Carrots

[idefixbis]

How many carrots can you feed per day? Is there a limit? I always thought that there was no risk in feeding many carrots and at my stables we have a farmer who comes and sells 10kg bags really cheap.
I go through 3 a week so I would say that my horse gets just over 4kg a day. 2/3 in his feeds and the rest after his exercise.
However I am the one who buys the most and have been criticised by others who have told me that giving too many carrots is bad.
Are they right?

 

[AmyMay]

You can overfeed carrots.

Are you saying your horse gets 30 kg a week?

 

[FigJam]

Unfortunately I don't know how many are too many, but I have heard that they contain a lot of sugar, so this could be a reason for not feeding a huge amount? 4kg a day sounds like a lot to me?

Maybe a good idea to cut them down a little, but I'm sure there's a carrot expert on here somewhere who can advise on exact amounts!

 

[JoBo]

Goad knows, but our get 1 or 2 medium sized carrots in each feed (2 feeds a day), and they seem perfectly healthy.

 

[Theresa_F]

Mine have a large handful twice a day - I get a sack a week for the two of them from the carrot man. Probably works out in weight about 1/2 a kilo a day each split between 2 feeds.

 

[cheeryplatypus]

i must be a meanie mine gets under 1kg a week (one or two carrots a day)
he loves turnips though

 

[Tempi]

both mine have 4 carrots each a day. They arent massive ones tho!

 

[ru-fi-do]

When my horse had suspecte laminitis the vet told me to cut out carrots all together as they are higher in suger than people think. At the moment mine have 2 in both breakfast and tea.

 

[idefixbis]

Yes he gets 30 kg a week

He seems fine though. Not over weight. His temperament is fine.

 

[Happytohack]

30kg seems like a lot of carrots! They are high in sugar which is way they shouldn't be fed to laminitics. TBH I wouldn't feed that many.

 

[terrierliz]

You can feed too many carrots.
My boy has about 4 chopped up in his hay last thing at night - he has to search them out and keeps him occupied (for about 2 minutes!!)

 

[Bossanova]

4kg a day?!!
Blimey, mine would get sick of that many, I think 1kg a day sounds plenty

 

[Mellymoo1]

Mine has 3 carrots per feed and is fed twice a day.

30kg's of carrots a week is loads!!

 

[icestationzebra]

Is he orange?

 

[JessPickle]

Our yard puts 2 carrots in each feed they are fed twice a day. Our whole yard goes through around 50kg-60kg a week (it is a RS which has around 40 horses not all get fed twice a day) so 30kg a week does seem a lot for one horse

 

[Scarlett1980]

At the end of the day, carrots are 90% water so it is very similar to eating 30kg of grass. If he has no side effects, like loose droppings, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[pfarrugia]

I know this sounds crazy but is his wee orange? We had a lady at our yard who fed her horse so many carrots he had orange wee. The vet told her to cut them down to a max of 6-10 carrots a day!!

 

[_Jazz_]

Hi Johanna
Have a look at Jazz on my webpage

I've owned her for 10 years and she has always had huge amounts of carrots(the bowl on the webpage is filled at night!) in the Winter, as did her late field companions( RIP aged 30 + years old). I too have received raised eyebrows from other owners! Well Jazz has been on a diet but continued her carrot fix, do's she look sick ?

If he is well I say s** them !!!
The fruit I'd take care with is apples.

 

[wizgirl]

my vet tells me they are like mars bars and should not be overfed!!!!???????????? Not sure how true these are

 

[Hornby]

Carrots contain large quantities of vitamin A - excess consumption of vit A in humans can cause poisoning (even death). Not sure if any one has tested this with horses but it looks as if johanna may be trying to find out!

 

[moon_drop]

I feed alot of carrots I go though 3 big bags a week for 4 horses!!!! My horses are not over weight and are very healthy they have a really good shine on their coats as well and i put that down to the carrots.

I chop them in to fingers and put them though their feed at night and they love it. when I run out they have a hizzy fit at tea time!!!

 

[Allykat]

My TB goes off the rails on carrots. I was getting through a 2 kg bag in a fortnight last winter while he was in and wondering why I was on the verge of being bronked off my usually laid back horse, every single time I rode. The only thing that was unusual was the quantity of carrots and someone suggested I should cut them out and I laughed...horses are supposed to eat carrots aren't they?? I cut them out completely and he is super calm

I would be visiting the moon if I fed him 30kg

 

[Lady_Bug]

My mare has a bucket of carrots a day. I used to only give her 4 or 5 in her feed but when I moved to this yard, the YO told me they get them by the trailer load and everyone gets a bucket full a night. I felt mean not giving them to her when everyone else was getting them so she's got them. She's fine though.

 

[Patches]

I was under the impression that anything like carrots or apples can cause peaks in certain sugars/proteins in the horse's system and could in theory set off a bout of laminitis in a laminitic or pony at risk of laminitis. I stopped feeding them regularly after being informed of that.

They occasionally get two carrots, between four neds - cut down the middle...half of one each! Aren't I generous.

Sounds like you're feeding an awful lot. Bet your horse can see well in the dark! LOL

 

[_Jazz_]

Hi Again Johanna
As a fellow multiple carrot feeder

I thought I'd email one of the 'big' feed companies and one of their nutritionists very kindly responded..Here goes...
QUOTE 'Thank you for your e-mail. Carrots are predominantly water, about 85%
water to be exact. Of the 15% dry mater or nutrients that carrots
contain the majority of this is sugar with some fibre. It's fine to feed
carrots as part of your horses diet as extra succulents and for a bit of
variety even in relatively large quantities. 15kg of carrots (1 horse
bag size) would supply about 1kg of sugar (1 human sugar bag, which is
about the same amount of sugar you would get from a few hours grazing.
To put this further in perspective carrots would be around just under 7%
sugar and hay is about 10% sugar so generally 1kg of carrots would
provide less sugar than 1kg of hay.

I hope this puts things in perspective for you. Nutritionally because
they are predominantly water and sugar they will not provide your horse
with a lot, so if you had a particular issue for example needed
condition carrots alone would not achieve this!

One last thing make sure you are cutting your carrots length ways to
reduce the risk of choke, which I am sure you already do.
UNQUOTE

What a nice reply, Big Thank You

And here is my big orange girl

:

[image]

[/image]

 

[Henmen]

Cant feed carrotts, she has a suger intolerance, they send her scatty!!

 

[sleepingdragon10]

My god what a gorgeous horse!She's obviously doing well on her carrot diet

 

[idefixbis]

Dear Caz,

Thank you very much for your research. It is really interesting.
Joshua can carry on chomping on his carrots!!!
For the record:
My horse does not have orange pee, his temperament is fine and I can't reply about his night vision!!!

 

[Theresa_F]

Thank you for your research. It is obvious that Theresa is not feeding me enough carrots and I have drawn her attention to your thread. Hopefully she will immediately rectify the situation.

In future I shall demand at least a bag a week to myself instead of having to share it with that horrible Stinker.

I love your mare - just my sort, if she fancies a grooming session, let me know - I have lovely large teeth and a big tash.

Yours sincerely

Cairo

 

[_Jazz_]

My pleasure