Today’s equine management practices can be a recipe for disaster. For a horse, stall life and two meals a day might be like living in a prison, and that lifestyle might contribute to delinquencies and health problems in horses.

“These meals often contain a large soluble carbohydrate component and a low fiber component which allow the horse to consume the food rapidly, leaving a long time period with no food available,” explains Cindy McCall, MS, PhD, professor at Auburn University and equine extension specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. She spoke at the 2004 Kentucky Equine Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers held Oct. 18-19 in Lexington, Ky