Who doesn’t love a fruit-flavored gummy???
Even my horses adore these snacks.
Ponies are known as grazing animals who live on grass & hay. But they can eat a lot of other things besides their main foods. To satisfy their sweet tooth, we recommend giving them fresh fruits as snacks.
But what about fruit roll-ups? Can horses eat fruit roll-ups?
The answer is yes; horses can eat fruit roll-ups but as always moderation is the key.
However, the main concern is horse health as fruit roll-ups come with added sugar, which is injurious and harmful to horses’ health.
This snack had a Lawsuit over health claims. Therefore, you should never allow your horses to consume unlimited fruit roll-ups.
But what are fruit roll-ups actually?
Since 1983, the fruit roll-up (a popular brand of fruit snack) has been available in different American grocery shops. Yeah, processed fruit.
We all tried this flat, tubed snack in school, right?
Mainly the fruit roll-ups consist of three main ingredients. They are:
- Fruit.
- Lemon juice.
- Sweetened/sugar.
You know what? The manufacturer uses five different types of sugar to make this roll-up.
These three things are the main ingredients of fruit roll-ups. Manufacturers add different types of fruit flavors to make different versions of fruit roll-ups. For instance, they use corn syrup, maltodextrin, and palm cornel oil.
In other words, the fruit roll-ups indicate the pectin-based, rolled tube with fruit flavored. All the above ingredients are baked in slow heat for a very long time until all the items stick together. They use the backing sheets not to allow the blended fruits and other ingredients.
You can make this healthy snack at home by using the above three ingredients without adding anything extra sweetened. You can only offer this fruit to your horses since they can eat different fruits as their weekly treat.
You can make different flavored fruit roll-ups for your horses. The top five flavors could be these:
- Berry lemonade.
- Little banana.
- Rainbow.
- Strawberry flavored.
- Berry wave.
Can horses eat fruit roll-ups? Is it safe?
Horses can eat ½ fruit roll-ups since they contain fruit flavors and different fruits, not more than that. They are not safe for horses’ health. The fruit roll-ups come with a good chunk of added sugar or any taste-enhanced things that are extremely harmful to horses and other animals.
Let’s see the nutritional value of fruit roll-ups of (strawberry flavor) 100 g (3.5 oz)
| Energy | 1,562 kJ (373 kcal) |
| Carbohydrate | 85.2 g |
| sugars | 38.7 g |
| Fat | 3.5 g |
| Protein | 0.1 g |
| Water | 10.2 g |
As you can see besides the sugar, there are some more reasons you may count.
We are talking about- Added Fruit Flavor.
Although manufacturers are supposed to add natural fruit items to make the fruit roll-ups, some of them might add a little bit of artificial fruit flavor. It’s a great concern for any horses or grazing animals. The added sugar or flavor severely damages the horse’s stomach and digestive system.
Good to know- Center for Science in the Public Interest sued Lawsuit for health claims over Fruit Roll-Ups.
Related article: Did you know that horses can eat mango? Apparently, they can!
When you shouldn’t give fruit roll-ups totally to your horse?
When your horse is sick or fails to digest food properly for some reason, you shouldn’t give fruit roll-ups. This is the time to get some normal food to get well soon (What we say comfort food).
Sick/weak horse
Sometimes, the horse’s digestive system might weaken. Maybe your horse eats a lot of grass at a time and needs to process them on time. The digestive system will be weak at that time and fail to process any other food. You shouldn’t give fruit roll-ups at that moment.
Upset stomach
Any processed food isn’t a good choice for an upset stomach.
If your horse’s stomach is terrible or goes through diarrhea, you should never provide any fruit roll-ups, as it might damage the stomach further.
Baby horse/foal
You should only give fruit roll-ups if your horse is mature enough because the foal can’t digest sugar-added food, which may damage your horse’s health and the entire digestive system.
Other horse food articles:
- Does Alfalfa Make Horses Hot?
- Read more about beet vs alfalfa for horse
- Are buttercups toxic to horses?
Verdict
The fruit roll-ups are a fruit snack that may come with added sugar and some flavor. Therefore, you should never allow your horse to eat them frequently, and you should only offer some fruit roll-ups with a natural process without sugar and added flavor.
In brief, your horse can eat most fruit roll-ups, but in moderation, as they are not a healthy food source.
