Last week we told you in part one of this blog that there were five factors that influence starch digestibility in the small intestine. Here they are in more detail.



1) Source of starch

Over 80% of the starch in oats is digested in the small intestine, whereas less than 30% of the starch in whole-corn and barley is digested in the small intestine. Starches are made of sugars, predominantly glucose. So why is glucose from oat starch digested differently than glucose from corn… Continue

With all the things we hear and read about cutting our carbs we automatically assume that these things apply to our horses too. When in fact, carbohydrates are a fundamental part of any horse's diet and therefore cannot be cut out of their ration. Carbs should make up anywhere from 55 to 75% of a horse's diet. So this means that we really need to understand the way carbs are broken-down and metabolism when making our horse’s ration.



Firstly, carbohydrate (CHO) is a chemical…

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There are some truths, but numerous misconceptions regarding nutrition and your horse's attitude. The confusion comes from the challenge of measuring what "attitude" really means. There is limited proper scientific research regarding the link between nutrition and attitude. Furthermore, many practices used in the industry to change a horse’s attitude often cause secondary side effects that can be detrimental to your horse's welfare, one of the worst is to withhold…

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The concept of a balanced ration in equine nutrition is similar to humans eating the daily portion of the four food groups.



The first step is to balance water intake. Here the balance is very much like money, you cannot have too much. Water is the most important nutrient in your horse’s diet and needs to be closely monitored.



The second nutrient to balance is long stemmed-fibre. However, much needed research is necessary to substantiate what long stemmed-fibre implies in… Continue