CEREALS have been fed to horses for generations; cereal grains are largely palatable, widely available and energy-rich (due to their high starch content), making them a predictable feed choice for many horse owners for their hard-working animals.

The digestive tract of the horse is naturally suited to a forage or fibre diet. If starch is overfed, glucose derived from starch digestion may overwhelm the small intestine and pass into the hindgut, where it can lead to dysbiosis (an imbalance of hindgut microbes), which can result in ill-health such as colic, diarrhoea and laminitis. Cereals are used in the production of compound horse feeds and are also sold as straights, but they are not natural feeds for horses.