Nearly 250 veterinarians from across the country attended a continuing education conference sponsored by Purina Mills Oct. 3-5.

Besides researching and developing horse feeds, which on average takes five years for a new feed to go from idea to feed store, Purina conducts research on how feeds affect and react with the physical animal.

Many of the talks discussed the “hot” topic of starch and how different types of starch move through the horse’s digestive tract, and how they are absorbed and used. Anaerobic (short duration, high-intensity) work needs glycogen for fuel, so a diet too high in fat and fiber and too low in starch might not meet those needs.

Starch, said Karen Davison, PhD, of Purina Mills, is neither good nor bad; the benefits or detriments depend on the amount and source, how much is fed at one time, the horse’s individual metabolism, and the type of performance the horse does