Who said "stop the carrots"?

2/12/2019

One of the first things you are likely to be told, as the owner of a laminitic or EMS horse, is "no treats, no carrots, no apples..". A grape or prune is sometimes suggested as suitable for hiding pergolide tablets, but owners may be warned not to use a slice of carrot or apple for the same purpose. So what's the science behind this?

We compared the analysis of carrots, apples, plums, grapes and prunes - all fruits/veg that might be given to a horse as a treat or to hide medication - on the SELF nutrition data website:

So both on an as fed and a dry matter basis, the carrot wins hands down for having less sugar/starch - just 6.1 g in 100 g. It has the least calories/energy, it has the most fibre of all the above fresh fruits/veg, and it has a huge amount of vitamin A - a 500 kg horse's minimum requirement for vitamin A is 15,000 IU/day, 100 g of fresh raw carrot provides more than this. Horses grazing will get plenty of vitamin A, but horses on an all hay diet, especially hay that isn't green or is older than 6 months, may be short of vitamin A, so carrots provide an excellent source. Carrots also score well as being anti-inflammatory.

But how does the sugar/starch in carrots compare to other common feeds, such as hay?

A 500 kg horse eating 2% of its bodyweight would be having 10 kg dry weight, or approx. 11.2 kg as fed weight hay/day. Sticking to as fed figures, say the hay is 7.15% combined ESC (simple sugar) and starch (or 8% DM), that would be 800 g of sugar/starch eaten in a day. If eaten over say 16 hours (so 700 g hay as fed/hour), that would be 50 g of sugar/starch in each of those 16 hours.

So if 700 g of 7.15% sugar/starch hay as fed gives 50 g sugar/starch,
100 g hay as fed would give 7.1 g sugar/starch
and 100 g carrot as fed gives 6.1 g sugar/starch
- so a carrot doesn't look quite so evil now!

To be fair, that 100 g of hay has also provided a lot of fibre, some protein, fat, minerals and vitamins, whereas the carrot has mostly provided water, but also that valuable vitamin A.

And compare a carrot to say Spiller's High Fibre Cubes which were approved by the Laminitis Trust (until 2019 when they were removed from the scheme because the Cubes contain live yeast) (NB The Laminitis Trust Feed Approval Mark should not be taken as indicating that a feed is safe for laminitics - their criteria is that the NSC of the feed should not exceed 40%* - the ACVIM Consensus Statement on EMS suggests that NSC should not exceed 10% of the diet for horses with EMS**) - they contain 10% starch and 4.5% sugar***, so 100 g of High Fibre cubes would give 14.5 g sugar/starch - more than twice as much sugar/starch on an as fed basis as the same weight of carrots.

To help human diabetics, glycaemic index (GI) has been calculated for common foods. The glycaemic index ranks foods from 0 to 100 according to how much and how quickly blood sugar levels are raised after healthy humans have eaten a certain amount of the food (to provide a controlled amount of digestible carbohydrates). The University of Sydney gives 80 g raw diced carrots a GI of 35 (2017). The glycaemic load may be more helpful - this takes into account the effect on blood glucose from eating a typical portion. High water content foods like carrots usually have a low GL (less than 10 is considered low - 80 g raw diced carrots have a GL of 2 according to the University of Sydney (2017)). See Debunking the Carrot Myth - Glycemic Index Foundation. NB these figures relate to humans, not horses.

In her book "The Truth About Feeding Your Horse", equine nutritionist Clare Macleod busts the myth that carrots "should not be fed to .. those prone to laminitis" and agrees that although on a dry matter basis carrots are relatively high in sugar, on a fresh weight basis they are low in sugar (she suggests a fresh carrot contains around 7.5% sugar). She recommends feeding carrots for their betacarotene content (vitamin A precursor), particularly for older horses, to help provide antioxidants.

As always, common sense should prevail - if a horse's insulin is too high and/or it currently has active laminitis then hold back on the carrots and keep the diet as strict as possible, just analysed & soaked hay with appropriate levels of protein, minerals & vitamins, plus perhaps linseed to provide Omega 3 if a horse doesn't get grass. But once insulin levels and symptoms are under control, then a carrot or two a day, particularly if sliced and fed throughout the day rather than in one go, is unlikely to do any harm.

For more information about feeding horses with laminitis, EMS and PPID, see The Laminitis Site's Diet page.

* Laminitis Trust Approval Mark for horse feeds
"B. Criteria
4. NSC (%) must not exceed 40% of the dry matter of the feed (where NSC is used as an estimate for the hydrolysable and rapidly fermentable carbohydrate feed fractions)."

