Sugar often causes concern for horse owners, particularly when managing weight, laminitis or metabolic conditions. However, sugar is a natural and essential part of the horse’s diet, the key is understanding how it’s fed and how much is consumed over time.
Do Horses Need Sugar?
Yes. Sugar provides glucose, the primary energy source for the body and the only fuel the brain can use. Without enough sugar in the diet, a horse’s body will simply convert other nutrients into glucose to meet this essential requirement.
Sugar is a carbohydrate, alongside fibre and starch. It occurs naturally in grass, forage and plant-based feeds. Horses graze for 16–18 hours per day, and at certain times of year grass naturally contains high levels of sugar. Horses have evolved to digest sugar efficiently when it is consumed little and often, as it would be during natural grazing.
A typical 500kg horse can consume:
• Around 2,000g of sugar per day from grass
• Approximately 1,000g from hay
By comparison, when fed correctly, Horslyx Balancers contributes just 82.5g of sugar per day, significantly less than forage.
Reading Feed Labels: Why Feeding Rate Matters
Feed labels can be misleading if you only look at percentages. A feed with a higher sugar percentage does not necessarily contribute more sugar overall, feeding rate is crucial.
Although Horslyx contains 33% sugar, it is fed at a very low daily intake (around 250g), meaning the total sugar contribution is relatively low compared to many bucket feeds.
How Horslyx Balancers Fit into a Low Sugar Diet
• Designed to provide a daily source of vitamins and minerals to balance out a forage based diet, providing a consistent source of nutrition
• Encourages slow, natural trickle feeding through licking
• Provides essential vitamins and minerals without excess calories
Sugar in Horslyx is reassuringly low.
