Understanding how energy is supplied by different nutrients, and how to manage the feeding of energy, can help horse managers develop feeding plans that reduce the incidence of colic and founder.
Energy is the fuel for chemical reactions that run the various systems of the body.
Energy-containing compounds are parts of grains, forages and many supplements. Starch is found primarily in grains, and as much as 55 percent to 85 percent of starch is absorbed in the small intestine. Starch bypassing to the cecum and large intestine is digested by microbes and absorbed as volatile fatty acids. The amount of starch bypassing the small intestine to the hindgut depends on intake level, rate of flow through the digestive tract and the amount of mechanical disruption of the hard seed coats of grains. This works out to five to six pounds of grain for a 1,000-pound horse.