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Skip Navigation LinksAll Horse Topics > Nutrition/Supplements > Fats


Articles ( * = TheHorse.com members only )Date Posted
Study: Starch Limitation Key for Short-Term Blood Sugar Control  *
To better control blood sugar and insulin levels, horse owners are encouraged to limit starch intake in their animals, rather than only supplementing their horse's diet with fats, recommends Ingrid Vervuert, DrMedVet, PhD, and colleagues from the Institute of Animal Nutrition in Leipzig, Germany. "Controlling post-prandial (post-feeding) sugar and ... Read full story
 4/22/2009
Feeding to Lessen Inflammation   *
At the Purina Equine Veterinary Conference, held Oct. 17-19 in St. Louis, Mo., Karen Davison, PhD, manager of Equine Technical Services for the Horse Business Group of Purina Mills discussed managing inflammation and oxidative stress in horses through their diets A horse that stands idle, breathing, eating, and digesting food, is affected by tissue ... Read full story
 10/31/2008
Don't Guess. Test Your Hay  *
In our effort to 'cover all the bases,' many of us feel we have to supplement with fortified grains in an effort to feel secure that we are providing enough vitamins, minerals and protein in our horses diet. Grain may present an unnecessary amount of sugar and starch that may even be dangerous to those horses suffering from laminitis or other forms ... Read full story
 7/3/2008
Feeds and Supplements  *
The key to a good feed program is to start with the proper type of forage for the individual, then (if needed) pick the right concentrate or supplement. Most horse owners try to provide the best diets for their horses, yet there's often a difference between what they think the animals need and what they actually need, and there are also some ... Read full story
 3/1/2008
Study Shows Horses Able to Absorb Fatty Acid Supplements  *
Illinois researchers studying the effect of nutritional supplementation with essential fatty acids (EFAs) reported that EFAs are absorbed systemically after oral administration and alter the normal pool of fatty acids in the bloodstream of horses. Administration of EFAs, including the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docohexaenoic ... Read full story
 1/22/2008
Excerpt from Revised Understanding Equine Nutrition: Fats  *
Feeding Fats If there's a nutritional buzzword for the 21st century, it's fat. We humans still might not understand fully the differences between saturated and unsaturated fats, let alone "good" cholesterol and "bad" cholesterol--but we all know how to count our fat grams! While we struggle to keep our diets as low-fat as possible, fat has a different ... Read full story
 11/20/2007
Challenges of Feeding High-Performance Horses  *
Sometimes the difference between winning and losing is only a fraction of a second. High-performance equine trainers are well aware of this little margin, and as a result, they are always trying to find that one thing that will help their horses increase their speed. But this is not always an easy endeavor. Brian Nielsen, PhD, PAS, Dipl. ACAN, professor ... Read full story
 4/1/2007
The Latest on the Omegas (Fats)  *
Glance through nearly any newspaper or magazine, and you're bound to see ads proclaiming the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in the human diet. Interest in the topic is keen: Studies in humans and other species have found omega-3 fatty acids aid in the treatment of skin problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, ulcers, and other disorders, ... Read full story
 8/1/2006
Latest Nutrition Tools   *
Hot, dry Tucson, Ariz., doesn't conjure up images of equine nutrition research, but leading animal scientists convened there May 31-June 4 to present their latest findings on a variety of equine science topics. The following article highlights the equine nutrition portion of the 2005 Equine Science Society Symposium. Fat Supplementation "Not all ... Read full story
 11/1/2005
Drought Stress and Pasture Quality  *
Drought causes pastures to dry up, weeds to flourish, and horses to get thin without supplemental feeding. But there are other things going on in your fields that you need to know about in order to protect your horses from problems such as laminitis, colic, diarrhea, and toxic weeds. The problem isn't over when the rains come; conversely, the much-needed, ... Read full story
 8/26/2005
Feed Label Laws  *
Oregon implemented a provisional equine feed label law on June 1 that would allow feed manufacturers to add non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) to the list of nutrient requirements already found on feed bags in that state. Adding NSC to the feed label would assist owners when choosing feed for horses that have metabolic problems or laminitis and cannot ... Read full story
 8/3/2005
Feeding Horses: Art, Science, or Both?
