In recent years, sugar has gained a bad reputation. In people it is associated with obesity and diabetes, while in horses it raises concerns about laminitis, equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and excess weight. It is therefore no surprise that sugar levels in horses' diets are closely scrutinised. But is sugar really so bad, and how much should your horse's diet actually contain?
Sources of sugar in your horse's diet.
Naturally occurring sugar is found in virtually everything in your horse's diet. Feeds (including grass) are largely based on sugars. Grass can contain from 7.5% to as much as 50% water-soluble carbohydrates, the combined total of sugars and fructans (a form of sugar stored in grass). Research suggests that ponies can eat the equivalent of up to 5% of their body weight in grass daily, meaning that a 350 kg pony could consume almost 9 kg of sugar (WSC - water-soluble carbohydrates) a day from grass alone.
When analysing your horse's diet, first consider the main source of sugar. Complete concentrate feeds usually contain 5 to 7% sugar, but remember that horses eat these in smaller quantities than forage. This means that the recommended ration for a 500 kg horse in light work will contain around 150-200g of sugar, while the recommended serving of a balancer (such as Spillers Original Multi Balancer) contains around 25g - just 2 tablespoons!
However, chaff tends to cause the most concern among horse owners because of its molasses content.
Molasses is a by-product of processing sugar cane or sugar beet; contrary to popular belief, it is not pure sugar. What you should consider is the amount of sugar in the diet, rather than the inclusion of molasses. Molasses and its forms (such as molglo and molaferm) contain around 30-54% sugar and are usually included in feeds at 10-15%, accounting for only 2-4% of the finished feed. Put simply, feeds containing molasses are not necessarily high in sugar, while molasses-free feeds are not completely sugar-free either. The important point to remember is to look at the total sugar content of the diet rather than focusing on individual ingredients. However, if you would prefer to exclude molasses from your horse's diet, there are many molasses-free feeds available, such as Spillers Happy Hoof Molasses Free.
Molassed or unmolassed feeds?
Here we will compare Happy Hoof Molasses Free chaff with Happy Hoof in terms of the sugar content of the total diet.
Although Hoof Molasses Free contains less sugar (2% compared with 5%), both products contribute only a small amount of sugar to the overall diet.
Both chaffs are equally suitable for horses with laminitis, horses in good condition and overweight horses. Both products offer:
To sum up, horses and ponies need a balanced diet, and sugar, like any other nutrient, plays an important role. However, many horses, including those that are overweight, prone to laminitis or have equine metabolic syndrome, need a low-sugar diet. To manage sugar intake effectively, consider the whole diet (including forage, such as the grass your horse eats at pasture), rather than just what you pour into the feed bucket from a bag.
Sources of sugar in your horse's diet.
Naturally occurring sugar is found in virtually everything in your horse's diet. Feeds (including grass) are largely based on sugars. Grass can contain from 7.5% to as much as 50% water-soluble carbohydrates, the combined total of sugars and fructans (a form of sugar stored in grass). Research suggests that ponies can eat the equivalent of up to 5% of their body weight in grass daily, meaning that a 350 kg pony could consume almost 9 kg of sugar (WSC - water-soluble carbohydrates) a day from grass alone.
When analysing your horse's diet, first consider the main source of sugar. Complete concentrate feeds usually contain 5 to 7% sugar, but remember that horses eat these in smaller quantities than forage. This means that the recommended ration for a 500 kg horse in light work will contain around 150-200g of sugar, while the recommended serving of a balancer (such as Spillers Original Multi Balancer) contains around 25g - just 2 tablespoons!
However, chaff tends to cause the most concern among horse owners because of its molasses content.
Molasses is a by-product of processing sugar cane or sugar beet; contrary to popular belief, it is not pure sugar. What you should consider is the amount of sugar in the diet, rather than the inclusion of molasses. Molasses and its forms (such as molglo and molaferm) contain around 30-54% sugar and are usually included in feeds at 10-15%, accounting for only 2-4% of the finished feed. Put simply, feeds containing molasses are not necessarily high in sugar, while molasses-free feeds are not completely sugar-free either. The important point to remember is to look at the total sugar content of the diet rather than focusing on individual ingredients. However, if you would prefer to exclude molasses from your horse's diet, there are many molasses-free feeds available, such as Spillers Happy Hoof Molasses Free.
Molassed or unmolassed feeds?
Here we will compare Happy Hoof Molasses Free chaff with Happy Hoof in terms of the sugar content of the total diet.
Although Hoof Molasses Free contains less sugar (2% compared with 5%), both products contribute only a small amount of sugar to the overall diet.
Both chaffs are equally suitable for horses with laminitis, horses in good condition and overweight horses. Both products offer:
- High fibre content
- Low starch and sugar content
- Low calorie levels
- Vitamins and minerals to balance the diet
- Approval by The Laminitis Trust, the British laminitis charity
- 5 mg of biotin per kg to support hoof health.
To sum up, horses and ponies need a balanced diet, and sugar, like any other nutrient, plays an important role. However, many horses, including those that are overweight, prone to laminitis or have equine metabolic syndrome, need a low-sugar diet. To manage sugar intake effectively, consider the whole diet (including forage, such as the grass your horse eats at pasture), rather than just what you pour into the feed bucket from a bag.
