Carbohydrates Part 1:
What is NSC anyway?
Written by Dr. Clair Thunes, PhD
You see it everywhere these days, feeds proclaiming to be “low starch”,
“controlled starch”, “low carb”. A friend might tell you her horse
needs to be on a “no carb” diet, although that is completely impossible
for a horse, and that she is stressed because she can’t find a “low
NSC” forage. It all starts to make you wonder if your horse should be
on a low starch low sugar diet. But then what does that really mean
anyway? In this newsletter we are going to take a look at what this
terminology means and then next time we will discuss what all this
means to your horse and whether he’s a candidate for such a diet.
Carbohydrates come in many forms but for simplicity we can
class them into two groups. The structural carbohydrates and the
non-structural carbohydrates. As the name suggests, structural
carbohydrates help plants maintain rigidity, they provide form and as
such they are quite complex, and they are found in high concentrations
in plant stems. Their form makes them hard to digest. In fact you and
I are essentially unable to digest these structural carbohydrates such
as cellulose and lignin because we lack the enzyme necessary to break
the bonds that connect the component parts together. For us they act
as fiber and pass straight through performing an important function but
not providing much nutritional benefit.
Horses however have a wonderfully beneficial relationship with a
whole host of bacteria, protozoa and fungi in their hindgut (cecum,
large and small colon). While the horse lacks the enzymes to digest
these complex structural carbohydrates in their small intestines
the normal site of carbohydrate digestion) these bugs do have the
necessary enzymes and they digest the carbohydrates. In fact they
use them for their own growth and development. The byproducts of
this process are called volatile fatty acids (VFA’s). These VFA’s can
cross the lining of the hindgut into the blood stream where they are
transported to the liver and converted to useful forms of energy for
the horse.
Approximately 60% of the horse’s digestive tract volume is dedicated
to the fermentation of these complex carbohydrates and in turn VFA
production. This is why horse’s need to be fed at least 1.5% of their
body weight per day as forage. In fact VFA’s can constitute the
majority of the horse’s energy requirements when fed an all forage diet.
Conversely, non-structural carbohydrates such as starches and simple
sugars are found inside plant cells and are in high concentrations in
certain parts of the plant such as seeds. Humans and other animals
have the enzymes in their digestive tracts necessary to digest these
carbohydrates. They just aren’t that complicated which is why they are
sometimes collectively known as simple carbohydrates rather than nonstructural.
The horse is able to digest these non-structural carbohydrates
too thanks to the enzymes in the small intestine. This digestion results in
glucose and other simple carbohydrates entering directly into the blood
stream raising the circulating blood glucose concentration.
In the lab some simple carbohydrates (mostly simple sugars) dissolve
in water and are known in the plant science world as water soluble
carbohydrates (WSC). Some component of the WSC are also soluble
in ether and are known as ether soluble carbohydrates (ESC). Then
there are starches which are their own group. Plant scientists add
together the WSC and starch to get an estimate of the non-structural
carbohydrate (NSC) content.
A word of caution is necessary here though. Not all labs calculate
NSC the same way due to variations in analytical procedures and in
fact there are nutritionists who say that NSC is ESC plus starch. This
will typically result in a lower NSC value because remember the ESC
is a component of WSC. Why do they do this? Because in reality
not all the WSC carbohydrates are going to be digested in the small
intestine some, such as fructan, are just slightly too complicated.
They will pass to the hindgut and be fermented by the bugs resulting
in VFA production and a lot of available energy for the horse. But
it doesn’t cause an increase in blood glucose levels the way starch
and other sugars do and for many horses who need low NSC diets
avoiding sudden increases in blood glucose is key. Therefore some
nutritionists just concern themselves with ESC and starch because
these values indicate the impact of the feed on blood glucose and
they call this NSC. It can make for some interesting conversations
between nutritionists and plant sciences when you think you are
talking about the same thing, NSC, but in reality you are talking
about two different definitions of the same thing and are comparing
apples and oranges. One day we scientists will all get the same page
and stop making your lives so complicated!
So what are good sources of these different types of carbohydrates?
In truth all our plant based feeds provide sources of both structural
and non-structural carbohydrates. The difference is in the relative
proportions of each. Our forages such as the various types of hay,
hay pellets, beet pulp, almond hulls etc contains greater proportions
of structural carbohydrates. Meanwhile our traditional grains such
as oats, barley and corn are high in non-structural carbohydrates
especially starch.
What is the right amount of NSC in your horse’s diet? That is going
to depend on your horse what you use them for and whether there are
any health concerns such as a history or laminitis, cushings, PSSM
etc. and we will cover all these considerations next time.
_______________________________________________________
Dr. Clair Thunes PhD takes the guesswork out of feeding horses by helping horse owners
create personalized diet plans optimized for health and performance. As an independent
equine nutritionist and owner of Summit Equine Nutrition LLC an equine nutrition
consulting company she has clients across North America including from individual
horse owners to feed companies. She is available for personal consultations either by
phone, email or in person. You can find her online at her website http://www.summit-equine.
com or on Facebook by searching for SummitEquineNutrition.
