Horses need two things for survival, water and fiber. The quality, freshness and temperature of a horse’s drinking water is crucial for proper intake, especially when the weather is excessively hot or cold. Many of the calls we receive with regards to colic and choke are directly related to reduced water intake, which is often the result of dirty buckets or tubs, lack of availability and this time of year, frozen water buckets.
We know a lot more about feeding horses today than we did 20 years ago. Some of the improvements are technically advanced micro nutrients designed to enhance digestion and improve overall health. As we alter the natural diet of horses by feeding meals, higher levels of carbohydrates and perhaps not enough turnout and forage, we need to help the delicate digestive system perform better.
Today, there is a lot of information being passed around about carbohydrates and what is good versus what is bad. When we refer to carbohydrates, we typically mean soluble carbohydrates, which are composed of both starch and sugar, often expressed as NSC (non-structural carbohydrates). The other type of carbohydrates are structural carbohydrates and they consist of the fiber your horse breaks down in the large intestine. Both are necessary for normal body function, but the type that can potentially cause some concern are the soluble carbohydrates, or NSC.