We already know the risks associated with starch intake and the main conditions that justify its control in the horse's diet.
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However, we also recognize its important role as a caloric source and its importance in nutrition, namely in the performance of anaerobic physical activity. Thus, to minimize the impact of non-structural carbohydrates (HCNE), particularly starch, and to enhance their pre-cecal digestion, we must:
- Always evaluate the weight of the food and not the volume.
- Always supply the forage component (hay) before the concentrated feed, as chewing the hay promotes the release of bicarbonate through saliva, which will act as a buffer substance at the gastric level. Thus, we minimize the decrease in gastric pH after ingestion of the concentrated food. At the same time, the intake of fiber prior to the concentrated feed is beneficial for its digestibility, which increases digestive efficiency.
- Instead of large amounts of concentrated feed, we must provide a greater number of meals and a smaller amount of concentrated feed in each of them (maximum 0.5 kg / 100 kg of live weight).
- Prefer foods composed of heat-treated cereals (flakes, pellets and extrudates), in order to maximize the digestibility of the supplied starch. Foods with whole grains will necessarily have lower digestibility in the small intestine, with consequent passage of starch to the large intestine and the risks associated with this passage (dysbiosis and intestinal acidity and inherent risks).
- Opt for a food formulated with low starch content.
Low-starch foods
Currently, there is a gap in European legislation that has allowed the use of the claim “low in starch” in products with very variable levels of starch. In order to make this claim, it is only necessary to discriminate the content of the label on the label, its limits not being defined. It is, however, relatively consensual to state a low starch content when a product has a content lower than 20%.
Our Gastro Pro and Nature Mash foods are low-starch formulated products featuring 8 and 12% of starch, respectively.
GASTRO PRO
NATURE MASH
Naturally, a low-starch diet will have to have other caloric sources, usually with high levels of fiber and fat. As the raw materials used in these foods generally have a higher economic value, these products also have a higher cost.
Which horses benefit from a low starch diet?
Easily excitable horses may benefit from these foods, as well as obese horses (naturally predisposed to insulin resistance), insulin resistant, horses with Equine Gastric Ulceration Syndrome (EGUS), myopathies, intestinal acidosis or laminitis.
The use of these foods should be done with the advice of your nutritionist or veterinarian.