Steaming vs. Soaking to Reduce Hay NSC Levels

Our nutritionist weighs whether steaming or soaking hay is more effective at reducing NSC levels for horses with insulin resistance.
Share
Favorite
Please login to bookmark Close
ADVERTISEMENT

Soaking horse hay
When soaking hay it must be completely submerged, and it should be fed quickly after soaking so it does not mold. | Photo: Michelle Anderson/The Horse

Q:  My veterinarian just diagnosed my mare with insulin resistance and recommended I soak her hay because I haven’t had it tested. I’ve been doing some research and I’m wondering whether I could steam it instead?

A:  Horses with insulin resistance need to consume diets with low nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC, the sum of the starch and water-soluble carbohydrates in the diet) levels. Generally, nutritionists and veterinarians recommend that the diet should contain less than 12% NSC on a dry matter basis.

Since the majority of a horse’s diet should be forage, it is important to consider the forage’s NSC content. There is no point in carefully feeding a low-NSC commercial fortified feed if the horse’s forage is high in sugar

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share
Favorite
Please login to bookmark Close

Written by:

Clair Thunes, PhD, is an equine nutritionist who owns Clarity Equine Nutrition, based in Gilbert, Arizona. She works as a consultant with owners/trainers and veterinarians across the United States and globally to take the guesswork out of feeding horses and provides services to select companies. As a nutritionist she works with all equids, from WEG competitors to Miniature donkeys and everything in between. Born in England, she earned her undergraduate degree at Edinburgh University, in Scotland, and her master’s and doctorate in nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Growing up, she competed in a wide array of disciplines and was an active member of the U.K. Pony Club. Today, she serves as the district commissioner for the Salt River Pony Club.

Leave a Reply

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Has your horse started shedding his winter coat?
262 votes · 262 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!

The Horse
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.