too many carrots and apples - laminitis

Question
hello ma'am, cant horses bear rich sugar in their diet? i mean, too much of treats like carrots and apples. does it lead to laminitis?

Answer
Hi Rohit,

Thank you for your question.  Generally speaking, horses digestive systems don't deal well with large amounts of sugar or starch but rather prefer forage (structural carbohydrate) based diets.  Having said that, carrots and apples are not really rich in sugar....and the quantity of these fed as treats are not likely to cause metabolic disturbances in horses.

Laminitis can be triggered by many different factors.  Carrots and apples do not cause laminitis but I suppose they can trigger a recurrence of the disease in horses that are prone to developing the laminitis when fed in large quantities.  But apples and carrots should not constitute the basis of your feeding program and should be reserved as a treat or snack.  If you have a horse that is prone to laminitis or has had any significant rotation of the coffin bone, it certainly would be prudent to avoid all of the traditional laminitis triggers.

Thanks, Corlena