August 17, 2025
Posted by Kelly Vineyard, MS, PhD
Discover which horses can benefit from higher carbohydrate levels in their diets and the feeds that can supply them.
Q: What role do carbohydrates play in horse feed? I often hear about carbohydrates in a negative context because they can be harmful to horses with metabolic problems, but what groups of horses might need more carbohydrates and what sources should they be getting them from?
A: Thank you for asking this question because this is an important but often misunderstood concept in equine nutrition. With the increased awareness of and ability to diagnose horses with carbohydrate sensitivities (i.e., insulin dysregulation, equine metabolic syndrome) and the rise in popularity of low-carb rations for horses, it’s understandable how some horse owners might be unaware there are many benefits of feeding nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) to horses.
Nonstructural carbohydrates are the simple sugars (i.e., glucose and fructose) and starches in feeds readily digested and absorbed in the horse’s small intestine. This results in a rise in blood glucose and, subsequently, blood insulin levels following a meal...
Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/1129226/the-role-of-carbohydrates-in-horse-feed/?lid=plijzilkhlhg&uuid=019205ef454c0001d30cabe5878605089009a081004ea
No comments:
Post a Comment