Tuesdays with Tony

The way we feed horses has changed a lot over the last few decades. Back in the day, most people would feed their horses some combination of oats, corn, and barley. While these big 3 are still utilized as ingredients in many horse feeds, we now know a lot more about how to provide a balanced and complete feed ration for horses.

      When choosing a feed for your horse, there are some general guidelines you want to follow. Unless your horse is performing at the highest level of work such as racing, endurance, or Grand Prix jumping, your feed should be less than 20% NSC. NSC stands for “non-structural carbohydrates,” and involves a tricky calculation to figure out. NSCs are basically your white bread and pasta…those dreaded “carbs” we are all told by our doctors to keep an eye on.

     Other than carbs (which are often not even listed on your feed tag for…reasons) the 3 main values you want to pay attention to in your feed are protein, fat, and fiber. Just like in humans (and cats who are trying to bulk up, such as myself) protein is going to be key for building muscle. Your horse’s topline will never improve with any amount of exercise if you’re not providing the building blocks his body needs. Fat is good if you want your horse to gain weight; bad if you want your horse to lose weight. Fat also has other hidden benefits such as healthy skin and a shiny coat. Fiber is good for providing bulk and maintaining gut health.

    With all that in mind, let’s forge ahead!

 As a diabetic cat, I place myself in this category. However, all of my food comes in a convenient little can. If you own a fat horse, you have probably heard these recommendations from one of my docs before. Overweight horses with equine metabolic syndrome/ insulin resistance/ insulin dysregulation are very sensitive to sugar spikes. A rapid burst of glucose causes an excessive rise in insulin in these horses, which can even be dangerous and result in a laminitic episode. For this reason, we need to limit sugars and starches (those ‘carbs’ we warned about earlier). We also would like most of these horses to lose a couple pounds, so we need to limit calories as well.

      A good place to start is with a low-starch, low-calorie feed such as Nutrena SafeChoice Special Care or Purina WellSolve W/C. Now, if you are feeding your tubby pony less than the minimum feeding amount recommended on the bag, you will want to round out his or her diet with 1lb of a ration balancer daily, such as Purina Enrich Plus, Nutrena Empower Topline Balance, or ProElite Topline Advantage. This will ensure that your horse is still getting all of the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals he needs.

      In terms of hay, you are going to want something low carb, but also low calorie (aka Digestible Energy). The only way to truly know if your hay fits these criteria is to have it tested. Let one of my minions know if you are interested in this service, and they can make it happen!

     Do you have a horse that has been diagnosed with PSSM, or that has a history of tying up? Horses with these sort of muscle conditions have trouble storing and breaking down glycogen (a metabolite of glucose) to utilize it for energy. For this reason, we need to provide the majority of their calories in the form of fat instead of carbs (glucose).

      Again, you will want to start with a low- starch feed such as Purina WellSolve L/S, or ProElite Starch Wise. If your horse is underweight or in moderate to heavy work, you may also consider Nutrena ProForce XTN. Next, you will want to add in as much fat as possible. A great way to do this is with a supplement such as Nutrena Empower Boost, Purina Amplify, Legends Rice Bran, or ProElite Omega Advantage. You can also add pure fat in the form of Corn Oil, but some horses don’t like the taste.

       Alfalfa is a great hay choice for these horses, being consistently low starch yet higher calorie. By providing a high fat/low starch diet, you are effectively shifting your horse’s metabolism to avoid the pathways that lead to him or her tying up.