Arizona in the Saddle September 2014 Issue | Page 11
Equine Nutrition: Fat is Where It’s At
Brought to you by Nutrena
L
ately there has been
tremendous interest in the
horse world about fat. In
regards to human nutrition, “fat” is
often considered a bad word, and
low-fat diets are popular. But we
should remember that some fats
for both humans and equines, are
necessary and healthy and play a
very important role in nutrition.
Because horses can use fat as a
calorie source efficiently, and
fat contains more than double
the calories of starch, high-fat
horse feeds make perfect sense to
increase the energy intake without
greatly increasing the quantity of
feed needed.
There are many reasons to feed
horses added fat. The best reason
is for an energy (calorie) source.
Because fat contains more than
HAY
twice the calorie content of starch,
and horses digest and utilize fat
well, higher fat horse feeds offer an
excellent opportunity to increase
calorie intake without greatly
increasing the quantity of feed.
Other reasons for adding fat to
a feed ration include improved
endurance, heat tolerance, hair
coat and attitude: Horses on fat
supplemented diets experience
increased endurance because of a
glycogen sparing effect. Glycogen
is the fuel for muscular activity
stored in the muscle cells. Horses
that are on high fat diets conserve
glycogen, which can help them
finish a performance event stronger.
This is particularly important
in racing, eventing, cutting and
other activities that require high
performance over time.
continued on page 19
& FARM EQUIPMENT SALES • CUSTOM TRACTOR WORK
Carver
Mountain
Enterprises
Stephen H. Williams (Owner)
Office: 602-237-4401
Cell: 602-620-2258
4650 W. DOBBINS RD.
LAVEEN, AZ 85339
Email: [email protected]
AZintheSaddle.com
September 2014
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