Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

A: Sugar can play a role in horse behavior. Have you ever skipped lunch, then grabbed a candy bar in the middle of the afternoon for a quick snack? Perhaps, then, you have experienced a sugar rush, then a crash.

Sugars (carbohydrates) are metabolized quickly as a fast source of energy, which can be a very good thing in certain circumstances (think bursting out of the starting gate, or racing around a cloverleaf pattern). However, the energy produced from sugar is not long lasting.

Comparatively, fat takes a long time to metabolize and the release of energy is slow and sustaining. Therefore, you avoid the “rush” and “crash” from a high-starch, high-sugar diet