Managing NSC Levels in Senior Horses

Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs), which include sugars and starches, are an important consideration when developing diets for senior horses. For easy keepers and horses with insulin dysregulation (ID) or equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), carefully managing NSC intake can help reduce the risk of excessive insulin responses and associated complications. “With those horses, when we’re providing higher levels of nonstructural carbohydrates—so, levels greater than 12%—we are going to see an increase in that insulin response,” says Morgan Askins, MS, graduate research assistant and PhD candidate at the University of Kentucky. “When we have high levels of insulin in the horse that are circulating, especially over a period of time, then we can see issues with laminitis.” #MySeniorHorse #seniorhorse #horsehealth #equinehealth #equineresearch #universityofkentucky