** ACVIM Consensus Statement Equine Metabolic Syndrome (2010)
It is therefore recommended that NSC be calculated by adding starch and WSC percentages together, and this value should ideally fall below 10% of dry matter when feeding horses or ponies with EMS.

*** Spillers High Fibre Cubes nutritional analysis

Updated 2017 to include swede, turnip and parsnip (click on the image to enlarge it)

(First posted March 2013 above, updated February 2019 below)

A new ECEIM consensus statement on equine metabolic syndrome was published online in February 2019, which stated that "grains or cereal‐based complementary feeds, fruit, or vegetables such as carrots, apples, or treats should be excluded from the diet because of their high NSC content."

When sharing the statement, The Laminitis Site suggested that "whilst there may be little justification to feed more than small amounts of something that is mostly water and sugar (and a source of vitamin A), on an as fed basis, carrots contain around 6% combined sugar and starch - less than some hays and several feeds that carry "safe for laminitics" marks."

The ECEIM responded to this comment, saying: "Regarding carrots, these may contain more than 60% starch and sugar on a dry matter basis and are clearly high-NSC feed items (Brøkner et al 2012), unlike most hays. Whilst accepting that the absolute amount of sugar in one fresh carrot is quite small, it would still contain more sugar than in other items such as sugar lumps for example, yet we would quite rightly avoid those in an insulin-dysregulated horse. We regard the feeding of high-sugar feed items such as carrots (and sugar lumps) as unnecessary and poor discipline for those governing the diet of laminitis-prone horses. Carrots are not a natural feed item for horses and they add no nutritional value to a well-balanced diet as described in the consensus statement." The ECEIM comment can be read here.

We thought it would be interesting to compare the total sugar and starch on an as fed basis (as that is what the horse eats) of sugar cubes, raw carrot and The Laminitis Trust approved (until 2019 - see above) Spillers High Fibre Cubes.

Sugar: 2 cubes of sugar weighed 5.15 g on a gram scale. Sugar cubes are 100% sucrose on both an as fed and dry matter basis (sucrose is half glucose, half fructose).

Carrot: 83.5 g of raw carrot contains approximately 5.15 g of sugar and starch combined.
Using the USDA Nutrient Database figures for raw carrot: sugar content 4.74% (0.55% fructose, 0.59% glucose, 3.59% sucrose) and starch content of 1.43% = 6.17% combined, so 6.17 g of sugar and starch in 100 g. 83.5 g of carrot x 6.17% sugar/starch = 5.15 g of sugar/starch. Our 15+ cm reasonably thick carrot weighed 83 g.

Spillers High Fibre Cubes: 35.5 g of High Fibre Cubes contains approximately 5.15 g of sugar and starch combined. The feed label and website give the sugar content as 4.5% and the starch content as 10% = 14.5% combined, so 14.5 g of sugar and starch in 100 g. 35.5 g of Cubes x 14.5% sugar/starch = 5.15 g of sugar/starch.

So looking at the ECEIM's statement:
1. Carrots are not fed on a dry matter basis, they are fed on an as fed basis, and their combined sugar and starch levels are low - 5.15 g in a pretty average 83 g carrot, 6.17 g in a 100 g carrot. It doesn't matter for this discussion whether we talk about carrots on an as fed or dry matter basis. As fed, a 100 g of carrot contains around 6.17 g of sugar and starch. On a dry matter basis, the same 100 g carrot contains 88.3 g of water, so is 11.7 g dry matter, and its sugar and starch % is (6.17 / 11.7 =) 52.7%. So whilst on a dry matter basis you are feeding a carrot with a scary sounding sugar/starch amount of 52.7%, you are only feeding 11.7 g of it (because you aren't counting the water), and 11.7 g x 52.7% = 6.17 g of sugar and starch (surprise, surprise!).

Equine nutritionist Clare MacLeod commented (on The Laminitis Site Facebook page 14 February 2019) "Carrots are NOT high in NSC on an as fed basis. Period. It's a classic but fundamental error to assign the characteristics of a feed material DM when it's fed in its fresh state."

Brokner et al. 2012 analysed freeze-dried carrots - the DM content of the freeze-dried carrots was 89.1%, sugar 58.1% (glucose 12.4%, fructose 12.5% and sucrose 33.2%), fibre 27.8%, protein 7.4%, starch negligible - all figures given on a dry matter basis. Using the water content for fresh carrot given in the photo above, 11.7 g per 100 g, these freeze-dried carrots rehydrated to fresh weight would have had 6.8 g of sugar (and no starch) per 100 g. Freeze-dried carrots are full of sugar, fresh carrots are not - it's all about the water content, as well as the sugar %.

