Valerian Root and other Calming Remedies

A New Generation in Feeding

Almost as soon as researchers discovered the links between sugar, starch and
Metabolic disorders, feed companies began to respond with appropriate products to help
Horse owners better feed their horses.
Researchers have discovered feeds high in starches/sugars can also make horses more
Prone to tying up, muscle soreness and ulcers. As well as contributing to poor hoof
Quality, hoof sensitivity and laminitis. In addition, a young horse that is still growing and
May experience developmental orthopedic disease may also benefit from a diet low in
Non-structural carbs (NSC). Recent studies at Virginia Tech proved the propensity to
Rich grain based diets and a high-concentrate diet instead of relying on high fiber, forage
First diets greatly increases the incidence of colic and gastrointestinal disease.
The goal now is to reduce unhealthy sugars, starches and other non-structural
Carbohydrates (NSC) in equine diets that can cause metabolic disturbances and
Imbalances in the digestive system while still providing more than adequate calories and
Nutrients.
Some of these feeds may be marketed (for now) as special needs feeds (for seniors, or
Laminitic prone horses, insulin resistance, etc), but a rapidly growing number of vets and
Scientists believe no horse really needs a feed with a NSC level higher than 15-25% and
These feeds are good all around feeds for any horse.
Before deciding which feed is best for your horse it’s helpful to have knowledge of how
The equine digestive tract processes sugars and starches. And too, with one of the
Leading causes of death in horses being laminitis, second only to colic, every horse
Owner should have an understanding of how laminitis can be triggered. You’ll also want
To know which ingredients are generally found in feeds designed to reduce a horse’s
Risk, as well as some guidelines for incorporating these feeds into your overall
Preventative management plan. With this information, this nutritional balancing act will
Be much easier to pull off.

Just as with humans, managing carbohydrate intake in a horse’s diet is a good idea.
These are two types of carbohydrates in your horse’s diet:
Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSC’s) are the sugars and starches inside a plant cell.
The sugars include glucose, fructose and sucrose. Starches are long chains of glucose
And fructose molecules. Fructans are chains of fructose molecules.
With the exception of fructan, NSC’s are primarily digested in the foregut of the horse
(the stomach and small intestine). Enzymatic digestion here quickly breaks down starch
In glucose, the body’s main energy source. This, in turn causes a rapid rise in the
Horses glycemic response-the increase in blood sugar-stimulating the release of
Increased amounts of insulin. Recent research breakthroughs have directly linked high
Blood insulin levels with laminitis. While it may not produce full blown laminitis in some
Horses, it still very well may cause the hooves to become sensitive or appear not as
Healthy (brittle, chip easily, prone to cracks, flat soles rather than concave).
To keep a digestive system healthy in any horse you want to feed in a manner that
Keeps his glycemic response as close to what you’d see with a hay diet or if he were
Getting a natural diet in the wild (which would consist of fairly dry variety of grasses (not
Rich green grass)) ---causing nearly no glycemic response level at all.
The glycemic responses triggered by traditional feeds vary, but corn, oats, barley and
Molasses (the bases of most feeds) create the biggest swings.
Structural Carbohydrates make up the cell wall of plants. The primary structural
Carbohydrates are cellulose and hemicellulose, both referred to more traditionally as
Fiber. These are digested in the hindgut, the cecum, and large intestine. This is where
The horse is designed to have the bulk of its digestion occur and where it is easiest for
The horse to break things down efficiently. The digestive action of the structural carbs,
Which is done by microbes that ferment the fiber, is slower than that of the NSC’s and
Does not appreciably elevate glycemic response. Just as it’s healthier/easier for us to
Process/digest more efficiently the sugars of a piece of fruit compared to that of a piece
Of candy.
Most horses are designed to be able to digest a diet compromised of both types of
Carbs, in varying proportions. However if any horse consumes more NSC’s than his
Foregut can fully metabolize, they spill over into the hindgut, where the sugars are
Fermented by lactic acid producing microbes (this can also contribute to seemingly
Inexplicable tying up or muscle soreness in horses as well as ulcers).

The resulting increase in acidity of the hindgut leads to digestive disorders…anything
From gas, to colic, to ulcers and all the way to laminitis. Remember if your horse has
Poor feet-thin walls, thin soles, prone to cracks, sensitive, etc., always look at the diet
First; it will almost always be the culprit! Changing the diet up is a good place to start in
Trying to diagnose the root cause of his problems. You’ll need to stick with a diet change
For at least 3 months before you see a noticeable change in the hoof growth and
Remember to make the change slowly over several weeks in order to keep the horse’s
Stomach happy :o)!
So, feeds designed to provide energy and nutrients without the excess NSC’s provide
Calories in forms that maximize healthy hindgut digestion and reduce glycemic response.
There are many feeds that advertise being relatively low in their NSC percentage these
Days. Some examples are:
Triple Crown Low Starch – NSC content – 15%
Nutrena Safe Choice – NSC content – 21%
Buckeye Safe’n Easy Pelleted – NSC content – 11.9%
ADM Alliance SeniorGlo – NSC content – 12%
Seminole Wellness Perform Safe – NSC Content – 9%
Purina Well Solve L/S – NSC Content – less than 11%