Comments on: Feeding fruit to an insulin-resistant horse

By: Galadriel

Galadriel — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 23:15:18 +0000

Great guidelines.

By: Galadriel

Galadriel — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 23:48:55 +0000

My horse absolutely LOVES fruit!

By: Sam

Sam — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 14:01:45 +0000

Realistically, all horses can benefit from eating a diet as low in NSC/sugars as possible. I feed all of my horses as if they were IR, for the simple reason that it is the number one way to prevent metabolic issues before they happen. Many commercial feeds are too high in sugar – utilizing grains and grain byproducts, molasses, etc. Also, most owners feed their horses too many treats. If you become your horse’s personal “pez dispenser”, a treat stops being a treat and becomes a part of the horse’s overall diet. My personal preference is to give the occasional carrot, or to feed a low-sugar treat/cookie now and then. Otherwise I’ll simply give a horse a little handful of hay pellets as a reward. It’s a normal part of most of my horse’s daily diets, but they think that it’s a treat because it’s just a handful and not at a regular feeding time. The horse gets something he/she enjoys and the emotional enjoyment of getting a treat, without adding extra sugar.

By: kygal

kygal — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 12:09:23 +0000

so much for a horse to enjoy

By: Cindy and ~Luna~

Cindy and ~Luna~ — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 08:31:11 +0000

Wow, a lot of the fruits on this list, I didn’t even know that I could give them to my mare. Now I can’t wait to experiment and see what she likes!

By: Ellen

Ellen — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 05:57:54 +0000

Thank you! I didn’t know how different fruits/vegetables/feeds compared in their sugar content, but now I can choose lower-sugar options. My horse hasn’t been diagnosed as insulin-resistant, but he is overweight.

By: PKL

PKL — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 04:23:09 +0000

This is very good information. My son, also has to limit his sugars/carbs, and this information is very useful. I took in a pony which has foundered before, and I must limit her grass eating time.