Yellow: with caution
For healthy horses, a few pieces every now and then, for metabolic horses none at all. Horse nutrition expert Clair Thunes writes on TheHorse.com: Three or four pieces of sugar cubes are unlikely to trigger a significant increase in blood sugar in a healthy horse.
Why the traffic light is yellow
According to Thunes, a cube of sugar weighs around 4 g and consists entirely of table sugar. This sugar dissolves quickly and enters the blood more quickly than the sugar and starch in hay, which are released more slowly. For most horses it doesn't matter if there are a few pieces. Not for some: According to Thunes, sugar cubes are not a risk worth taking for a horse with uncontrolled insulin resistance, with PSSM (a muscle metabolic disease) or with a history of laminitis. This also applies to overweight horses, especially with thick manes.
For comparison: According to The Laminitis Site, there are around 6.1 g of sugar and starch in 100 g of carrot. A carrot weighing around 83.5 g is equivalent to around two cubes of sugar.
What you should pay attention to
- Few pieces: Thunes considers three or four pieces to be unproblematic for a healthy horse. Nothing more is needed for praise anyway.
- First know the metabolism: If your horse has EMS, insulin resistance, PSSM or has ever had laminitis, you can avoid sugar completely.
- Peppermint candies also count: According to Thunes, three round peppermint candies (about 15 g) contain 8 to 10 g of sugar.
- Rarely instead of daily: A treat acts as a reward if it does not become a habit.
What to do if your horse has eaten sugar cubes?
A few pieces are no problem for a healthy horse. If a horse with insulin resistance or a history of laminitis has been given sugar, call the vet's office and ask what you should look out for. If a horse has caught a large pack, the same applies: According to the Swiss research institute FiBL, rapid ingestion of large amounts of sugar or starch can trigger feeding deer.
If you see signs of colic or laminitis, call your veterinarian or emergency veterinary service immediately.
Read more
- Can horses eat carrots?
- Are horses allowed to eat bread?
- What can horses eat? The overview
- Horse weight calculator: How heavy is your horse?
- Buying a horse: the checklist
Sources, accessed on 05.11.2026: TheHorse.com, Sugar and Peppermint Treats: Not Safe for All Horses (Clair Thunes, PhD); The Laminitis Site, Who said stop the carrots?; FiBL, bioaktuell.ch, Zucker im Raufutter: Gesundheitliche Risiken für Pferde und Esel (Manuela Helbing)
