Starch

[Daytona]

Why don't you want a feed with more than 10% starch in it..??

I see people speaking about this but don't know why.

Also I've starting moving my horse on to frickers formula conditioning mix which ingredients are basically barley, molasses and oil on advice from a friend. But I was worried about blowing his brains . He does need condition though.

Thoughts please

 

[touchstone]

There is a good summary of the effects of sugars and starch on a horse in this article:- http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/livestk/01818.html

Nothing wrong in feeding a conditioning feed if your horse needs it, but I'd always go the high fibre/oil route first.

 

[TwoStroke]

Horses have not evolved to be able to cope with high levels of starch in the diet. When undigested sugar and starch get into the gut, they undergo rapid fermentation to create lactic acid, which causes the bad bacteria to increase.

There's research to suggest that these bacteria produce an enzyme which cause the laminae in the horses hooves to separate. That's the brief version anyway. To find out more, look up Pollit's research on starch overload in standarbreds.

 

[Daytona]

Thanks guys will read that link too.

 

[Daytona]

Not sure if he will stay on the frickers he seems to be fussy about it, think it might be the molasses , will see if he will eat the bag I have or keep leaving it. He on pure feeds at moment and seems to really like it.

Feeding horses is such a minefield

 

[TwoStroke]

Tbh the mix you mentioned sounds like something that would end up on my muckheap before it went in my horses buckets . Linseed and oats are what I use for condition. If I needed more I'd consider rice bran and copra. There are so many horse-friendly options for feeding that I wouldn't ever consider one of those mixes.

 

[Oberon]

(copied from my nutrition revision)

50% or more of the calories in a typical equine diet come from fermentation of fibre in the large intestine.

Also, non-digestible fibre, overflow of simple carbohydrates (starch, simple sugar) and protein are fermented in the large intestine.

The large intestine is home to billions of organisms, both bacteria and protozoa, in several hundred different species.

The types of organisms and their relative proportions reflect the types of food reaching them.

On a hay/haylage diet, cellulolytic (fibre fermenting) species dominate.

On a high grain diet, more simple carbohydrate fermenters will dominate.

The microbial population is highly dynamic; with many species interactions…such as, high numbers of lactic acid producing bacteria will in turn encourage high numbers of organisms that can feed on lactic acid.

Organisms with similar types of food preferences will tend to thrive together under similar pH and moisture conditions.

(If you consider that and remember that forage and grain require different species of flora, you can appreciate that feeding a high grain ‘conditioning feed’ may cause more harm than good, as the entire pH of the hind gut will have to change in order to ‘deal’ with it. This is one of the reasons why forage based feeds are often more successful at keeping weight on poor doers. A high fat intake also supresses bacteria levels).

Starch overload in the large intestine increases the amounts of lactic acid produced. As long as this doesn’t overwhelm the capacity of the lactic acid loving organisms, this isn’t a problem. But if it does, the pH of the fluid will drop quickly, killing off many of the other types of organisms and producing irritation or actual damage to the gut wall. This has been found to be a key factor in both laminitis and also hind gut ulcers.

High numbers of ‘friendly’ organisms provide gentle immune system stimulation. The gut has the largest number of immune system tissues of any organ – they effectively crowd out disease producing strains.

So a healthy diet and a healthy gut will equal a healthy horse.

When the horse is fuelled by fibre, there are no large fluctuations in blood glucose. The liver keeps blood glucose at a constant level.

This system works very well for maintenance, growth, pregnancy, lactation and also most work.