Carbohydrates play an important role in the horse's diet. | Photo: The Horse Staff

When it comes to managing the carbohydrates in a horse’s diet, knowing the basics of how horses digest food is half the battle. Laurie Lawrence, PhD, an equine nutritionist from the University of Kentucky’s Department of Animal and Food Science who gave a presentation at the University of Kentucky’s Breeders’ Short Course, held Jan. 22 in Lexington, confirmed that managing a horse’s carbohydrate intake is easiest with an understanding how the digestive tract functions and how different types of feed contribute to equine nutrition.

Nutritional Goals

“The main dietary goals related to carbohydrates are to provide the horse with adequate digestible energy (or adequate calories), to keep their GI (gastrointestinal) tract healthy, and to provide adequate energy stores (or enough energy to perform their required actions),” Lawrence said. In doing so, it’s important to consider each horse’s energy requirements before feeding. A lean Thoroughbred in consistent training, for example, will have a much higher energy requirement than a pasture pony.

Veterinarians and nutritionists often suggest low fat, low starch, high fiber diets for overweight horses and ponies as a way to help them slim down. These diets also are commonly recommended for horses at risk for diseases such as equine metabolic syndrome and laminitis (founder), as most horses at high risk for these conditions are overweight. For these horses, a high-fiber diet is thought to be beneficial for keeping them healthy