Nutrition is a fundamental part of your horse’s health, wellbeing and performance. In this new series, we discuss the components of correct nutrition to help you formulate a healthy, well-balanced diet for your performance horse or pony.
In Part 1, we examined two of the most commonly overlooked ingredients that are vital to sustaining performance – vitamins and minerals. In Part 2, we turned our attention to the importance of fibre. In Part 3, we discussed fats. In Part 4, we explored protein.
Next, we explain the complexities of carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are usually the main source of energy in commercial horse feeds. However, there are several types of carbohydrates, and each are digested
and utilised differently — with some being safer options than others in your horse’s feed.
So, what exactly are carbohydrates? And, how are they processed?
Carbohydrates
At their most basic level, there are two types of carbohydrates:
- Structural carbohydrates: Are found in the cell wall of the plant and often referred to as fibre. Common sources of structural carbohydrates are baled
hay, mature grasses, beet pulp and soybean hulls. Structural carbohydrates cannot be digested in the small intestine and must be fermented in the
horse’s hindgut. They are the better choice of carbohydrates for your horse as your horse’s digestive tract is designed to process fibre. - Non-structural carbohydrates: Are found inside the plant contents, and often referred to as sugars and starches. For example, warm season grasses store
carbohydrates as starches and cool season grasses store carbohydrates as sugars. While NSC’s can be reduced by water soaking prior to feeding,
when consumed in large quantities, sugars, starches and fructans can lead to colic and laminitis.
Choosing Carbohydrates
As you can see, there is a clear difference between structural carbohydrates (fibre) and non-structural carbohydrates (sugars and starches). When choosing
a commercial horse feed for your performance horse or pony, consider a high-fibre, low-sugar option, such as Running Cool.
However, it’s imperative that you don’t attempt to eliminate certain types of carbohydrates altogether. While NSC’s — sugars and starches —
are absorbed into the body as glucose, which can pose a problem in large quantities, glucose is essential for brain function.
Carbohydrates for Energy
Both structural carbohydrates and non-structural carbohydrates are important sources of energy for your performance horse or pony.
Typically, sugars and starches are digested and absorbed rapidly by the small intestine, and able to provide your horse or pony with a short burst of energy
(glucose). In contrast, fibre is broken down slowly by the hindgut — creating a source of sustained energy (volatile fatty acids).
When formulating the types and amounts of carbohydrates in your horse or pony’s diet, it’s important to consider their body condition and workload to determine
their nutritional needs:
- Low intensity workload: A horse in good body condition on a low exercise regime should be provided with quality forage sources, supplemented by a balancer
ration, such as Running Cool Barley/Soy Booster, to provide essential vitamins and
minerals. - Medium intensity workload: A horse in good body condition on a medium exercise regime should be provided with quality forage sources, supplemented
by a concentrate ration, such as Running Cool Leisure, to meet their caloric requirements,
and provide essential vitamins and minerals. - High intensity workload: A horse in good body condition on a high exercise regime should be provided with quality forage sources, supplemented by a
concentrate ration, such as Running Cool Sport, to support the physical demands —
with energy, fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals.
At Running Cool, we genuinely care about your horse’s health and wellbeing. Our superior horse feed range supports your horse at every stage of life with well-balanced vitamins, minerals and protein for pleasure and performance.
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to learn more.