11/07/2025
๐งช ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ : ๐๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐โ๐ฌ ๐
๐๐๐?
Did you know that whatโs printed on a feed label might not reflect whatโs actually in the bag?
๐๐ง๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐จ๐, ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐. Thereโs no legal requirement to disclose energy, protein, sugar, starch, or even mineral levels. Each brand chooses what to report; and as our testing shows, many figures are missing or very different from what's actually in the bag.
This lack of consistency makes it nearly impossible for owners to confidently compare feeds or make informed decisions based on their horseโs true needs.
๐พ๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐ popular commercial hard feeds, comparing what was declared by the manufacturers vs what was actually present in the feed.
The results? Notable variations in key nutrients โ and some feeds not declaring major components at all.
๐๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ค ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐
๐ฅ ๐๐ (๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ): ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ?
DE (measured in MJ/kg) is the amount of energy a horse can extract from the feed. Think of it like calories in human food.
Higher DE = more energy-dense โ suited to performance horses, poor doers, or horses in heavy work.
Lower DE = ideal for good doers, spelling horses, or metabolic types needing controlled energy.
But beware โ a feed thatโs low in sugar/starch can still be high DE due to fat or fibre content. Always consider your horseโs workload and metabolism.
๐ช ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง: ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ?
Crude protein is calculated based on the percentage of nitrogen in a feed, which gives us an estimate of protein content. But here's the catch: crude protein says nothing about protein quality.
High crude protein doesnโt guarantee digestibility or usable amino acid content. It could be from inferior or indigestible sources. What matters more is the amino acid profile, particularly lysine, methionine, and threonine โ the building blocks your horse actually uses for muscle development, immune support, and recovery.
Protein when fed in excess can contribute to energy issues, insulin sensitivity, high urea smell in urine & manure, stocking up when stabled, kidney strain โ even respiratory flare ups.
So when you see 18% vs 12% crude protein, donโt assume the higher one is better, context is key.
๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ: ๐๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐
๐, ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ & ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ก? ๐ด๐๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ !
These acronyms confuse even seasoned owners. Letโs compare it to human food labels:
๐๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ = the broad category that make up the below โsub-categoriesโ.
๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ก = complex carbohydrates (like bread/pasta). Starch is digested in the small intestine but if too much is fed, can spill into the hindgut causing acidosis, colic or laminitis. โToo muchโ starch can be completely individual to the horse, which can make managing this challenging!
๐๐๐ (๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ) = simple sugars, readily digestible and can impact blood glucose and insulin levels.
๐๐๐ (๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ) = sugars (in ESC) + fructans.
๐๐๐ = ๐๐จ๐ง-๐๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ = Combined Starch + WSC
๐๐
๐ = ๐๐จ๐ง ๐
๐ข๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ = All non-fibre digestible carbs, including:
ESC, WSC, Starch, Organic acids, Pectins, Some fermentation products
๐These values are interrelated. But in the horse world? Not every feed manufacturer even discloses them โ and our testing reveals discrepancies.
Carbohydrates are important to be aware of, as some can bypass the small intestine & ferment in the hindgut which can disrupt microbial balance, contribute to hindgut acidosis or even trigger laminitis.
๐ป ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ โ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐?
The list here can be long, so please bear with us. The consistency and smell of your horseโs manure tells a story on their internal health, relevant to their gut. If youโre walking into your horseโs stable and immediately smell their manure? You likely have feed sensitivities. Too loose, poorly formed and even well-formed but incredibly firm โ are all cause for concern. Lying down after eating, flank watching, girthy under saddle, general spookiness, ongoing muscle tension that isnโt resolving, even stocking up when stabled overnight can all indicate feed sensitivities might be present. We'll even go as far to say that Headshaking can be linked back to feed sensitivities in some cases!
๐งพ Coming next: Weโll be using each Test Product Feed as a specific scenario breakdown of how actual nutrient content stacks up against recommended feeding rates โ and how this may impact your horseโs overall diet.
Because feeding your horse shouldnโt be a guessing game. Foundational nutrition is key to a happy, healthy athlete.
Looking to get your feed tested? We utilised Feed Central's "Equi-Trainer" tests. ๐ฆ