What Is Nsc Horse Feed?

NSC stands for ‘non-structural carbohydrates’ and is typically the combination of starch and sugar. Horses with metabolic concerns, such as Cushing’s disease, laminitis or Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM) require reduced levels of NSC to support their activity levels.

What is NSC in horse hay?

NSC = Simple Sugar and Starch aka Nonstructural Carbohydrates. In order to know the true NSC value of your hay you will have to test it. Multiple cuttings from the same field of grass can yield hay with different levels of NSC. The recommended NSC level in hay for insulin-resistant horses is 10%.

What is the NSC in Purina Strategy?

Non-structural carbohydrates, or NSC, are the simple sugars and starches present in horse feed ingredients. Simple sugars (such as glucose and fructose) and starches (simple sugars that are attached together as a chain) are readily digested and absorbed in the small intestine.

What is high NSC horse?

NSC stands for non-structural carbohydrates and refers to the sugars and starches found in feeds. While performance horses may require a certain level of NSC to meet their energy needs, feeding high levels of NSC can have unfavorable effects, especially for horses with metabolic disorders or starch sensitivities.

How do you calculate NSC for horse grain?

NSC is a combination of WSC (water-soluble carbohydrates, aka sugars) plus starch. WSC + Starch = NSC. The NSC level recommended for insulin-resistant horses is 10%.

What hay is lowest in NSC?

Though no hay can be reliably classified as low-NSC without being tested, some tend to be more appropriate for metabolic horses, according to Crandell. “In my experience, warm-season grasses like coastal Bermudagrass and teff tend to be lower in NSC than cool-season perennial grasses, such as timothy and orchardgrass.

What hay is best for laminitic horses?

Hay is likely to form the bulk of the diet for an EMS/PPID/laminitic horse. Late cut, native species grass hay is likely to have lower sugar levels than early cut improved species (e.g. ryegrass) grass hay. High fibre haylage may also be suitable.

Does steaming hay lower NSC?

The above numbers demonstrate that steaming will reduce the NSC to 12.06% on a 100% dry matter basis. But even better, the NSC level is actually brought down to 10.86% on an as-sampled basis — safe to feed for most insulin resistant horses.

What horse feed is low in starch and sugar?

SafeChoice® Special Care is considered a low-starch feed with a maximum starch level of 13%. To truly provide a low starch and sugar diet, it is important to take into consideration the starch and sugar levels of the forage in the diet.

Is beet pulp low NSC?

Shredded beet pulp is a highly digestible, calorie-rich feed that provides 8 – 12% protein and has low NSC content.

What is a Level 3 horse?

The intermediate rider is able to mount and dismount their horse unassisted, use basic riding aids, ride at a rising trot for at least 10 minutes, to change and control the pace from a walk to a trot and comfortably canter over short distances. RIDING ABILITY – LEVEL 3.

What Causes High Low syndrome in horses?

The most prominent reason for high-low syndrome may simply be the trimming of the hooves. Many times we hear, “oh, your horse has a clubbed foot.” Or “that’s just the way he grows his hooves” … and the trimmer or farrier goes on to trim within that reasoning.

What is the NSC of Triple Crown Lite?

9.3%
Triple Crown Lite is a palatable, low-calorie, high-fiber pellet fortified with vitamins and minerals. This feed is intended for horses or ponies prone to laminitis and insulin resistance and tends to gain weight easily. This feed has an NSC of 9.3%.

What is the 20% rule horses?

The researchers found that an average adult light riding horse could comfortably carry about 20 percent of their ideal bodyweight. This result agrees with the value recommended by the Certified Horsemanship Association and the U.S. Cavalry Manuals of Horse Management published in 1920.

What is the best grain to put weight on a horse?

Alfalfa
Alfalfa is higher in calories and protein than grass hays, which makes it an excellent choice to help to add weight to a thin horse. If your horse tends to be wasteful with his hay, he may eat more when offered alfalfa hay cubes or pellets.

Are oats low NSC?

They are higher in fat and fibre (thanks to the hull) and are, therefore, lower in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) than most other grains.

What is the most nutritious hay for horses?

Legume Hay for Horses
Alfalfa, white clover, red clover and birdsfoot trefoil are common types of legumes, with alfalfa being the most popular choice. Benefits: Legumes are higher in protein and calcium than grass hay, and may also provide more energy and a higher level of total digestible nutrients, such as vitamin A.

What hay is best for older horses?

Alfalfa hay and good quality grass hays are preferable to stemmy and mature hays that have tougher fiber to ferment. The small intestine loses some function – Older horses find it harder to digest protein in the small intestine.

Which hay has the highest sugar?

Oaten / Wheaten hay known for being the ‘candy’ of hays. It is high in sugar + starch and is NOT recommended as a safe feed insulin resistant/laminitic prone horses.

What should laminitic horses not eat?

A high fibre, low starch and low sugar diet is essential for laminitics, so avoid feeds that contain cereals or molasses.

What can you not feed a laminitic horse?

Laminitic horses need extra attention paid to their diet. This includes avoiding things like molasses and wholegrain cereals and using feeds low in sugar and starch. However, it is important to make sure that they still get the daily nutrients that they need including vitamins, minerals and amino acids.