Dietary fibers are long-chain carbohydrates (polysaccharides) that are indigestible by the human digestive tract. The value of dietary fiber is that it provides bulk to the bolus moving through the digestive tract. There are two great advantages to this: by bulking up the bolus, eventually the stool, it's easier for the digestive system to move it through, and the bulkier stool also tends to retain moisture to make it easier to eliminate with less straining and abrasion.
There are two principal types of dietary fiber: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber is simply bulk that changes little as it passes through the body. Soluble fiber, on the other hand, forms a soft gel in solution with water. Soluble fiber has been shown to be able to reduce blood cholesterol levels and slows the absorption of glucose from the intestine.
Soluble fiber is found in some fruits (particularly oranges, also apples and bananas), oats, legumes (peas, soybeans, and other beans), other vegetables, such as broccoli and carrots, and a grain called psyllium. Legumes also typically contain shorter-chain carbohydrates that are indigestible by the human digestive tract but which are digested by bacteria in the small intestine, which is a cause of flatulence.
Roughages are the bulkier feeds in the ration; feedstuffs with less mass per unit volume.
As roughages are high in fibrous carbohydrates and microbial enzymes are required for digestion of fibrous carbohydrates, utilization efficiency of roughages is dependent on the site and extent of microbial fermentation in the GI tract.
Based on the relatively high utilization efficiency of roughages in the GI tract and roughages are a source of fibrous carbohydrates to maintain optimal functioning of the GI tract, generally, roughages are added to ruminant rations.
The amount of feed should be adjusted based on the quality of the roughage, the addition of grain to the diet, the horse’s physiological state (e.g., growth, lactation, level of work), and the desired level of body condition (Table 1).
Roughages, including hay and pasture, are the most important component of your horse’s diet.
Roughages, by definition, are feeds that are high in fiber (minimum 18 percent crude fiber).
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