Glycemic index is a number assigned to a type of grain,hay, or product indicating the rate of carbohydrate absorption after consumption of that dietary component A concentrated feed or treats that are rich in grain(oats, corn, barley) and molasses, have a high glycemic index, while various types of hay and other fibrous feeds have the lowest glycemic response.
Why is this important?
Oats are used as the standard source among common equine feedstuffs. A feed with a value over 100 produces more blood glucose in a given amount of time than oats; one with a value under 100 produces less. Of the cereal grains commonly fed to horses, oats are considered to have the most readily digested starch content and starches are always turned into glucose. The starches, when broken down in the stomach and small intestine, are thought to release a surplus of glucose and insulin into the blood stream. Excessive starch and sugar intake as with a high starch/sugar diet can lead to metabolic upsets in both the young developing horse as well as in the older horse.
Horses are healthiest when fed diets that can be digested and absorbed slowly. This is because their digestive systems are set up to handle small frequent deliveries of forage throughout each day. Overwhelming the gastrointestinal system with starch will inevitably cause spikes in blood glucose, which may cause problems in individual horses.
Another risk of feeding large concentrate meals revolves around the digestive capacity of the small intestine. It is sometimes impossible for the small intestine to properly digest the bulk of a large concentrate meal, resulting in some starch passing undigested through the small intestine. This sets the stage for colic, laminitis, and hindgut acidosis.
When we researched ingredients for our low sugar/low starch treats, we followed the guidelines of the glycemic index, choosing only high quality, fiber based, veterinarian recommended ingredients.
BEET-E-BITES treats are delicious, lab-tested treats that were developed with veterinarians, and are not only guaranteed low sugar/low starch treats, but also guaranteed to please!
I feed a 10% sweet feed but a friend tells me I am setting my horses up for insulin resistance and founder. I have owned many horses and have never had a problem, but sure don’t want to start. What feed would you recommend? One horse is a pasture ornament-a rescue that is lame- and the other is ridden moderately.
Thank you for any input that you have.
Lynda
Hi Lynda,
I would always check with your veterinarian for advise on feeding your horse, but if you are looking for a low sugar/low starch concentrate, there are many out on the market now. You can find them online by looking for low sugar/low starch feeds. I am not sure what a 10% sweet feed is, but I am thinking that it is a mixed grain feed with molasses. This is not a good product to feed a horse that has a metabolic issue. Our treats are lab-tested to be under a 10% NSC value, meaning they are under 10% ESC(simple sugar) and starch combined. There are many treats now that are being marketed as “low” sugar, or “sugar-free” and the levels of starch in them is unacceptable for sensitive horses. Always read your feed labels and treat labels, as again, the new bandwagon for everyone to jump on is “sugar-free”!