Equi-Analytical has lower figures for carrots than the USDA figures given above (figures as at February 2019).
Average WSC is 31.05% x DM content of 13.18% = 4.09% as fed, average ESC 20.6% = 2.72% as fed, average starch 2.18% = 0.29% as fed, so total sugar and starch (using WSC) = 4.38% as fed.

2. As the photo below shows, on a weight for weight basis, you can feed more than twice as much fresh carrot as High Fibre Cubes, and more than 16 x as much carrot as 2 sugar lumps, for the same amount of sugar and starch. In our example we're talking about 5.15 g of sugar and starch, out of a possible 999 g for a 500 kg horse eating 2% of his bodyweight and keeping the combined sugar and starch in his diet below 10%.

3. As for the feeding of carrots being "unnecessary and poor discipline", slivers of carrot can make useful training aids, which can be invaluable for encouraging a horse that is perhaps in pain or frightened to work with you, for example to pick up feet for examination or to stand quietly on blocks for x-rays to be taken or to have blood collected. See Hand-Feeding Treats to Horses by Dale Rudin Feb 2019 for benefits of using food rewards for training.

A slice of carrot can make a perfect hiding place for a Prascend tablet. Consider also, a horse newly diagnosed with EMS or laminitis has probably already had restrictions and less pleasant management imposed on him - he has probably been removed from going out in the field with his mates and eating grass, and may be shut in a stable for hours on his own, eating what he considers to be boring soaked hay from a small holed haynet that is frustrating him. He hasn't been naughty, he is ill. If he is used to having the odd slice of carrot for being well behaved, or perhaps last thing at night, why remove yet another pleasure - his quality of life should be maximized, not minimized. Put yourself in your horse's place. Of course you want strict management to reduce his risk of laminitis or to hasten his recovery, but not to the extent of giving him nothing to live for! It's all about looking at the numbers, thinking about what your horse wants and needs, and finding a balance.

4. "Carrots are not a natural feed item for horses" - so only natural feed items should be fed to horses? And what is a "natural feed item" - something a feral horse would find? So no unmolassed sugar beet, no soya mashes, no mineral balancers.... Feral horses may struggle to dig up a carrot growing in the wild, but they'd certainly eat apples - so does that make apples ok, but not carrots?!

5. Some owners add single minerals and vitamins to their horse's diet to make up for short falls in their forage, and carrots provide a very useful source of vitamin A. It is certainly not the case that they add "no nutritional value", although the ECEIM may argue that all horses should be fed a balancer that contains vitamin A. There are also small amounts of protein (7.9% DM) and fibre (24% DM), minerals and oil in a carrot - compared to a sugar lump which has no nutrients other than sugar (energy).

Perhaps the ECEIM authors deal with owners who would feed kilos of carrots if they were told that horses with ID could have carrots, but that certainly isn't our experience. We know of many owners of horses with EMS and laminitis who give their horses a small amount of carrot (generally less than 100 g/day) with no problems.

Durham AE, Frank N, McGowan CM, Menzies-Gow NJ, Roelfsema E, Vervuert I, Feige K, Fey K
ECEIM consensus statement on equine metabolic syndrome
Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published online 06 February 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15423

Brokner C, Bach Knudsen KE, Karaman I, Eybye KL, Tauson AH
Chemical and phsiochemical characterisation of various horse feed ingredients
Animal Feed Science and Technology 177 (2012) 86-97

19 Comments

Becky Desmond

10/25/2014 06:43:43 pm

In regards to a laminitis horse, my vet said to avoid baby carrots completely, as they have a high sugar content. Regular carrots were okay in moderation.

The Laminitis Site

10/26/2014 01:40:02 am

I suspect your vet is correct, although words like "high" and "low" are meaningless in this context - always look for an analysis when considering sugar levels. It seems likely that baby carrots may have a higher sugar content than regular carrots - according to Snopes http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/carrots.asp baby carrots have been bred to contain more sugar than standard sized carrots, and as you want to minimize sugar levels, it's generally going to be best to choose the lowest sugar option. But it's good to hear a vet sensibly suggesting that regular carrots are ok in moderation.

