Ask the Nutritionist: Dr. Getty's Forum for Equine Nutrition
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Dr. Getty
Dr.Getty,
Hi again,
After reading your forum I came to realize that grains are not good for horses(corn,barley)which I didnt know (my horses and I thank you)which leads me to my question, why are all these feed compainies producing feed with all these grains as the main ingredient.They are basicaly scientists coming up with those specially formulated recipies for horses so the can have the best feed possible? I'm stumped.
I bought a bag of senior/hardkeeper feed and the ingredient list only to find out that it main ingredients were grain not beetpulp or alfalfa etc..
Could you mabey shed a little light on this subject if possible.
Thank You
You are a awesome source of advice
Jenni 
Where are you from? canada
How did you locate this forum? internet search
HI Jenni,
It's true that traditionally, feeds have been high in starch but that is changing. Now, if the first ingredient is "grain by products" that is not the same as grain. Actually it is high in fiber and low in starch. So, that may be misleading and a lot of feeds are made from these by products, which is fine.
But, many horse feeds are still made from oats and corn, and even barley which is only appropriate for a horse that is exercised heavily and can handle the increased starch in the diet. But, even then, it's important to not feed too much at one time.
So, to answer your question -- it's tradition and people are adverse to change. But, the newer feeds are lower in starch than the older ones, in many cases.
Thanks for writing!
Dr. Getty 
Hi Kristi,
Horses that are worked on a regular basis can tolerate small amounts of grain for energy. However, horses' digestive systems were never meant to have large amounts of grain. Because we tend to overfeed high starch feeds (in the form of grain, sweet feeds, and pelleted feeds that are grain-based), we encounter very serious problems, mainly in the form of colic and laminitis. Growth problems in young horses are also attributable to high starch diets.
Horses need to have forages as the mainstay of their diets. They need hay and/or pasture at all times, clean water, exercise, and some additional energy source to account for their activity needs. This can best be met by such things as beet pulp, flaxseed meal, stabilized rice bran, soybean meal, and oils.
I also think that it is a good idea to supplement the diet with an overall vitamin/mineral supplement to fill in any gaps.
Thanks for asking this very important question!
Dr. Getty 