Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube LinkedIn TikTok
    Dr David Marlin
    Header image
    • News
      1. News
      2. Blog
      Featured
      30 November 2022

      Dr David Marlin’s Advent Calendar

      Recent
      21 March 2023

      Latest research into induced delivery with a low dose of oxytocin now available

      13 March 2023

      FEI Equine Influenza Requirements

      8 March 2023

      International Women’s Day at DDM

    • Resources
      • Articles
      • Product Reviews
      • How To
      • Feed Materials In Focus
      • Research/Papers
        • Research Reviewed
      • References
      • Glossary
    • Webinars
      • Coming Up LIVE Webinars
      • Webinar Replays
    • Podcasts/Videos
      • Podcasts
      • Videos
    • What’s On
    • Website Guide
      • Guide to the Site
      • Why Join?
      • Become a Member
      • About Dr David Marlin
      • Our Team
      • FAQs
      • Services & Contact
    • Members Area
      • Join Now
      • Your Membership
        • Manage Your Subscriptions
        • Edit Your Details
        • Renew Here
      • Member Offers
      • Member’s Questions
    • Log In
    Header image
    You are at:Home»Resources»Feed Materials In Focus»Why it’s ok to give your laminitic, EMS, tying-up or PSSM horse a Polo, a apple or carrot occasionally
    Packet of Polos

    Why it’s ok to give your laminitic, EMS, tying-up or PSSM horse a Polo, a apple or carrot occasionally

    0
    By David Marlin on 19 November 2021 Feed Materials In Focus, Resources

    Why it’s ok to give your overweight, laminitic, EMS, tying-up or PSSM horse or pony a few polos, a small apple or a carrot occasionally!

    Many owners are told that they can’t feed horses or ponies that are overweight, prone to laminitis or tying-up or have EMS, treats such as Polos, carrots and apples.

    Polos
    It’s easy to see why Polos are popular with horse owners as a treat. Most horses like them, they are cheap, they are dry and not messy, they don’t contain any ingredients likely to cause allergic reactions and they come in convenient packaging.

    Yes, it’s true that regular Polo mints are loaded with carbohydrates. In fact, every Polo mint consists of 98% carbohydrate of which 96% is sugar – a combination of sucrose and glucose. So does this mean that Polos are bad for horses that are prone to tying-up, laminitis, etc? In principle yes. But of course, the key factor here is how many Polos or packs of Polos a day are you feeding your horse or pony?

    One pack of Polos contains 1707KJ of energy or 1.707 MJ and 96g of sugar. A single tube weighs 34g. Therefore one tube supplies 1.707/100*34 = 0.58MJ of energy. This equates to around 1/100th of your horse’s daily energy intake so a few Polos are not going to make your horse or pony fat. Similarly, one tube supplies 96/100*34 = 33g of sugar. A pack/roll of Polo mints contains 25 mints, so each mint will be the equivalent of 1.3g sugar.

    To put this in context, 5 Polos or 6.5g of sugar will have no impact on a horse’s or pony’s blood sugar level! If you fed your horse or pony a whole pack (33g of sugar) you might start to get to a level that would cause a small increase in blood sugar in animals at risk for such as tying-up or laminitis.

    If you are still concerned by the sugar content but want to feed your horse mints, then sugar-free mints are of course an alternative. However, many people are concerned that the artificial sweetener sorbitol used in sugar-free mints might be harmful to horses. Sorbitol may sound like a synthetic compound but it’s actually found naturally in apples, peaches, pears, plums and dates, to name a few. If your horse or pony has had apples before, they have had sorbitol before. Mints that use xylitol as a sweetener are, however, TOXIC to dogs. Whilst horses don’t appear to be affected by xylitol it is not currently recommended to feed horses mints with xylitol as a sweetener.

    Carrots
    An “average” medium-size 6″-7″ carrot weighs around 100g and will provide around 10g of carbohydrate of which 5g will be sugar. So giving 1-2 carrots a day is also not an issue.

    Apples
    A medium-sized apple will weigh around 200g and contain around 28g of carbohydrates of which around 21g is sugar. Therefore apples should be fed sparingly to horses or ponies affected by or prone to laminitis, EMS, tying-up, PSSM or weight gain. A quarter of an apple twice a day would provide around 14g carbohydrate of which 11g would be sugar. 

    Bottom line
    A few Polo mints a day or a few carrots a day or half an apple a day as a treat is OK for any horse or pony.

    .

    Loading

    Related posts:

    1. Autumn Laminitis – What are the risks?
    2. Webinar – Laminitis – A Vets Perspective by Dr Kirstie Pickles
    3. Feed Materials In Focus – Glucosamine is Safe for Cushings, EMS, Laminitic and Obese Horses
    4. Avoiding spring laminitis, by Dr Kirstie Pickles
    carrot EMS Laminitis Overweight polo PSSM
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Avatar photo
    David Marlin

    Dr David Marlin is a physiologist and biochemist who has worked in academia, research and professional sport. He has worked in the equestrian and veterinary world and in human sport, healthcare, medicine and exercise science. In 1989 David obtained his PhD from the UK’s leading sports university, Loughborough University following a four-year study on the responses of Thoroughbred racehorses to exercise and training, undertaken at the renowned Animal Health Trust in Newmarket. You can read David's full biography in the Our Website section.

    Related Posts

    Webinar – Laminitis – A Vets Perspective by Dr Kirstie Pickles

    Autumn Laminitis – What are the risks?

    Feed Materials In Focus – Glucosamine is Safe for Cushings, EMS, Laminitic and Obese Horses

    Introduction from David
    https://vimeo.com/478007186?loop=0
    Popular Posts
    • Colic Awareness Week 2022
      In News
      4 October 2022
    • 20th Dec – Dr David Marlin’s Christmas Advent Calendar
      In News
      20 December 2022
    • Avoiding spring laminitis, by Dr Kirstie Pickles
      In Resources
      10 May 2021
    • Biotin – Common Equine Supplement Ingredients Explained
      In Feed Materials In Focus
      13 February 2023
    • Dr Gillian Tabor working with a horse using a ground polePodcast – Chronic lameness and Multifidus by Dr Gillian Tabor
      In Podcasts
      21 February 2023
    • Webinar – Equine pain, by Dr Gillian Tabor
      In Webinars, Webinars/Vids/Pods
      4 September 2021
    Join Now Banner
    About

    The drdavidmarlin.com site is an independent information resource for all equestrians. A source of unbiased, science-based research, we deliver news, and product reviews, with webinars, podcasts and articles covering the full breadth of the equine world.

    David Marlin has been involved with horses all his life and is an experienced equine scientist. He has always been passionate about equine welfare and as a result has been involved in many campaigns. You can read more about David in the About Page.

    Become a member today to get access to all this site has to offer!

    Become a Member

      Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn TikTok
      Copyright © 2022 Dr David Marlin
      • How To Join
      • Website User Guide
      • FAQs
      • Services & Contact
      • Legal – Disclaimers, Terms, and Policies
      • Sitemap

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

      We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

      You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

      Dr David Marlin
      Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

      Strictly Necessary Cookies

      Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

      If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.