. Eventually they are all rewarded for their heartfelt... Read More »
Category : Health & Management | Nutritional Minutes | Tips and Topics
