Minimising Starch and
Sugar Intake.
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A horse’s basic diet is leafy green material, mostly grass, which, especially on bright sunny days, is high in sugars such as glucose & fructan. Horses, & especially ponies that are known to be sensitive to high sugar & starch levels require a restricted intake. This can be achieved by the use of grazing muzzles, starvation paddocks, track grazing, and turnout at night only, when the level of sugars such as glucose & fructan is much reduced.They may also supplement forage with starchy & sugary products such as fruit, cereals, root products such as carrots, etc. Greedy ponies have been known to steal burgers, ham sandwiches, Mars bars, etc from inattentive handlers, and raid the feed store if they get loose. These are all high in starch & sugar which can have adverse effects.
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A 250kg pony for example, eating around 6kg of meadow hay per day will receive around 360gm of Starch & Sugar (S+S).
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This can give elevated blood glucose levels, resulting in excess insulin which can cause laminitis. |
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Undigested Starch & Sugar reaching the hindgut can be fermented to lactic acid, allowing undesirable microbes to proliferate & produce toxins which can cause loose droppings.
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Sugar intake can be reduced by soaking hay. This also removes useful nutrients, thus requiring feeding of a mineral & vitamin supplement/balancer.
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All horses need a minimum crude fibre intake of at least 1.5% of bodyweight per day to maintain healthy gut function.
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Hard feed should contain as little Starch & Sugar as possible, & will not be required if the condition is good & the horse or pony is resting.
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Supplements & balancers should have minimal Starch & Sugar & contain live yeast & oligosaccharides to promote a healthy gut microflora.
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Hay intake can be reduced by providing ad-lib clean straw (preferably oat), especially if obesity is a problem. |
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Suitable products can be obtained from Gravenhorse Feeds |
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