Greetings Dr. Getty,
I have tried to acheive a low NSC diet for two horses while living in a rural Texas community. Yesterday, the farrier came out and said that both horses appear to have had something in their diet during the last 4-6 months causing slight ripples on the hoof. The gelding -- a very easy keeper -- has a slight space between his white line and hoof wall causing his hoof to flake off occasionally. The farrier attributed this to their possibly having too much of something in their diet.

He has been encouraging horse owners to feed reduced NSC diets to horses. I want to achieve this while also providing a balanced diet for them.

They live together on a dry 1/2-3/4 acre paddock (no grass) and get locally-grown coastal hay and sometimes AZ or CA-grown Bermuda grass hay twice daily.

I have also started them on the supplement Equipride with their meals.

They get two 2 lb. meals daily of a mixture of Ultium and a Bluebonnet Sr. feed (I think this is too high in NSC even though the first ingredient is beet pulp).

The biggest hurdle where I live is the availability of low starch/ low NSC feeds in my small community. We get the big-name brands -- Nutrena, Purina, etc. -- and some regional brands, but most do not tell the NSC level of the feed. Special ordering is not possible. I am a fan of less-processed foods and "real stuff" rather than by-products within the first ingredients. This has steered me away from Nutrena's Safe Choice.

Where do I go from here in finding a safe feed that they will not need in large quantities and something which will improve the gelding's hoof issues? Is Safe Choice the best option? Is Ultium (perhaps alone) okay in the small quantity I am using? I should add that right now, they are not getting exercised much and will not for several months.

Many thanks for any input you can offer in my quest for a low NSC equine diet.
Libby

Where are you from? Texas

How did you locate this forum? Yahoo search for low NSC feeds

Hi Libby,

First, let me explain that the first ingredient on horse feed (or any animal feed) is not necessarily present in the highest concentration. This is only true for human foods and is not a requirement for animal feeds.

So, if beet pulp is first, it means that it contains beet pulp but you have no way of knowing if it contains a lot or a little.

Grain by-products are actually a good thing -- they are the outer hull of the grain (the bran) or could include the germ, but they are not the whole grain. Whole grains are mostly starch, so you actually want to look for feeds that contain middlings or by-products.

I know what you mean about the scarcity of products low in starch in Texas, having recently moved from Texas. Purina Ultium is a good choice, though expensive. Safe Choice is not reliable. But, you can look at the ingredients label and make sure that it doesn't contain oats or corn -- I have seen bags of Safe Choice that actually have whole corn kernals in them!

One route to go is to simply get shredded beet pulp. You'll want to soak it for 30 minutes and if you can only get the sweetened variety, soak it and then drain the water to remove the sugar. Add some alfalfa pellets for palatability. And, then add a good, comprehensive multiple vitamin/mineral supplement such as Accel or Glanzen Complete.

Bermuda hay, fortunately, is typically low in sugar, so that's a good thing for your horses.

I hope this is helpful! Keep up the fine work!

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO