Feeding Honey to Horses
- Posted by Clair Thunes, PhD
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Q.I recently learned that feeding honey to horses is a common practice in some Eastern European and Middle Eastern countries. Why would you feed honey and is it safe?
A.One tablespoon of honey (21 grams) contains 17 grams of sugar. Therefore, the main reason behind feeding honey to horses is that it’s a readily available energy source. Honey’s sweetness might also entice picky eaters to consume their rations.
Honey 101
Like table sugar, honey is made up of glucose and fructose; however, where table sugar contains almost equal amounts of glucose and fructose, honey is about 40% fructose and 30% glucose. Honey also contains small amounts of other more complex sugars, as well as trace amounts of protein, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals
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Written by:
Clair Thunes, PhD
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2 Responses
Hi.are you suggesting that you only gave a spoon of honey once or more aquasions.thaks col
Years ago a pony I had developed breathing problems after I moved him to another field. I gave him a spoonful of honey in some feed which I acquired from a friend who kept bees about a mile away from the field. After a few days of doing this he recovered completely.