Linda

3/13/2015 09:55:42 am

A friend feeds a horse at least 10 lbs. of carrots a day. I myself having had horses in the past think this is way too much. It is in a 1 acre, maybe less pasture alone. He also feeds him sugar I don't know how often though. What is the proper amount in pounds to feed? I've read 1 pound is 30,000 I.U. of Vit. A but that Vit. A is okay with a horse. It's the possibility of him foundering I'm concerned with. Thank you.

The Laminitis Site

4/12/2015 06:17:59 pm

Hi Linda, carrots should probably not make up any large part of a horse's diet. As above, 100 g of carrots will supply over 15,000 IU vitamin A - the recommended daily amount of vitamin A for a thoroughbred-sized horse - and a horse will get vitamin A from other sources such as grass. Horses should be fed a diet based on high fibre forage such as hay and grass. If a horse has had laminitis in the past or shows signs of insulin resistance, then grass may have to be restricted or even eliminated, with the bulk of the diet provided by hay, supplemented with minerals, vitamins and protein that are likely to be in low amounts in the forage. See http://www.thelaminitissite.org/diet.html.

Disclaimer: The information, suggestions and links (hereafter referred to as “information”) contained in this post are provided for information purposes only and should not be relied upon nor replace professional veterinary advice. Information is non-veterinary, is based as far as possible on current research, does not constitute advice or diagnosis, and should be discussed with all relevant vets and hoofcare or other professionals. No responsibility is taken for the accuracy or suitability of information contained in this post, and no liability accepted for damages of any kind arising from use, reference to or reliance on any information contained in this post. If you suspect your horse has laminitis or is ill, please consult your vet.

Edward Powell

4/12/2015 10:40:34 am

i am looking after a 25 year old Shetland pony. he was not limping am then pm developed a limp in one of his back legs to the degree that on occasion he dragged it. The owners partner says it is laminitis and has to go on a strict diet with controlled light exercise. Would laminitis develop so quickly and his present exercise regime is walking around 1acre of ground. His main source of feed is hay supplemented by a dozen large carrots and light grazing. Any answers/suggestions please, my only knowledge of horses is from the net and i dont loke to see the little chap suffering.

The Laminitis Site

4/12/2015 06:08:30 pm

Hi Edward,

A vet needs to see the pony to diagnose whether it is laminitis or whether there is another reason for the lameness. Laminitis can be serious and a vet should always be called as an emergency. If it is laminitis the vet is likely to suggest removing hm from the grass completely (or putting him in a stable sized corner of the field if there is nowhere inside to keep him), but moving him as little as possible and if necessary padding his feet first. Please read http://www.thelaminitissite.org/articles/laminitis. Ponies with laminitis should not have any exercise until the cause for the laminitis has been identified and eliminated or treated (the cause will usually be Equine Metabolic Syndrome or PPID), and their feet have been x-rayed to confirm there is no rotation, and are well supported and aligned. If there is rotation, it will need to be corrected by a farrier/trimmer, the feet protected and exercise only started once the feet are fully realigned and the pony has good sole depth or protection so that he/she is comfortably walking heel first - see http://www.thelaminitissite.org/articles/laminitis-and-the-feet.

A pony with laminitis will need a correct low sugar/starch diet that provides all the minerals, vitamins and protein he needs, based on hay - the hay may need soaking to reduce sugar levels. See http://www.thelaminitissite.org/diet.html. One carrot a day should be fine for most ponies, but a dozen large carrots does not sound suitable.

It is certainly possible for clinical signs of laminitis to come on very quickly. This is quite common after a pony has been running around - what can happen is that the damage to the laminae slowly builds up (as the pony eats too much sugar/starch and insulin levels become abnormally high), but no clinical signs are seen, until the laminae are so stretched and weak that mechanical damage - separation of the hoof from the pedal bone - takes place, and that can be seen as acute lameness, although it can also be slow onset. Very often a pony with laminitis that has been slowly building up will have signs of laminitis in his feet, such as rings that are wider at the heels than at the toes - see http://www.thelaminitissite.org/chronic-laminitis.html.

Although it is possible, it would be unusual for a pony to get laminitis only in one hind leg, and dragging one leg does not sound like a recognised clinical sign of laminitis. Although horses can get laminitis in all and any leg, it is far more common for them to get it in either both front feet, or all 4 feet. Being acutely lame on one hind leg sounds more likely to have another cause for the lameness, perhaps an abscess (often with an abscess the horse will not put the foot down - it can look as if the leg is broken), or potentially something very serious like a fracture or septic joint infection. The pony must see a vet to have the cause of the lameness diagnosed.

