Researchers have discovered that supplementing enzymes could help digestion of starch in the equine small intestine. “With dietary enzyme supplementation and enhanced small intestinal starch digestion, the feeding of cereal grains to horses will become a more efficient and safer practice than it has been in the past,” said Nerida Richards, PhD, of the School of Rural Science and Agriculture at the University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. Richards presented “Starch Digestion in the Equine Small Intestine: Is There a Role for Supplemental Enzymes?” at the sixth annual equine school at the Alltech Symposium in Lexington, Ky.

As a natural grazer, consuming grain is not the most natural thing for a horse. Despite this, grains have been incorporated into the diet as a source of energy so that a horse can meet the energy demands of performance. Ideally, starch should be digested by enzymes in the small intestine, with as small an amount as possible being passed into the hindgut for continued digestion. Any amount that does pass to the hindgut for digestion could cause problems for the horse