08/10/2025
Is starch really the enemy in your horse’s diet? 🤔
It’s not as black and white as most people think.
Starch itself isn’t “bad” — it’s a natural carbohydrate that breaks down into glucose and can provide short-term energy. But the key is how much and what kind your horse actually needs.
🌾 Here’s the truth:
When too much starch (from grains like oats, barley, or corn) reaches the small intestine, it floods the bloodstream with glucose. In high-intensity horses like racehorses, eventers or endurance horses, that can be useful for quick glycogen replenishment.
But for the average performance or leisure horse? That same starch load can trigger insulin spikes, gut upset, increase laminitis risk and even contribute to hindgut acidosis - which we believe is a highly under recognised issue in performance horses.
🌿 So what should fuel your horse instead?
Fibre.
Fibre travels to the hindgut, where beneficial microbes ferment it into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These compounds help:
✅ Stabilise gut pH
✅ Support immune balance
✅ Reduce inflammation
✅ Promote calm, consistent energy
For most horses — especially laminitic, EMS, or ulcer-prone types — energy should come from fibre fermentation, not starch digestion. Is there an appropriate level of starch to not exceed? We believe so!
👉 The bottom line:
Feed starch for high intensity exercise.
Feed fibre for stability.
📖 Read the full article as part of the AXLR8 Equine Education Series
“Is Starch the Enemy in Your Horse’s Diet?”
https://axlr8equine.com.au/blogs/education/is-starch-the-enemy-in-your-horses-diet
