HHC Quick Tips - Carrot are high in sugar and should not be fed to "fizzy" horses or those prone to laminitis (is a myth?)
Do not give carrot to your overweight horse and horses prone to laminities.
It is a Myth according to Clare Macleod's new book's The truth about feeding your horse: "Carrots are high in sugar on a dry matter basis, but very low in sugar on a fresh weight or 'as fed' basis. Fresh carrots contain about 80% water, which means for every 5 carrots you feed, 4 are, in effect, suppplying water and 1 is supplying purse 'carrot'. A fresh carrot has a sugar content of about 7.5% so feeding 5 medium-size carrots supplies only about 37.5g of sugar. There is absolutely no reason why you should not feed carrots to 'fizzy' horses or those prone to laminitis, provided the rest of the diet does not over-supply nutrients. Carrots are a good source of betacarotenes (vitamin A precursors) and are a useful winter succulent for hroses on a dry diet, e.g. hay and compound feed."
Carrot contains large amounts of beta-carotene which is a precursor to vitamin A, which means the body converts it to vitamin A during digestion.
Carrots are high in sugar. It is recommended horses with Cushing's syndrome, insulin resistance or equine polysaccharide storage myopathy (EPSM) avoid being fed large amounts of carrots or any other treat containing high levels of soluble carbohydrates (sugar).
When feeding carrot, consider cutting them into bite size to avoid choking. Another fun thin you can do with carrot is carrot stretching!
Havng a balance diet is very important, know your horse intake! To believe or not to believe is your call!
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