Dr. Jazmin Markey - PhD, PAS
This article focuses on the two primary nutritional drivers for safely building sustainable body
condition in horses and ponies: 1) digestible, high-quality fiber and 2) energy supplied from fat.
Healthy body condition is built by digestible fiber first and fat second. High-quality, fermentable
fiber establishes the digestive capacity required to hold condition. Fat then provides the
concentrated energy needed to enhance and maintain that condition safely.
By prioritizing fiber quality and layering fat-derived calories where required, body condition,
bloom and controlled weight gain can be achieved without compromising digestive health and /
or temperament.
Added:
Practical feeding guidelines for condition - Supply 1.5-2.0% of bodyweight per day as forage
and high quality, digestible fiber sources. Begin by looking to improve fiber quality before
increasing calorie density (the amount of usable energy per pound of feed). Once digestive
stability is achieved, increase energy intake using fat-based conditioning feeding products and
oils rather than solely additional starch.
Assessing Body Condition
(I looked over a few posts on the UK website; I like how Rosie tends to address this topic first.)
Before changing a feeding program, it is essential to assess a horse or pony’s body condition
(score) rather than relying on bodyweight alone. Body condition scoring evaluates fat cover over
key areas including the neck, withers, ribs, loin and tailhead. This helps identify whether a horse
is genuinely under-conditioned, maintaining appropriately, or carrying excess fat. Importantly,
horses can lose muscle and topline while still appearing well covered. For this reason, feeding
programs aimed at improving condition should focus on improving digestible energy intake and
nutrient utilization, not simply increasing meal size.
The Foundation of “Fiber First”…
Horses are designed to obtain most of their energy from fiber. Digestible fiber is fermented in the
hindgut to produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs), which can supply up to approximately 70% of a
horse’s maintenance energy requirement. Energy derived from fiber is released slowly and
steadily, supporting stable metabolism and allowing the horse to utilize energy efficiently for
body condition.
When feeding for condition, priority should be given to high-quality, digestible fiber sources,
including beet (pulp) as well as soy hulls. These ingredients provide very safe, non-heating
calories, direct support of hindgut microbial health and fermentation and offer an excellent
foundation for sustainable condition maintenance or gain. For many horses and ponies,
improving fiber quality and intake alone can significantly improve overall body condition.
On the contrary, when starch replaces fiber, condition often suffers. When starch intake exceeds
the digestive capacity of the small intestine, undigested starch enters the hindgut and is rapidly
fermented. This disrupts microbial balance, reduces nutrient utilization and increases the risk of
hindgut acidosis, colic and / or gastric irritation. Compromised digestive function directly limits
a horse’s ability to convert feed into usable energy and body tissue, making long-term sustainable
body condition difficult to achieve.
Hydration - Hydrophilic fibers (those with an attraction or affinity for water) such as beet pulp
retain water within the digestive tract, supporting overall gut motility and further protecting the
gut lining. This improves digestion and nutrient absorption and helps maintain a stable hindgut
environment.
Fiber Quality - Not all fiber is equal. Crude fiber alone does not reflect fiber quality. Measures
such as acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) are better indicators of
digestibility and intake potential (values representative of the plant or ingredient’s cell wall
structure. ADF helps predict how well your horse can extract energy from the fiber. NDF
indicates bulkiness and how much your horse can potentially eat. Lower ADF and moderate
NDF values generally indicate greater usable energy from fiber.
Salivation - Fiber promotes chewing and salivation, buffering stomach acid, and often aiding in
the prevention of ulcers and promotion of “good / positive” gastric health.
Once (or if) a strong fiber and hindgut foundation is (already) established, additional condition is
best supported by increasing energy density using fat. Common and reliable fat sources include
stabilized rice bran, vegetable and plant oils, and / or marine-derived oils, all of which provide
high-fat, low-starch options.
It is important to note that fat provides approximately 2.25 times more energy than protein or
carbohydrates (starch for example), allowing calorie intake to increase without necessarily
increasing meal size. Importantly, fat does not directly ferment in the hindgut in the same way as
starch and is generally used to increase energy density without the same risk of hindgut acid
production. Fat also provides calm, non-heating energy and is highly suitable for sensitive,
stress-prone and / or ulcer-prone horses.
Fat-based calories are particularly useful for supporting controlled, steady condition gain or
maintaining topline and body condition, and improving coat quality and “bloom”.
Products listed in order / support of the article, starting with Pink Mash® (highest fiber, lowest
fat concentration) and ending with Key-3 Oil™ (no fiber, highest fat concentration).
Pink Mash® - Heaven for the Hind Gut
Keyflow® Pink Mash® provides highly digestible super fibers from beetroot and soy hulls,
combined with micronized linseed (flaxseed), prebiotics and probiotics to support fiber
fermentation and microbial balance. It is extremely low in starch and sugar and is designed as a
high-fiber foundation for horses requiring digestive support and improved condition
efficiency. A safe option for sensitive or metabolic types.
Pink Mash® provides approximately 0.99 Mcal/lb digestible energy, 35% crude fiber (max), and
2.5% fat (min), making it ideal as a gut-supportive base rather than a primary calorie source.
Pink Mash® Condition
Keyflow® Pink Mash® Condition combines the proven hindgut benefits of Pink Mash® with
stabilized rice bran and boosted levels of micronized linseed (flaxseed) to provide both quality,
fermentable fiber and additional fat-derived calories. It provides another safe option for
sensitive or metabolic types.
It provides approximately 1.43 Mcal/lb digestible energy, 20.5% crude fiber (max), and 8% fat
(min), allowing condition and bloom to be supported while maintaining a low-starch, non-
heating feeding profile.
In practical feeding programs, Pink Mash® Condition functions as a combined solution,
delivering the digestive benefits of Pink Mash® together with the conditioning energy
traditionally supplied by a rice-bran concentrate.
Key-Plus™
Keyflow® Key-Plus™ is a steam-extruded, stabilized rice bran concentrate designed to safely
increase calorie density, focusing on fat inclusion rather than starch.
It supplies approximately 1.66 Mcal/lb digestible energy, 11.5% crude fiber (max), and 16% fat
(min), making it a highly effective option for poor doers and horses requiring additional
condition support without increasing meal size.
Key-3 Oil™
When further energy density is required, Keyflow® Key-3 Oil™ can be added as a top-dress.
Key-3 Oil™ provides an extremely concentrated calorie source (approximately 99.9% fat),
allowing meaningful energy to be added without increasing feed volume.
In addition to its role as a calorie source, it supplies the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and
DHA to support overall health and performance.
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