Why is sugar important?

soothing behaviourDespite the bad press, sugar is a vital element in your horse’s diet… FACT!

Sugar is a natural part of the horse’s diet and horses are highly efficient at digesting it, in fact glucose – blood sugar – is vital as it is the only source of energy the brain can use.

Grass is the largest source of sugar in the horse’s diet and typically contains 20% sugar in the dry matter (DM). A typical 500kg horse will consume 50kg of fresh grass (approximately 10kg DM) in a single day, equating to around 2000g of sugar – that is 2 bags of sugar.

Horslyx is the equivalent of a human multi-vitamin tablet. We use molasses as a palatable carrier for the comprehensive vitamin, mineral and trace element package.

When introduced correctly Horslyx offers a safe method of ensuring your laminitic, or overweight, equine receives the necessary nutrients he requires for maintaining optimum health and immunity.

If a 500kg horse is taking 250g of Horslyx in a 24 hr period = 82.5g sugar = 16.5 tsp sugar (remember, this intake is little and often unlike feeding a bucket of hard feed!).

In human terms this is equal to you taking the following in a 24hr period:

Your weight Your Horslyx daily equivalent in g sugar        Your Horslyx daily equivalent in tsp sugar
100kg (15st 11lb) 16.5g 3 1/2 tsp
50kg (7st 12lb) 8.25g 1 1/2 tsp

sugar

Naturally occurring sugar in your diet:

1 x 200ml glass of orange juice = 20g sugar = 4 tsp
1 eating apple = 15g sugar = 3 tsp

Did you know?

The rate of consumption is key to effective digestion. When offered free access to Horslyx a horse is less likely to experience sugar peaks than when eating manger fed cubes/mixes.