21 Jun Lupin Fibre Boost – Get to know our new feed!
It’s here! Our new feed Lupin Fibre Boost is heading out to stockists around the state, so in this blog post we’ll cover what Lupin Fibre Boost is, what the benefits of the feed are and how could it help your horse or pony.
What is lupin fibre boost?
We’ve built on the many nutritional benefits of Lupin Fibre Cubes and created a complete feed with added amino acids, vitamins, minerals, pre and probiotics.
Formulated by our team of vets and nutritionists, Lupin Fibre Boost includes our premium vitamin and mineral mix, with high levels of quality bioavailable minerals and vitamins to support health, function and performance.
And the best part? It’s a complete feed that is laminitis and metabolic condition safe! With low sugar and starch, and an NSC of 4.21%, it comes well under the recommended maximum starch and sugar threshold for laminitis. You can read the full nutritional analysis on our website.
Made from Lupin Hulls, the fibrous outer casing of lupins with traces of lupin kernels, it is natural and nutritious. Keep reading to find out more…
Some key features of lupin fibre boost:
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Highly palatable and digestible fibre-based mash that provides cool, slow-release energy for horses across all disciplines and workloads.
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Fortified with a premium vitamin & mineral mix to promote optimum health and wellness.
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A complete feed designed to meet or exceed the NRC 'Nutritional Requirements for Horses' when fed at the recommended rate
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Low sugar and starch feed (NSC 4.21%) that is suitable for horses and ponies prone to laminitis, ulcers, EMS, PPID and other metabolic conditions
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Natural source of high-quality proteins and essential amino acids, including lysine and methionine to support health, topline building and recovery
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High in natural super fibres and with added pre and probiotics to increase beneficial bacteria in the hindgut and promote gut health and function
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Soaks into a delicious mash that aids hydration, and is suitable for horses with poor dentition or prone to choke
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Made from 100% Western Australian grown Lupins to support our local farming communities
let's take a deeper dive...
What are Lupins?
Protein Quality
A high-quality protein source contains the ideal ratio of essential amino acids which are easily digestible. This means that the body can then use most of those amino acids in protein synthesis.
A high-quality protein source contains the ideal ratio of essential amino acids which are easily digestible. This means that the body can then use most of those amino acids in protein synthesis.
What are Lupin Hulls?
Proteins are the building blocks for repairing bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles. If your horse does not get enough and their Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) and reserves are used up then you might start to illnesses, sickness, lameness or both. So even though we shouldn’t overfeed proteins, we have to be careful not to underfeed them too!
lupin fibre boost - About our premium vitamin & mineral mix
Lupin Fibre Boost has been designed to meet or exceed the NRC ‘Nutrient Requirements of Horses’ when fed at the recommended rate. But what makes our specially formulated vitamin and mineral mix so good for them?
- It’s designed specifically for WA horses and ponies. Nutrient and mineral levels of our soils, water, pastures and forages actually vary greatly from the east coast, so we formulate our rations to balance with these.
- It contains good levels of biotin and bioavailable minerals that support hoof and bone structure and integrity.
- We’ve included important antioxidants like Vitamin E and C to mop up free radicals and support immune function.
- No added iron, and Lupins are naturally low in iron, because our pastures and hays are very high in iron.
- We’ve included minerals like zinc and copper which are vital for immune function and health
- We’ve added Iodine and Selenium because WA soils, pastures and hays are very low these important trace minerals.
- We haven’t included salt which can cause gastric irritation, so that owners can add their own salt as needed.
Formulated for Gut health
Lupin fibre boost is laminitis, ems, PPID, Metabolic condition and ulcer safe - why?
Lupin Fibre Boost is low in starch and sugar, with an NSC of 4.21%, and only 0.2% starch.
Let’s talk about sugars and starches. Simple sugars and starches (Non-structural carbohydrates or NSC) are present in feed ingredients and are readily absorbed in the small intestine and converted into glucose.
The glucose that comes from Non-Structural Carbohydrates is actually a really important energy source for Performance Horses, as it is vital for fuelling anaerobic respiration (fast, high intensity work). When sugars and starches are part of a balanced diet with appropriate work levels a horse can usually use them efficiently. When a healthy horse consumes NSCs the glucose in the bloodstream increases and so does the insulin (hormone) in the bloodstream. The insulin then moves the glucose out into the cells to be used.
Where too much sugar and starch becomes an issue is if it is fed in excess and overloads the small intestine, or if your horse or pony is prone to laminitis or metabolic conditions like PPID, EMS etc. In horses with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance & PPID, the insulin doesn’t appear to work correctly, and the amount needed to bring blood glucose back to normal is far higher than usual, leaving excessive levels of insulin in their system for prolonged periods. This is not a good state for their body to be in, and so a diet low in NSCs helps to reduce the amount of insulin being produced in their body.
The junk mail analogy – A good analogy for what happens in horses with insulin resistance is that the body switches off as if it was receiving too many junk emails. Let’s say your horse’s body is a bit like your email inbox. You get emails each day that give you different information and value. You also get some junk mail. Now a bit of junk mail is ok, you read about a special promotion that is relevant, some new saddle pads etc.
But then you start getting more junk mail. And it takes you longer to get through it all so you start to ignore it. And then you get more. And you ignore more of the junk mail. And then your inbox is mostly junk mail so you just delete it all. BUT then you delete the important emails that were hidden in there too. So we try to reduce the amount of junk mail coming in to make it easier to sort through and read our important emails again.
Lupin Fibre Boost is Cool and low fizz feed for horses
Fibre is so much more than just fill! Digestible fibre is considered to be an optimal energy source for many horses and ponies as their digestive systems have evolved over thousands of years to ferment plant fibres. They not only get energy from it, but important nutrients too!
Horses can’t actually digest the fibre in their diet, they are ‘hindgut fermenters’ so they rely on the good bacteria in their gut to ferment the fibre for them. This process produces Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA’s) which are then absorbed by the horse and used directly as a fuel source in the cells, or converted to glucose (an essential form of energy), glycogen (the form of glucose stored in the muscles for use later) or fat. The energy that comes from fibre is slow release sustained energy, because the products of fermentation can be used for energy long after the initial meal. The low sugar and starch also makes this a cool energy source as it doesn’t cause glucose and insulin spikes when digested.
The fermentation of fibre in the gut also produces really important vitamins including Vitamin B1, Vitamin K and biotin which are part of a their essential daily nutrient requirements.
Lupin Hulls are high in digestible fibre which makes them an ideal source of cool, slow release energy.
How can you feed Lupin FIbre boost?
Wendy pailthorpe
Posted at 22:51h, 04 JulyI am currently feeding hygain microbeet. Would this lupin high fibre feed replace that.
Thank you
Thompson and Redwood
Posted at 23:31h, 04 JulyHi Wendy, what else are you feeding? Lupin Fibre Cubes would be a direct substitute for the Microbeet as they are a fibre supplement, but if you’re feeding other concentrates not at the full recommended rate, then the Lupin Fibre Boost offers vitamins, minerals and gut support to make sure your horse would meet their daily nutrient requirements. Hope that helps!