barely for thoroughbred racehorses

Question
hello ma'am. if feeding barley good for racehorses? if yes, may i know in what ratio to feed them? at our local racetracks, trainers feed horses two times a day. once at 9AM and second time at 6PM.

Answer
Hello Rohit,

Barley is one of the more non-structural carbohydrate rich cereal grains for horses.  It can provide a decent amount of energy, however barley has a lower rate of pre-cecal digestibility and feeding too much can lead to increased risk of gas colic as starch reaches the cecum.  

Remember, rations should be balanced by nutrient requirements and not by ingredient requirements.  Horses don't have a requirement for a certain amount of barley or corn or oil or hay.  They have a requirement for a certain amount of energy, protein and mineral.  I can't tell you how much barley to feed a racehorse without knowing a lot of other information like how much work the horse is doing, what it weighs and how much of each other ingredient is in the diet.  Think nutrients first, then choose your ingredients.

Thanks, Corlena