<< What do you feed as a simple carb? Sugar seems obvious, but I bet there's
something else out there. I have noticed that Mr. RoanHorse really digs my
Nature Valley Honey'N'Oat granola bars, unusual for a horse who usually
disdains pocket-treats. Years ago, Miller's used to market something called
a "Winergy" bar, that had al sorts of interesting things like tomatoes and
nettle leaves in it, which really gave him an energy boost at vet checks.
He really liked those, too. Unfortunately, they no longer have it in there
atalogues. If anyone knows of a source for these equine "Powerbars" please
let me know!
Happy Trails,
>>
Simple carbs can be sugars or starches that have a variety of molecular
weights. The higher the molecular weight, the slower the impact. One way to
predict the "quickness" of the energy delivery is the shortness of the chain
of the carbohydrate molecule or its glycemic index. Simple sugars are the
fastest acting, but corn and oats are relatively quick--2 hours on the
outside for a blood glucose peak. Don't know about high protein or high fat
foods, but virtually any carbohydrate will give a blood glucose peak in 1 to
4 hours. In racehorses we have to be careful because too high a peak will
make the horse sleepy--as you would be after Thanksgiving dinner. Nothing
worse than a snoring racehorse.
ti