When feeding horses, two seemingly opposing aspects hold true: It's a little bit of art, and a little bit of science. On one hand, tradition reigns supreme when it comes to horse feeding. Many techniques have been passed down from generation to generation and, in some cases, remain in place despite new knowledge based on scientific research. On the ... Read full story
 10/1/2004
Basic Concepts in Nutrition   *
The options and opinions on what to feed your horse are numerous. My goal in this article is to review the differences between the "simple-stomached" creatures (such as ourselves, dogs, cats, etc.) and the horse. In addition, we will take a look at how domestication has impacted the horse's digestive system and subsequently how that impacts their general ... Read full story
 9/1/2004
Nutritional Series Kicks Off in Lexington, Ky.  *
In the first of a new series of nutritional talks sponsored by Buckeye Nutrition, 30 veterinarians from Lexington, Ky., and surrounding areas attended a dinner and a presentation on Feb. 11. Kent Thompson, PhD, Buckeye Nutrition's Director of Equine Nutrition, discussed properly feeding the athletic horse. Thompson has also been an assistant professor ... Read full story
 3/17/2004
Does Fat Really Impact Digestion of Fiber?   *
Dietary fats are important components of performance horses' diets because they are calorie-dense and energy-rich. Previous studies have shown, however, that diets high in soybean oil interfere with fiber digestion in trotters. It is unclear whether feeding poorly digestible carbohydrates, like cornstarch, compounds this problem by overloading the ... Read full story
 7/1/2003
AAEP Convention: Nutrition  *
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN EQUINE NUTRITION A lot has happened in the field of equine nutrition research in the last five years. Ginger Rich, PhD, of Rich Equine Nutritional Consulting in Eads, Tenn.; and Leslie Breuer, PhD, of LH Breuer and Associates, updated veterinarians who attended the Current Concepts in Equine Nutrition in-depth session at ... Read full story
 3/1/2003
AAEP 2002: Recent Developments in Equine Nutrition  *
A lot has happened in the field of equine research in the last five years. Ginger Rich, PhD, of Rich Equine Nutritional Consulting in Eads, Tenn.; and Leslie Breuer, PhD, of LH Breuer and Associates, updated veterinarians and others who attended the Current Concepts in Equine Nutrition in-depth session at the 2002 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ ... Read full story
 2/4/2003
Is Dietary Fat Really Healthy?   *
Marketing claims regarding the virtues of fat in equine diets are plentiful. Statements such as "Added dietary fat for improved performance," "Increased stamina," "Calm energy," or "Improved coat and hoof condition" abound. Indeed, at times it is easy to conclude that an increase in dietary fat is the solution to anything that ails a horse--the proverbial ... Read full story
 11/1/2002
Equine Digestive Physiology  *
The horse has been identified as a non-ruminant herbivore, an animal without a rumen that eats forage. When a horse is out in the wild with thousands of acres of free-roam grazing, and the only external demand is to maintain itself and occasionally run from predators, this configuration serves it quite well, most of the time. However, when a horse ... Read full story
 1/9/2002
How to Read a Feed Label  *
How long has it been since you really looked at the content of your horse's concentrate feed? If you're like many of us, you probably stand in line at the feed store, ask for "three bags of the 12%," heave the feed into the back of your truck, and drive on home without as much as a second glance at the ingredients or the nutrition in that ration. It's ... Read full story
 10/10/2001
High-Energy Feeds  *
The importance of nutrition for optimal athletic performance, regardless of the level of competition, cannot be over-emphasized. We should on occasion refresh our understanding of some basic concepts and look at ways to meet the nutritional needs of the athletic horse. The first key concept seems obvious, but nonetheless is critical to understanding ... Read full story
 6/1/2001
Fat Burning  *
For the most part, the word "fat" has bad connotations in our society today--fat often is used to describe an overweight or obese state. When we think of dietary fat and the proportion of calories in our diet that is derived from various sources of fat, we typically are admonished to reduce fat intake, particularly intake of foods high in saturated ... Read full story
 11/1/2000
Strategies for Keeping Weight On Horses  *
A skinny horse is not a pretty sight. With ribs protruding, and hip bones threatening to serve as a hat rack for the next passerby, he gives an immediate impression of ill health... and it's no illusion. A too-thin equine is one who has no energy reserves on which to draw, and when push comes to shove, will not be able to perform to the best of his ... Read full story
 10/1/1998
Feeding Fat for Energy and Performance  *
If there was a nutritional buzzword that was started in the '90s, it was fat. We fitness-conscious (and frequently overweight) North Americans still might not fully understand the differences between "good" cholesterol and "bad" cholesterol, but we all know how to count our fat grams! While we struggle to keep our diets as low-fat as possible, fat ... Read full story
 7/1/1997




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