Feedingand behaviour

We are all interested in the behaviour of our horses and their little quirks. Whether it is curiosity about what they get up to in the field with their companions, or trying to understand why they react at a bag flapping in a hedge – our horse’s behaviour is often a main talking point. Sometimes though the annoying little quirks may be avoidable and not just due to their unique personality - it could just be down to feed!

Feed and Behaviour – the linkIt often comes as a surprise to owners that their horse’s behaviour can be linked to feed. There are numerous names for unwanted behaviour shown by our horses: bolshy, hotting up, fizzy and excitable to name but a few. Although feeding cannot change the natural character of the horse, or alter instinctive behaviour, incorrect feeding can often cause exaggerated responses to harmless, everyday situations.

There are three main reasons why feed can affect behaviour:• Too much or too little energy• Too much sugar and starch• Intolerances and or hind gut fermentation

Too much or too little energyA quick change in feed energy level can trigger behaviour changes, a key example of this is a horse coming out of a cold winter looking ribby, the temptation might be to start feeding large amounts of a high energy feed to put weight on quickly. Sadly the result is likely to be an over excitable horse with too much energy, it is important to gradually increase a horse’s calories.

However, a horse that is thought to be lazy might just not be receiving enough energy from their feed. This could be due to the horse carrying too much weight and therefore cannot receive the full recommended quantity of his bucket feed, thus missing out on essential vitamins and minerals which could result in a lack of energy during exercise. It is also possible the horse is not receiving enough energy from their current bucket feed and may need to step up to a higher calorie level.

Too much sugar and starchThe horse evolved as a trickle feeding herbivore that ate small, but frequent meals of high fibre forage. Today, many horses are fed diets that are

high in starch and sugars, with forage just being viewed as a bulk food. This sudden intake of starch and sugar impacts on blood sugar levels, in the same way that it does for humans.

When a horse eats, the food is broken down in the intestines and absorbed,it then enters the blood stream and causes the blood sugar to rise. This happens after every meal, but diets high in sugar and starch bring on a much higher response than fibre.

The sugar contained in the blood can cause excitable behaviour and the bigger the blood sugar peak, the more chance there is of your horse showing unwanted behaviour. This is the same effect as the “sugar rush” a child experiences after eating too many sweets!

When we feed our horses’ limited forage and large meals in buckets, the peak in blood sugar can be exaggerated. Insulin is then released and the blood sugar levels fall. If we compare the peaks and troughs in blood sugar that high starch diets cause to the blood sugar levels of

a horse fed a high fibre diet, we can see that there is a very big difference between the two.

Unlike the high starch diet, a diet high in fibre causes less extreme peaks and troughs in blood sugar, which means that there is less excess sugar circulating for the horse to become fizzy on. Fibre is broken down much more slowly in the hind gut by bacteria; the fibre is fermented by the bacteria which then release volatile fatty acids - compounds that the horse can use as slow release energy. This means that behaviour is likely to be a lot more consistent without dramatic changes.

Intolerances and or hind gut fermentationA horse may be intolerant to particular ingredients such as barley or molasses and this can produce behavioural or physical changes such as a fizzy temperament or unpleasant skin reactions.

Another digestive problem that can produce similar problems to intolerances is hind gut fermentation. This is caused when too much starch is eaten and undigested starch flows into the hind gut, this starch “overspill”

Feedingand behaviour

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Nutrition Team:

T 01362 822 902 E helpline@allenandpage.co.uk www.allenandpage.com

then causes rapid fermentation in the hindgut which can result in fizzy behaviour and skin problems

Printed April 2019. We constantly strive to improve our feeds so slight changes may occur after the printing of this fact sheet Allen & Page Ltd. Registered in England No. 318101.

If the horse does react in a negative way after eating high starch and sugar meals then it is usually seen as an overreaction to normal everyday occurrences with the horse being ‘naughty’ or ‘acting up’.

To minimise the chance of unwanted behaviour, it is essential that a diet high in fibre is fed. Highly digestible fibre sources, may help to prevent fizzy behaviour, as they are broken down more slowly than traditional cereal-rich feeds. Feeds that are low in starch and sugar may help to smooth out excessive blood sugar peaks, meaning that both you and your horse can have fun without the fizz!

Typical blood sugar profiles of horses fed a high starch (red)

or a high fibre (green) diet

High Starch

High Fibre

After each feed...

High blood sugar

Low blood sugar