Q: What is the starch and sugars concentration in Omegatin® and Dynasty® products?
A: There is interest in knowing the starch and sugars content of an equine diet. Starch and sugars are digested and absorbed in the horse’s small intestine. When the starch and sugars are digested, glucose is the major sugar absorbed by the horse. For performance horse, glucose serves as the major substrate for replenishing muscle and liver glycogen (animal storage of energy) after exercise. It is important that sufficient starch and sugars be in the diet for this process.
On the other hand, too much starch and sugars in the diet can contribute to or aggravate problems of special needs horses. These special needs horses include horses with recurrent equine rhabdomyolysis (RER), polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM), Cushing’s symdrome, and developmental orthopedic disease (DOD). It is important the grain product fed to these horses have limited sugars and starches – with the available, practical ingredients it is not possible to eliminate sugar and starches.
To improve our capability to make the best recommendation of a grain product for horses with different needs, we attempt to quantify the amount of starch and sugars in the product. There are methods provide an estimate of starch and sugars in grain products. This information allows for more informed buying decisions by owners with special needs horses. Following are the starch and sugars content of some of the Kent products as estimated by a laboratory method:
Starch & Sugars, %
Omegatin
® 13.5
DynastyPro 25
Dynasty®Show 31
Dynasty®Pride 17
Dynasty®Senior 17
Q: How many scoops of feed should I give my horse?
A: Horse owners generally feed the grain portion of their horse’s diet by the scoop, quart, coffee can, or some other measuring device. The amount (pounds) of feed in each of these containers will vary by size of the container and the type of feed product. “Feeding by the number of scoops” is not accurate and can result in overfeeding or underfeeding.
To determine the optimum amount of Kent product to feed your horse will depend on the horses weight, age, activity level, etc, and the quality of the forage. A Kent Feeds representative can help you develop a feeding program for each horse. You will be given a recommendation of pounds of grain product and forage per day. Weighing a scoop of the grain product will give a more accurate estimate of the number of scoops to feed per day.
Q: What are the benefits of feeding Equine Choice® to my horses?
A: Equine Choice® is a convenient method for providing nutrients to your pastured horses. Equine Choice® is a harden blend of molasses solids, fat, protein, minerals and vitamins. To consume the product, horses have to lick it which limits the intake of the product.
For horses stalled, Equine Choice® provides nutrients and an activity to relieve boredom.
Q: Does Kent have a feed that does not contain corn?
A: Granolene® LS is a textured 12% crude protein, 12% fat feed that does not contain corn.
Q: What is the best way to store feed products?
A: Store feed products in a dry, cool, well-ventilated area inaccessible to all animals. Control the rodent population in the storage area. It is best to keep the product in the original container with the label on the bag. If the product is transferred to another container, be sure to identify the product. The bulk storage container should be labeled with the product name.
It is best to store feed products on pallets which will keep the feed off the floor.
Q: The horses are having problems maintaining weight, what should I use?
A: Horses that are “hard keepers” require additional energy to maintain their body condition. First, evaluate the feeding program for recommended feeding amounts, actual weight of products fed and hay quality. Once the feeding program has been reviewed, adjust the ration to increase energy intake. Omegatin®, 20% fat & 14% crude protein, can be topdressed at 1-3 lb per day in addition to the present grain product to increase the energy intake of the horse. Increasing the fat in the diet using Omegatin® has been very successful in maintaining weight of hard keepers.
Q: I have a mare and colt, what type of feeding program should I have them on?
A: During lactation, the nutritional needs of the mare increase significantly. Mares require more protein, energy, calcium, and phosphorus. Underfeeding of mares during early lactation can lower milk production and cause weight loss of the mare.
During lactation mares require 2-3% of their body in total feed, including hay and grain. We recommend lactating mares be fed a 14-16% crude protein grain product. Heavy milking mares may require 1.5-1.75% of their body weight in concentrate feed daily. For an 1100-lb mare, this is 16.5 to 19.25 lb of the grain concentrate per day. Mares on lush green spring pastures, can maintain on 1.0 to 1.25% of their body weight daily in concentrate feed or 11 to 13.75 lb/day.
