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. Now, we turn our attention to the importance of fibre.
With a gastrointestinal tract capable of digesting large amounts of fibre, fibre should be the foundation of your horse’s diet. Not only does fibre provide them with energy, chewing and digesting fibrous feeds safeguards your horse from a number of health problems, including colic.
But, what exactly is fibre? And, where is it found?
Fibre
Made up of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and pectin, fibre is the cell wall material of plants.
Fibre is fermented in the hindgut of your horse, where the microbial population converts it into utilisable energy. Without energy, your horse’s ability
to perform is inhibited, and they may also encounter weight loss or difficulty gaining weight.
The feed choices with the highest sources of dietary fibre are:
- Hay and chaff
- Pasture
- Sugarbeet
- Soybean hulls
- Lupin hulls
- Oat hulls
In addition to supplying your horse with vital energy, fibre also assists in keeping your horse fuller for longer and retaining water in the hindgut. Both
of these benefits – digestion and hydration – reduce the potential for gastrointestinal upset and behavioural issues.
Let’s explore these further…
Inadequate Fibre
The consequences of feeding a diet low in fibre are serious and often linked. Every horse should be fed a forage-first diet, high in fibre, that provides
them with at least 1.5% of their bodyweight in forage every day.
Without adequate fibre, your horse may experience:
- Colic – Your horse’s digestive system is designed to continuously process food. If left empty for too long, the intestine or colon may twist, putting
your horse’s life at risk. - Diarrhoea – A diet low in fibre can lead to diarrhoea, often resulting in dehydration and loss of electrolytes. In addition, horses with diarrhoea
often digest fibre less efficiently. - Dehydration – Fibre provides your horse with a water reserve in their hindgut. This can become rapidly depleted for horses fed a low-fibre diet. Diarrhoea
can also contribute to this problem. - Behavioural problems – A low-fibre diet is often associated with prolonged periods of fasting, which often lead to boredom, problem behaviours, and
sand or dirt ingestion. - Sand colic – Any horse without access to free choice forage may consume other materials in an attempt to satiate hunger. Sand colic can also occur
when horses are fed directly on the ground. - Gastric ulcers – Lastly, fibrous feeds require chewing and the act of chewing promotes saliva production, which aids in preventing stomach ulceration.
At Running Cool, we recommend every horse is fed a forage-first diet, followed by our nutrient-dense
horse feeds that are designed for every stage of life, and for both pleasure and performance horses and ponies.
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.