40. What is NSC? And is it bad for my horse?

NSC is one of those three-letter acronyms that pops up on feed bags and hay reports… and consistently manages to confuse even the most dedicated horse owners. In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida McGilchrist unpacks Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSC) in a practical, horse-owner-friendly way.

This episode looks at what NSC actually is (starch + water soluble carbohydrates; WSC), how it relates to WSC, whether we should be using WSC or ESC to calculate NSC (see, it gets confusing!), and why that 'fructan piece' matters for both laminitis risk and the hindgut microbiome.

You’ll learn why NSC is everywhere in hay, pasture and feeds, and why it’s levels can fluctuate so dramatically, depending on plant type, time of day, climate, temperature, drought stress, and even soil fertility.

Nerida shares real-world examples (including from her own horses) to explain what happens when NSC is too high. Problems can include crazy high insulin levels, laminitis, colic, tooth decay and microbial dysbiosis. And she explores why “not enough NSC” can also be a problem in performance horses where energy intake, palatability, and gut function matter.

If you’re feeding a pony with insulin dysregulation, a horse with PPID/Cushing’s, a laminitis-prone horse, or a metabolically healthy high performance athlete, this episode will help you make informed, smarter decisions around NSC.

📱 If you’d like help applying this to your horse, download the MyHappy.Horse app on the Apple App Store and start building a diet you can feel confident about. https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324

💖 And if this episode helped you, please share it with a horsey friend (especially the one currently arguing about pasture sugar on Facebook 😅)

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(67)

67. Laminitis & Spring Grass: How to Keep Your Horse Safe

Managing a laminitis-prone horse through spring can feel like a full-time job! Especially when pasture non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) levels can change dramatically with the weather.In this episode...

25 Aug 42min

66. Horses, Laminitis & Hoof Health with Dr Luke Wells-Smith

In this episode, Dr Nerida is joined by Dr Luke Wells-Smith, dual qualified equine veterinarian and farrier, for a unique perspective on laminitis.Dr Luke unpacks what’s happening inside the hoof dur...

18 Aug 1h 23min

65. My Favourite 5 Weight Gain Ingredients for Horses

What are the best ingredients for helping a horse gain weight safely?In this episode, PhD equine nutritionist Dr Nerida explains why lucerne (alfalfa), full-fat soybean, lupins, sugar beet pulp and co...

11 Aug 43min

64. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Insulin Sensitivity, Muscle Building and Misleading Feed Labels

Join Dr Nerida and Orla as they discuss how exercise can improve insulin sensitivity. Plus they talk feeding for muscle development, and how whey protein, soybean and leucine play a role.They also div...

4 Aug 46min

63. Preventing Gastric Ulcers in Horses: Nutrition Strategies Beyond Forage

Preventing squamous gastric ulcers takes more than just feeding enough forage. In this episode, Dr Nerida explains four additional nutrition strategies: feeding a balanced diet, controlling grain and ...

28 Jul 42min

62. Preventing gastric ulcers: The top 3 things you must do for your horse

Gastric ulcers are incredibly common in horses, but before changing feeds or reaching for an ulcer supplement, there are three far more important foundations to get right.In this episode, Dr Nerida ex...

21 Jul 38min

61. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Gravel in the Gut, Lucerne Myths and Haynets

Orla is back on the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, and this time she and Dr Nerida are answering listener questions, sharing stories from the behind the gastroscope, and chat themselves down a number ...

14 Jul 37min

60. Rebuilding a Horse’s Gut After Racing - Allay's Story

What really happens inside an off-the-track’s gut when you take away the racing diet and start to rebuild the horse from the hindgut up?In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida ...

7 Jul 1h 22min