I hope the pony gets the help he needs and makes a good recovery.

Andrea

Disclaimer: Any information, suggestions, documents and links (hereafter referred to as “information”) contained in this post are provided for information purposes only and should not be relied upon nor replace professional veterinary advice. Information is non-veterinary, is based as far as possible on current research, does not constitute advice or diagnosis, and should be discussed with all relevant vets and hoofcare or other professionals. No responsibility is taken for the accuracy or suitability of information contained in this post, and no liability accepted for damages of any kind arising from use, reference to or reliance on any information contained in this post. If you suspect your horse has laminitis or is ill, please consult your vet.

Deborah

5/10/2015 12:41:53 am

I have a 16.1 middle weight horse who has had laminitus in the past and has a fractured pedal bone. This caused laminitus on the other fore leg. He has very restricted grazing as the pedal bone fracture is now 12 weeks down the line. He has just been fed Safe and sound, speedi beet and hay but has lost quite alot of condition due to the earlier pain etc. I dont want him putting on alot o weight due to being better for both ailments but want to get his feeding right. I have looked at the feeds and have chosen Speedi Beet (high fibre, low starch and sugar and Healthy Hoof (Mollasses free) again seems to be high fibre and low starch and sugar). Although his hay is good (not top spec due to feed value) he is not that interested when in the paddock so not really getting enough. He loves the Speedi beet an Healthy Hoof. His hay is steamed twice before being fed which he prefers. In order to supply enough for his height I am looking at feeding him 9lb of the Healthy Hoof (molasses free!) per day and 4lb (dry weight) of the speedi beet. In volume it all looks quite alot and is split into 3 feeds. Does this sound reasonable? I have also been giving him about 14 bucket of carrots a day as was told this was ok and it is apples which are the baddie, but after reading the above it looks like I should not be giving him more than one a day. I would really appreciate any help as finding this all quite confusing and thank you for any guidance you can give.

Liz

2/11/2017 09:20:34 am

How do swedes and turnips compare with carrots? Are they safe to feed to horses with IR/EMS/laminitic tendencies? Thank you.

The Laminitis Site

2/11/2017 11:23:47 am

Hi Liz,
We've added swedes, turnips and parsnips to the analysis - see above. They are all quite similar to carrots on an as fed basis. Swedes and turnips have less calories than carrots. Swedes, turnips and parsnips contain less sugar & starch than carrots on an as fed basis. Turnips have the lowest glycemic load (GL) at 2, carrots and swedes both have a GL of 3, and parsnips the highest at 5. Only carrots contain a huge amount of vitamin A. They should all be safe to feed in small quantities to horses with insulin dysregulation, as long as the total amount of sugar and starch in the diet is less than 10%, but note that horses with more extreme insulin dysregulation (i.e. higher insulin levels either resting or after feed) may need the sugar/starch in their diet to be less than this.

Andrea

For help and support with laminitis, EMS & PPID, consider becoming a Friend of TLS and joining our Facebook discussion group: http://www.thelaminitissite.org/join-friends-of-tls.html.

Jennifer Da Cruz

3/9/2017 02:00:08 pm

Currently have a 16 year old pony suffering from laminitis. She is being seen daily and treated by our vet so we are doing all we can. I'm trying to find the safest fruit or vegetable to disguise her meds in. Any suggestions would be great. I was about to purée carrots but then read that carrots aren't a good idea if they're currently dealing with a bout of laminitis. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

The Laminitis Site

3/10/2017 03:06:26 pm

Hi Jennifer

Small amounts of carrots are fine - it's a myth that carrots, on an as fed basis, are full of sugar - as you'll see in the article, on an as fed basis carrots are likely to contain no more sugar than hay, and less than 10% combined sugar/starch.
The whole diet should contain less than 10% sugar and starch.

2 things are important when a horse has laminitis:
1. Identify and remove/treat the cause - most cases of laminitis are endocrine, which means establishing whether the cause is EMS alone, or whether the horse also has PPID. If PPID then treatment with pergolide/Prascend is necessary. For EMS alone, a low sugar/starch diet and a weight loss programme if necessary is often enough.
2. Support the feet immediately through the solar structures, x-ray ASAP and carry out realigning trimming ASAP - never wait. It is usually misalignment of the hoof capsule and P3 (coffin/pedal bone) that causes the pain that we see in a horse with laminitis, so the best way to reduce the pain is to realign the feet and remove weight/force from outside of the laminae, i.e. from the hoof walls.