1st Quarter 2014
Keeping Our Endurance
Horses Hydrated
Written by Karen Chaton
I ran across this interesting article on the U of Mn website awhile
ago and thought it was interesting enough to share:
I don’t often change my horse’s feed around,
once I find something that works really well
I tend to stick with it. Fortunately back in
2010 I learned about Elk Grove Milling
Stable Mix and got the horses started on it
prior to going on the 2011 XP (8 week long
2,040 mile cross country ride). It turned out
to be one of the best choices I made about
how I managed my horses on that trip. More
than three full years later the horses are still
thriving with this feed and has helped me to
keep them well hydrated and healthy with all
of the traveling and competing that we do.
That research article kind of backs that up:
Horses consuming mash drank equal to or more water than horses on
the dry grain, in addition to the water they consumed in their feed.
I kind of already knew that though, after having figured it out with
my own horses. I go through a lot of water when I go to rides. I
knew that I was still using the same amount of water for the horses to
drink but in addition to that I was now using quite a lot more making
wet mashes for the horses with the Stable Mix. Talk about a win-win
situation (except for the having to haul more water part for me) for
my horses.
Now is a good time to bring this topic up because it is winter for a lot
of us and this is the time of year that we need to encourage our horses
to drink more. I still give my horses daily Stable Mix mashes with
a little salt added sometimes. They also have tank heaters in their
water troughs which helps to keep them drinking.
I’m really sorry for those of you out of the area that can’t get Stable
Mix products. You may want to check with your local mills or feed
suppliers to see if there is a similar product in your area. I know
I’m really lucky to have this feed available (50 pound bags and 250
pound barrels). Click here to see a list of retailers for Stable Mix
products.
Recently, I’ve been using a new Sport Horse blend that contains
biotin and a bit more fat in it, as well as G&C. I mainly reserve
that for feeding at rides, or occasionally at home. The majority of
the time I feed the regular Stable Mix with G&C. About the G&C
(glucosamine and chondroitin) – late last year they doubled the
amount in Stable Mix so only 6 pounds per day needs to be feed to
get a full dose (Stable Mix is a complete feed).
I also use Redmond Daily Gold and Daily Red product especially
when I am pre-loading the horses before a trip. Chief and Bo always
gobble up every last drop of their EGM mashes with the Redmond
salt. It’s nice to have found a combination that works so well for
them and they are also so happy with and thrive on. Chief gets far
less than Bo does to eat as he is such an easy keeper. I can make his
mashes really soupy wet to slow him down and make him think he’s
getting as much as Bo. Don’t tell on me!
- See more at: http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/2014/01/keepingendurance-
horses-hydrated/#sthash.rLysmqIw.dpuf
Hay Prices On The Rise
Have you seen hay costs lately?
Having trouble getting a hay shipment?
Try Stable Mix™… You will no longer have to
add vitamins and other supplements your horse
needs. He will get it all in a couple scoops of
Stable Mix and he will love it! Feeding time
will be faster and more convenient. You will
know exactly how much he’s eating and he won’t waste feed by
scattering it on the ground. There will be less waste to clean up!
Senior Horse Health Tips
Horses over 20 years old can live to their 30’s if their care
is addressed annually or biannually. Starting with dental and
gastrointestinal health, having your horses teeth worked on can
prevent dental disease and development of colic. Next is overall
body condition, just because a horse ages doesn’t mean they should
drop weight. If this is the case, you should consider having your
veterinarian do a full workup as you would have done on a younger
horse to identify the problem. The vet will be able to get solid answer
from the workup and the problem can be addressed immediately.
Most just need higher caloric intake. Take into account that weight
loss can happen from lack of good-quality feed. Senior horse feed has
ingredients that increase digestion, probiotics, higher fat concentrates,
higher protein concentrates and amino acids for overall health.
Most senior feeds cab be fed without additional forage. Long stem
hay can be an issue for a senior horse with dental issues being they
can’t chew anymore. Other specifics could be increase in exercise
and colder weather. Senior horses are very prone to musculoskeletal
disorders meaning “maintenance” is required to help keep their
aging joints lubricated and in working condition, avoiding stall rest.
Exercise will need to be modified to avoid over-exertion. Extra
therapy (acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy) can help keep
them in age appropriate shape. Other health issues can arise such
as environment, space, and the aging process. Senior Stable Mix is
13.5% protein, 3.5% fat plus contains beat pulp for your older horse,
also available with glucosamine and chondroitin.
About Us
EGM LogoElk Grove Milling, Inc. has been providing high quality
horse feed to California’s Northern Valley since 1982. The Mill is
nestled in the heart of horse country. Local horse owners have placed
their trust in our product for years. Bob Lent, owner of Elk Grove
Milling, Inc., continues to maintain his original commitment to
provide a product that goes above and beyond any other horse feed
product on the market.
For Healthier, Happier Horses
It’s In The Mix!
