Pastures or forages are, naturally, the first source of fiber in the horse's diet. However, there are foods that are also important sources of fiber and that have a higher energy density than forages, with a higher content of digestible fiber - these foods are called "super fibers".
The energy density of “super fibers” is lower than the energy density of cereals (e.g. corn, barley and oats) and, given their fibrous nature, they do not present the risks associated with excessive starch intake, and are therefore considered a safe way to provide extra energy and promote intestinal health.
“Super fibers” are often constituents of complementary compound foods (“rations”), providing fiber to this food, and are particularly present in commercial foods with claims of “rich in fiber” or “cereal free”. In the latter, in the absence of cereals, fat also plays a prominent role in the energy supply.
They are also used as a complement to forage and the usual compound feed, and are particularly useful:
- Complementing hays with low digestibilities.
- When we want to provide more energy without increasing starch levels (when concentrate consumption is already significant or in horses particularly susceptible to it, as is the case of horses with Gastric Ulcers or predisposition to myopathies).
- In animals with dental problems, such as geriatric horses, given the difficulty they have in consuming adequate amounts of forage/pasture.
- In horses with difficulty maintaining adequate body condition.
- In horses subjected to prolonged efforts (such as in endurance racing), they benefit from this source of energy, which additionally promotes water retention in the extravascular space, helping the intestine to function as a reservoir of water and electrolytes.
- Among other uses.
Most used “super fibers”
The most commonly used “super fibers” in horse feed are beet pulp and soybean hulls. Other less commonly used types of super fibers include almond shells or citrus pulp, which, despite being highly digestible fibers, have reduced palatability when used in this species.
beet pulp
Beet pulp has a considerable digestible fibre content (around 85% of its fibre is digestible), is low in starch and is considered a food relatively low in sugar (around 10% of sugar). It has a variable protein content (ranging from 8 to 12%), similar to a good grass forage, and the calcium content is significant, although lower than that found, for example, in alfalfa.
Despite the advantages of this product, it is not advisable to use it as a substitute for forage, but rather as a complement, as it is quickly fermentable, contains essentially digestible fiber and is relatively poor in other substances that forage provides (for example, vitamins and other minerals).
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soy hull
Soybean hulls are often incorporated into concentrated feeds to provide fiber, and are highly digestible fibers (around 75%). They are less commonly consumed as a complement to hay and concentrated feed, and are less frequently sold in granulated form to end customers, which means they are less palatable.
Other foods used to provide fiber
Wheat bran
Wheat bran is a common constituent of concentrated feeds. The fibre content of this raw material is not as high as one might think, with 10 to 12% of crude fibre (as opposed to around 20% in beet pulp) and its use alone, in addition to concentrated feed and forage, has some drawbacks that should be taken into account:
- It is a food rich in phosphorus and poor in calcium, and this raw material has an inverted calcium/phosphorus ratio (the calcium/phosphorus ratio of a horse food should be 1.5 to 2 to 1). This ratio is corrected when the bran is incorporated into a concentrated food, through the addition of calcium. When its use is isolated and done empirically by owners, it can contribute to orthopedic problems in growing animals, nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism, among other problems.
- The starch content is not negligible, varying between 15 and 20%.
- Wheat bran that has not been thermally processed is often a raw material that is not very “clean” from a microbiological point of view.
Lucerne
Lucerne is also used as a source of good quality fiber. Although the digestible fiber content of lucerne varies, like any forage, it is a good option, with a significant protein and calcium content.
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to retain:
- Highly digestible fiber sources with a higher energy density than forage are commonly referred to as “super fibers”.
- The use of “super fibers” allows you to supplement low-digestibility hay, increase energy intake without increasing starch, provide fiber to horses with dental problems, among other uses.