Contributing Writer, Kim Wright

Low Carb Diets for Horses?

 

With so much attention on low carbohydrate diets for people, and what appears to be so much success reducing carbohydrate intake in order to get into shape and lose extra fat without losing muscle, one has to wonder, would it work for my horse?

 

 “Sweet feed”, a mixture of grains sweetened with molasses is the traditional feed of choice for most horse owners.  It is pre-mixed, vitamin and mineral balanced, easy to feed, most horses love it, and sweet feed is very reasonably priced.  There are a variety of brands available and they mostly label their sweet feeds according to protein level.  Horses on pasture normally are fed 8-10% protein, horses for pleasure riding 12% protein, and broodmares and/or athletes at the top levels of their sport are normally fed 14% and higher protein.  Typically sweet feed mixtures also contain from 3% to 5% fat and 12% to 15% fiber and the rest?  You guessed it, carbohydrates! 

 

If you are happy with sweet feed and your horse is fit, healthy, happy, and well behaved, then there is no need to change his diet.  Stop reading right here!  However, if your horse(s) are not as thrifty as you would like them to be, can’t seem to keep weight on no matter how much you feed them – especially muscle, if your horse’s energy level is low, if he has apparent mood swings, is nervous or jittery under saddle, if he is easily fatigued, if his gaits are stiff and choppy, or he trembles during and after workouts, and takes a long time to recover after even moderate exercise, it may be time to examine his diet more closely.

 

Like people, some horses cannot deal with carbohydrates.  There is a muscle disease recently discovered, named Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (EPSM), that especially affects draft breeds and draft-type crosses, but may affect any breed.  Horses with this disease, simply put, cannot break down carbohydrates into energy.  Symptoms include all of those listed above, tying up, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, abnormalities in gaits, and poor performance.  EPSM, although fairly recently discovered, can be positively diagnosed by your veterinarian via a muscle biopsy.  You should discuss the possibility of your horse having EPSM is he has any of the symptoms above (that are not explained by another diagnosis) and especially if your horse is a draft or a draft descendent.  Horses with EPSM can be successfully managed with a low carbohydrate/high fat diet management and lead healthy, happy, active lives.

 

Not all horses with these symptoms have EPSM.  However, if you haven’t been able to find other causes for your horse’s poor attitude towards physical exertion, it may be time to take a closer look at his diet.  TALK WITH YOUR VETERINARIAN about adding fat to your horse’s diet and removing the sugar.  Any changes should be made SLOWLY!  Some horses do not adjust well changes in their feed and may get sick, develop diarrhea, and/or colic as a result of changes in their dietary routine.  It should also be noted even horses diagnosed with EPSM need continuous sources of roughage to stay healthy and that pasture grazing and free choice hay are the number one component of every horses’ diet.  Also keep in mind that sweet feeds have been vitamin and mineral balanced for your horse.  When you feed a pre-mixed feed, all the thinking has been done for you.  If you choose to alter his diet, you will have to evaluate the ingredients individually yourself in order to make sure he is getting the proper amount of vitamins and the proper balance of minerals.  Once again, consult with your veterinarian before making changes.  You are paying for his or her expertise!  Use it for your horses’ nutrition as well as his ailments.  Any changes made to your horse’s diet should be made with veterinary supervision.