Why is fibre important in the diet?

Horses have evolved to eat on a little and often basis known as trickle feeding. In the wild, they feed for between 16 and 18 hours a day to meet their nutritional demands from plant sources with low nutrient levels. In the domestic environment, a horse’s requirements can be met with a much smaller volume of feed that takes less time to eat. This has significant consequences for behavioural and digestive health. Low-fibre diets and long periods without access to forage have been linked to horses developing vices. Horses eating low-fibre diets are also at greater risk of gastric ulcers and colic. Throughout the digestive system, fibre aids peristalsis, a muscular contraction that moves food through the gut. In the stomach, fibre offers protection as it forms a ‘mat’ that helps to reduce acid coming into contact with the squamous (upper) region of the horse’s stomach. In the hind gut, a relatively stable population of microbes keeps harmful bacteria at bay, as well as breaking down fibre by a process called fermentation to produce energy. Volatile fatty acids are a source of slow-release energy produced from fibre that your horse can utilise when working at low intensities. This means fibre is a great way to provide fuel for horses in light to moderate work. Both low-fibre and high-starch diets can disrupt the microbial population in the hind gut, resulting in problems such as colic, loose droppings and laminitis.