Sugar free Polos - good or bad?!

[Cop-Pop]

I have just got a section A mare that is impossible to catch - even in the stable! She's not nervous - just naughty and with bad habits. I've discovered she ADORES polos so started giving her one when she was caught. It seems to have worked and she's now really easy to catch as long as you have a polo in ur hand (nothing else works, I've tried). As I don't generally treat my horses I was worried abt her teeth

so started feeding suger free polos but I've been told by several people that they are dangerous for horses and to give her the original ones!
As the polo helpline was unhelpful

- does anyone here know?

 

[arwenplusone]

I would feed the sugar ones. THe sugar free will be made with sorbitol/aspartame which is NOT a natural occuring substance. Sugar is not the greatest thing to feed your horse BUT it is better than the chemical substitute.

 

[zigzag]

As i wouldn't touch aspartame myself I certainly wouldn't give it to the horses!

 

[Sneedy]

Sorbitol has a laxative effect as well so prob better to avoid!!!

(Not speaking from past experience

!!!)

 

[Theresa_F]

According to my horses - horrible and don't come back until you have the sugar ones.

Delia loves spearmint polos and for my old TB nothing else would do other than XXX mints.

 

[Scarlett]

[ QUOTE ]
As i wouldn't touch aspartame myself I certainly wouldn't give it to the horses!

[/ QUOTE ]

evil evil evil stuff...... wont go near it.... wouldnt offer my horses it either...

 

[YorkshireLass]

Use the original sort, so long as you don't feed handfuls of them the sugar won't do anything. Try breaking them up so the reward is half a polo or less. See how little you can get away with!

 

[Gorgeous George]

definately the original ones, i try to avoid things with sweetners in so I certainly wouldn't want to give them to George.

 

[kerilli]

normal ones are fine. my equine dentist told me that horses don't have the same enamel on their teeth that we have, so the polos won't rot their teeth. mine eat packetsful!
i won't feed them the artificially sweetened stuff. uggh.

 

[madmav]

Agree with kerelli. had same conversation with equine dentist. I asked, because horses don't clean their teeth, surely they should never eat sweet stuff. But their teeth have a different set-up to ours, re plaque, the way they grow and other complicated stuff. So they can enjoy les polos!