The feeding management of the brood mare following foaling must be carefully managed to prevent any gastric upsets and feed intake problems. Post foaling, gradually increase the daily grain concentrate feeding rate over 7 to 10 days. Feed the grain concentrate in 2-3 feedings per day. It is recommended to free-choice a mineral product to ensure sufficient calcium and phosphorus intake. With an alfalfa forage, use a mineral product with a 1:1 Ca to P ratio. With other forages, use a mineral product with a 2:1 Ca to P ratio. With the energy demand of lactation, it is a great time to feed a grain product with added fat.
Brood mares have the capability of producing large quantities of milk to meet the nutrient demands of the foal. Over time the nutritional density of the milk declines and may not be able to meet the nutrient demands of the three month old foal. At approximately 3 months post birthing, the mare provides only about 50% of the protein and energy needs of the foal. You will find that the foal will show interest in the mare’s feed soon after birth. Creep feed for the foal can be offered when the foal is 2 to 4 weeks of age. Creep feed should be introduced slowly. Typical creep feeds for foals have 16% crude protein.
Typical creep feeding rate is one pound per month of age, per day. With this feeding scheme, a two month old foal would be fed 2 lb/day. Once the foal is eating the creep feed, the amount fed should be gradually increased until the feed is available free-choice to the foal. Foals should also have access to high quality, mixed hay or pasture. Because foals are picky eaters and tend to sort sweet feeds, a pelleted feed is recommended. A pelleted feed ensures the foal receives a balanced diet in every bite. With the right feeding program, foals may gain 2.3 to 3 lb daily prior to weaning.
Q: I saw Clinton Anderson on RFD TV, what feeds does he use from Kent?
A: Clinton Anderson feeds Dynasty® Pro to all his horses. For Clinton’s performance horses that require additional calories, they are top dressed with our high fat and low starch supplement called OMEGATIN®. For his “easy keepers” that are being fed less than 5-6 pounds of grain a day, in addition to Dynasty® they receive our Equine Choice® vitamin and mineral molasses based tubs. Clinton and his staff also enjoy treating their horses with our horse treats called Rounders®.
Q: What should I feed if my horse “ties up”?
A: There are many different causes of “tying up” including fatigue, dehydration, electrolyte balance, low magnesium, and metabolic myopathies (PSSM - polysaccharide storage myopathy; RER - recurrent exertional myopathy). PSSM is most common in quarter horses and quarter horse type breeds. It is a disorder characterized by the accumulation of glycogen and abnormal polysaccharide complexes in skeletal muscle fibers. Clinical signs of PSSM include sweating, stretching out as if posturing to urinate, muscle spasms, and rolling or pawing following exercise. In severe cases, horses may display stiffness and hesitate to move within minutes of starting exercise.
RER is more common in thoroughbreds, especially nervous fillies. It is related to abnormal intracellular calcium regulation. It is not related to dietary calcium concentration. Clinical expression of RER is often stress-induced. Older horses with RER may have muscle stiffness and soreness, which becomes very evident after rigorous exercise.
Diet manipulation is becoming a method of choice to control “tying up”. Horses suffering from these disorders are being fed grain products with adequate amounts of vitamin E, and selenium and have high fat, high fiber, and low starch and sugars. Utilizing Omegatin® as the grain product has been successful in reducing or eliminating these disorders.
Q: What is HYPP and what can be fed if my horse has this condition?
A: Equine Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP) is an inherited muscle disorder characterized by abnormal muscle movement or activity. The disorder is found primarily in Quarter horses with genetic link to the stallion ‘Impressive’.
Symptoms of HYPP include muscle rigidity, fasciculations (spasms), weakness, irregular movement, repeated yawning, prolapse of the third eyelid, and involuntary recumbency (collapse). These symptoms vary from mild to intense depending on the horse.
For some horses with HYPP, the disorder can be managed by feeding diets with low potassium. To determine the total dietary potassium concentration, the concentration of potassium in the grain as well as the forage should be considered. Typically good quality hay will contain 1.8 to 2.5% potassium. Kent Dynasty® products contain no added potassium supplementation and have potassium concentrations less than 1%.
For horses exhibiting symptoms of HYPP, a viable alternative is to feed a complete feed with higher fiber, such as Dynasty® Pride, with a very limited amount of hay.