Can too many carrots cause founder in horses? Just curious.

-- Kevin (kevinmail@earthlink.net), January 08, 2002

Answers

Would take alot of carrots, like in excess of 15 or 20 pounds or so. A 5 pound bag wouldn't do it, my friend would feed 5 pounds of apple and carrots a day to her horses ( she was worse at spoiling her critters than me!)and they suffered no ill effects other than being too fat!!!

How many carrots are you talking about? Founder is usually caused by grain overload (also from too rich a green feed like gorging on alfalfa or clover in a hayfield full of the stuff)that the sheer amount of feed ferments and kills off the beneficial bacteria in the horses gut, causing the toxic fermented by products to affect the circulation, especially those in the feet, causing the actual founder, known more accurately as laminitis, an inflammation of the laminae, the tiny blood vessels of the hoof wall in the feet.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), January 08, 2002.

I agree with Annie----it would be a lot of carrots---------!!!!! ha!

We use to turn my little paint mare in the garden & orchard pen when I was going to be useing her real soon again---instead back out in the big pasture---- I'm telling you she could eat more of that garden--while I was in getting a drink & eating lunch!!!!!! ha!

She also use to pick peaches off the tree & eat the peach & spit out the seed-----sooooo funny to watch---of coarse my Mother didn't see the humor back then---- ha!!

So if anyone was going to founder----my mare should have /as she could go down the row & pull out the carrots & eat the carrot & on to more---if she had to she would also eat the tops!!!! ha!!

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), January 08, 2002.

No, you cant founder a horse on carrots, but if you are feeding them by hand you can have some bad habits. We used to feed horses treats by hand every time we went to the barn. They expected a treat, then demanded a treat, and our young filly descided to bite us. Since we have stopped the treats (unless they have done something good to deserve it), it is much safer in the barnyard. I have young children. It was becoming unsafe for them because the horses would all but walk over us demanding treats.We couldnt do anything in the barnyard without them all around us, and we had to watch our backs.It is much safer for us now. Have a Great Day!!!! The Pooles

-- the pooles (mpoole@link2000.net), May 29, 2002.