Lots more information about laminitis here:
http://www.thelaminitissite.org/articles/laminitis-ems-or-ppid-start-here

Anyone is welcome to join our Facebook support/discussion group for help with a laminitic horse by becoming a Friend of The Laminitis Site: http://www.thelaminitissite.org/join-friends-of-tls.html

Leanne holmes

12/28/2017 11:17:44 pm

Could you please tell me if carrots or sweet potatoes are better for a horse with cushings and insulin resistance?

The Laminitis Site

12/29/2017 09:22:03 am

Carrots are better than sweet potato.
100 g of carrot on an as fed basis provides around 6.1 g sugar and starch and 172 KJ energy and has an estimated glycemic load of 3. 100 g of raw sweet potato provides around 16.9 g sugar and starch and 360 KJ energy and has an estimated glycemic load of 8.

You can check the nutrient content of any feeds here: http://nutritiondata.self.com/

Kimberly

3/3/2018 09:20:56 pm

I'm wondering if I can feed my laminitis horse iceberg lettuce? She tried it once and absolutely loves it and I feel bad not being able to give her any treats at all. I baked her up some treats that consist of flaxseed meal, cinnamon, and very little unsweetened applesauce. Since she seems to really love the iceberg lettuce I'm wondering if that would be something I could give her on a daily basis? Also, I was told to take her off of the alfalfa and have her only on the grass hay. Does this sound like an appropriate diet?

The Laminitis Site

3/5/2018 06:25:36 pm

As far as we are aware, iceberg lettuce should be a safe treat for a laminitic horse (like all treats, fed in reasonably small quantities). Iceberg lettuce is mostly water (95%) with around 2% sugar: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2476/2.

Grass hay is generally recommended as the basis of the diet for a horse with a history of endocrine laminitis/insulin dysregulation. Although the reason hasn't been established, some horses are reported to become "footy" on alfalfa hay. She is likely to need a mineral, vitamin and possibly protein supplement too, plus salt if sufficient levels are not included. For more diet suggestions, see http://www.thelaminitissite.org/diet.html

Rita marshall link

5/13/2018 03:36:58 pm

I’m taking care of a pony with laminitis. He has become constipated. What can I do for him?

The Laminitis Site

5/14/2018 01:11:22 am

If the pony has not passed dung for several hours, you should call the pony's vet, as he may have impaction colic and need veterinary treatment. Horses will usually pass dung every 2 hour or so, or at least every 4 -6 hours. https://www.petmd.com/horse/conditions/digestive/c_hr_constipation.

Impaction colic risk can increase in horses with laminitis because of the lack of movement if they are on box rest, and because a grass diet is often replaced with hay, which contains much less water. Also if in considerable pain, horses may drink less, particularly if reaching their water source means moving or lowering their head to ground level.

In general, to reduce the risk of impaction colic for a horse that is not already showing problems, try to keep a horse well hydrated, e.g. by soaking hay and feeding it quite wet, by offering water above ground level if the horse's front feet are very sore, and keeping water near the horse, by adding the appropriate amount of salt to the horse's feed (~25 g salt for a 500 kg horse not in work), by feeding small amounts of well soaked and wet beet pulp. Ensure a horse is eating at least 1.25%, and ideally at least 1.5%, of its bodyweight of forage each day (while keeping combined sugar and starch below 10%). Monitor water intake and ensure a good supply of clean water. If a horse has laminitis, exercise is likely to not be possible or very restricted, but massage or other physical therapy like TTouch may be beneficial.

Sue McMurray

8/16/2019 07:50:15 pm

Our 23 years old Warmblood gelding, on 2 Prascend tabs per day and ACTH numbers in the nominal range, who has had his IR tested, which was nominal also, receives one carrot cut into snack-sized bites per day in the evening during bedcheck. During pear season, he receives one small pear at breakfast, and one small pear at supper. After lunch, he receives half of an apple before he goes back into the pasture. He is fed 4 small meals per day in his stall, and has grass hay available 24/7 in the pasture. In the winter when it is cold and wet, he receives half of a banana after he gets his feet trimmed, which is every 6 to 8 weeks.

He and his best friend whom he shares a pasture with are hobbits. Small meals several times per day, grass hay the rest of the time, and a few healthy snacks to "fill up the corners".

He has given us 12 brilliant years of show jumping. He is retired now, and deserves every one of those carrots. I am delighted with this article. Good work.

Thank you.

BERNADETTE MEAGHER

3/27/2021 03:18:01 pm

Thank you. This article has been very helpful.

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Who said "stop the carrots"?

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